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I am thankful to Dean Marios Papaefthymiou for nominating me to the 2026 Emerging Leaders Cohort for the Computing Research Association. This distinction gave me 2 minutes on stage at the annual CRA summit to share a bit about myself and my leadership.
I had a bit of fun with the lightning talk format, kicking things off with a lighthearted game of Simon Says--clap your hands, stomp your feet, and please do take my survey! I told the story behind why I have dedicated my career to working with people with disabilities to make computing and higher education more accessible. And, I advertised my latest initiative as a member of the CRA Education Board. In a nutshell, I am leading a national effort to understand the state of digital accessibility in computing classrooms across higher education. As I write this post, over 500 faculty from over 185 institutions have taken our survey and catalogued nearly 2,500 digital tools they use to teach.
My key message: if we reframe the legal digital accessibility deadlines in the as an opportunity, rather than an unrealistic burden, and we work together, then we can make progress toward a future where disability inclusion is the default and not the exception. For more, check out my slide.
