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Faculty Accessibility Fellow Program

Individuals who would like to participate are asked to gain approval from their chair and then complete an application form indicating their interest.

Interest or questions about the program can be sent to the current Faculty Accessibility Fellowship coordinator Emily Bovier ([email protected]) or CTS's Sean Moriarty ([email protected]).

SUNY Oswego recognizes that digital accessibility is essential to ensuring equity and inclusion, and while we have a strong commitment to access for all, it is increasingly evident that infrastructure and faculty support is needed to truly ingrain accessibility within the fabric of the college. Today, accessibility touches nearly every aspect of campus life, including course materials, the college website, software, and the numerous tools used in curricular and co-curricular programs, services, and activities.

The faculty accessibility fellows program started in January 2019 to promote a culture on campus that values inclusivity, equity, and accessibility. The fellows:

  • Advocate for accessibility on campus and coach others on accessibility practices
  • Serve as liaisons for departments
  • Research, explore, and implement accessibility best practices, inclusive pedagogy, and universal design for learning.
  • Teach accessibility in class
  • Connect accessibility practices to larger diversity and inclusion initiatives
  • Offer CELT and other professional development workshops related to accessibility that are teaching and learning focused
  • Expand discipline-specific accessibility expertise 

Questions on the program may be sent to the current Faculty Accessibility Fellowship coordinator, Emily Bovier ([email protected]) or CTS's Sean Moriarty ([email protected]).

Structure

The fellowship program will consist of:

  • 4 Faculty Accessibility Fellows; one from each of the following:
    • College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Engineering
    • College of Business and Entrepreneurship
    • College of Education, Health, and Human Services
    • College of Communication, Media and the Arts
  • The Faculty Accessibility Fellowship coordinator (usually a former fellow), who
    • Organizes the meetings and trainings of the fellows
    • Co-chairs the Workgroup on Accessible Teaching
    • Serves as a member of the IT accessibility steering committee

Fellow Responsibilities

The fellowship runs for the calendar year, during which each fellow should spend 120 hours on the following:

  • Participate in asynchronous & synchronous orientation during CELT winter break out in January
  • Attend weekly meetings (at least 8 times a semester) with the other faculty fellows
  • Participate in professional development on accessibility
  • Updating at least one course so that it includes:
    • UDL (Universal Design for Learning) and/or Inclusive Pedagogy practices
    • Fully accessible digital materials
  • Serving as a coach and ambassador by:
    • Offering at least 2 professional development sessions for faculty and the next cohort of fellows through CELT no later than the semester following your fellowship year.
    • Meeting with individual faculty
    • Meeting with departments
  • Submit an interim report (May 31) and end of year report (December 31) that details how the fellow’s time was spent, what changes were made to the courses the fellow teaches, provides samples of materials, and what other impacts the fellow’s work has had on their department or other colleagues.

Faculty have the option for one-course reduction or one-course overload pay per year as compensation for their work during the fellowship period.

Faculty Fellows

2025

  • Coordinator: Emily Bovier
  • Jinyan Guo—College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Engineering
  • Vanessa Maike—College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Engineering
  • Roseli Rojo—College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Engineering
  • Minjung Seo—College of Education, Health, and Human Services

2024

  • Coordinator: Emily Bovier
  • Ashlee Moore—College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Engineering
  • Amy Shore—College of Communication, Media, and the Arts
  • Susan DiBlasi—College of Education, Health, and Human Services

2023

  • Coordinator: Casey Raymond
  • Eve Clark Benavides—College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Engineering
  • Poongodi Geetha-Loganathan—College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Engineering
  • Krystal Kennel—College of Communication, Media, and the Arts
  • Yiru Wang—College of Business and Entrepreneurship

2022

  • Coordinator: Casey Raymond
  • Michael Chaness—College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Engineering
  • Tom Ingram—College of Business and Entrepreneurship

2021

  • Coordinator: Michele Thornton
  • Emily Bovier—College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Engineering
  • Todd Graber—College of Communication, Media, and the Arts
  • Jean Hallagan—College of Education, Health, and Human Services
  • Catalina Iannone—College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Engineering

2020

  • Coordinator: Michele Thornton (Fall)
  • Coordinator: Fiona Coll (Spring)
  • Steve Abraham—College of Business and Entrepreneurship
  • Kathleen Blake—College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Engineering
  • Donna Greene—College of Communication, Media, and the Arts
  • Elizabeth Wilcox—College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Engineering
  • Carol Willard—College of Education, Health, and Human Services

2019

  • Coordinator: Rebecca Mushtare
  • Sandra Bargainnier—College of Education, Health, and Human Services
  • Marcia Burrell—College of Education, Health, and Human Services
  • Fiona Coll—College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Engineering
  • Allison Rank—College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Engineering
  • Casey Raymond—College of Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Engineering
  • Serenity Sutherland—College of Communication, Media, and the Arts
  • Michele Thornton—College of Business and Entrepreneurship