Accessibility Studies Program

College of Education and Professional Studies
Curriculum, Supervision, and Educational Leadership Department
Ellensburg
Black Hall 214-5
509-607-9407
https://www.cwu.edu/academics/accessibility-studies/index.php

Program Lead
Naomi Jeffrey Petersen, EdD

Professor
Naomi Jeffery Petersen, EdD, accessibility and user experience, research methods for accessibility studies

Associate Professor
Josh Welsh, PhD, accessible information design

Assistant Professor
Cynthia Pengilly, PhD, media studies, illness narratives

Lecturers
Rebecca Cory, PhD, universal design for learning, disability services
Amanda Rosenzweig, PhD, accessible information design, accessible documents
Lynn Swedberg, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA, accessibility and user experience, universal design

The Accessibility Studies Program provides an interdisciplinary opportunity to learn about the challenges facing people with disabilities and limitations, estimated to be nearly a fifth of the population. The Accessibility Studies Program documents the graduate’s demonstration of competence in recognizing where, when, and how to accommodate such needs. Competence includes facilitating accessible transitions and employment for people with disabilities and limitations, approached from the different perspectives of employers, social service agencies, commercial enterprises, and the people requiring access themselves. This competence is attractive to employers who must all comply with legislation, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, intended to protect entitlement to activities of independent living in all environments- work, home, school, shopping, medical, leisure, and virtual.

Accessibility Studies add practical depth to all pre-professional degrees, such as Business Administration; Human Resource Management; Supply Chain Management; Marketing; Public Policy; Non-Profit Organization Management; Public Health; Social Services; Safety and Health Management; Recreation and Tourism; Family and Child Life; Web Design and Management; Physical Rehabilitation Therapy; Paramedicine; Emergency Medical Technician; Communication; Graphic Design; Professional and Creative Writing; American Sign Language; Theatre Art Design and Production; Museum Studies; Anthropology; Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Sciences; Applied Computer Science; Law and Justice; Psychology; Library Information Science; Instructional Foundations- all of which are influenced by the two primary motivations to improve accessibility: to prevent risk of lawsuits (risk management) and to increase participation by removing barriers and stigma (social justice).

Graduate Information

The accessibility studies graduate certificate and degree add practical depth to all graduate degrees, such as athletic administration, biology, chemistry, computational science, cultural and environmental resource management, English literature, English professional and creative writing, English, TESOL, experimental psychology, family and child life, family and consumer sciences - career and technical education, fine arts, geological sciences, health and physical education, higher education, history, individual studies, information technology and administrative management, integrative human physiology, law and justice, literacy, mental health counseling, music, nutrition, primate behavior, public health, rural and community health, safety and health management, school administration, school psychology, theatre production, and theatre studies.

The accessibility studies graduate certificate can provide an important edge for students preparing to enter the workforce as well as seasoned employees looking to advance within a chosen field where creating accommodating spaces, whether they be virtual or physical, has become a necessity.