Unlocking Potential 

Strategic Plan development for the Independent Living Technical Assistance and Training Center (IL T+TA) funded by the Administration for Community Living (ACL) under the US Division of Health and Human Services (HHS).

• From proposal development to successful implementation and continuous improvement.

• Embedded with leadership and collaborative process.

• High disability-centered stakeholder engagement, including townhalls, interviews, and surveys for breadth and depth.

• Data driven strategies to achieve project goals that are tightly aligned with evaluation plans to demonstrate success.

“The Strategic Plan emphasizes a community-driven approach that moves beyond traditional training models toward peer learning opportunities, collaborative problem-solving, and coherent resources.”

Through my role as Executive Director of the National Disability Center for Student Success, I lead an interdisciplinary team to develop, pilot, and publish measures of accessibility in higher education. Drawing on nearly 30 years of research experience, this work includes a deep understanding of nuances surrounding disability, identity, campus culture, and accessibility across different contexts. Measures and aligned interview protocol include a systems approach to accessibility, identifying both individual and campus level factors. Measures developed include the Campus Accessibility Measure for students, Faculty Accessibility Measure for faculty, and Campus Spotlight case studies for institutional accessibility efforts. Each result in concrete data-driven strategies for student success.

Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium AI and Accessibility in Assessment Project

• Current research in accessibility feature development and delivery across domains such as Braille, Text to Speech, Image Description Alt Text, and ASL video development.
• Expert interviews to understand current capabilities and future directions.
• Focus on internal workflow including vendor specifications and test security.
• Responsive and collaborative development model.
• Focus on maintaining high quality, valid, and ethical test delivery.
• Integrating insights from conversations across the community.

WIDA Consortium contracted to develop ASL videos for the test instructions for their measures of English Language Proficiency. WIDA serves over 40 states as the primary vendor for measures of ELP required by state and federal guidelines. Results are used to determine the student’s growth and progress, as well as to inform instruction for the next year. This ASL video work draws upon several years of advisory support to WIDA in valid, reliable, and equitable measurement of language proficiency for multilingual learners. This ASL video project included an iterative process of planning, piloting, stakeholder review, revision, and integration of insights into future test direction blueprints. Protocols were revamps to include additional scaffolding to support engaged test experiences for emerging language users.

Guest article for the American Bar Association

In commemoration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, I wrote a guest blog post for the American Bar Association. This piece sought to provide a high level overview of strategies that leaders can take to support accessibility in professional settings. The post both raised awareness of legal contexts – including the Americans with Disabilities Act – as well as practical strategies that leaders and managers can take to instill a culture of accessibility within their organizations and teams. The post provided links to additional evidence-based resources for further professional development and workshops.

I have served on the Student with Disabilities Assessment Advisory Task Force for the Council of Chief State School Officers for nearly a decade. The task force works under the broader mission of the CCSSO to ensure all students, regardless of disability, have access to high-quality education and fair assessments. I have contributed to conversations around accommodations, federal and state policies, emerging trends, and capacity building at all levels of the education system. A trusted advisor and valued colleague, I seek to ask strong questions, provide practical feedback, and help push the conversation forward with evidence-based approaches to student success. I also provide support through regular presentations on related topics to state agency members at their CCSSO Collaboratives meetings and at their annual National Conference for Student Assessment.