Fall 2023
Congratulations to our Fall 2023 award recipients!
- Kristin Coffey, Venture Outdoor Leadership — Department of Kinesiology in Belk Gym
“Kristin has been my professor, boss, and mentor for nearly two years now. She is amazingly understanding of how disabilities can impact students in personal life, academics, and career. She is accommodating of students regardless of documented disability, as she understands not everyone has access to diagnosis/treatment/official accommodations.”
- Dr. Erin Basinger, Communication Studies
“I attended a talk yesterday from Dr. Basinger where she was spreading awareness of accessibility barriers for fat students on campus, such as desks that are too small, and encouraging faculty and staff to be aware and anticipate these needs for their students so that they can be allies and create more accessible campus spaces. I am not familiar with the full breadth of her work in this area but she seems like a strong, compelling voice for positive change around accessibility on UNCC’s campus.”
- Scott Strilka, School of Professional Studies — Learning Space Technology
“I am writing to nominate Mr. Scott Strilka for the Dubois Award for Accessibility Improvement in recognition of his exceptional dedication and contributions to making our learning environments at UNC Charlotte more inclusive and accessible for all.
In his role as the AV Integration Manager within the School of Professional Studies Learning Space Technology Team, Scott has demonstrated a tireless commitment to ensuring that our campus learning spaces meet and, in many instances, exceed ADA requirements. This includes working directly with furniture manufacturers to design and create custom solutions to meet our ADA needs. His passion for accessibility and his deep understanding of the importance of creating an inclusive educational environment are truly commendable.
Scott’s primary responsibility is the design and implementation of new audio-visual solutions which includes the selection of teaching lecterns for all campus learning spaces. In this capacity, he goes above and beyond to research, test, and implement innovative solutions to guarantee that the technology in these spaces is accessible to everyone, including faculty, staff, and students. His meticulous approach to the selection process ensures that the technology used in our classrooms is user-friendly for individuals with diverse needs and abilities.
The impact of Scott’s work is profound. His efforts have transformed our learning environments into spaces where all members of our academic community can participate fully, contribute, and thrive. His contributions have not only removed barriers but have also inspired an atmosphere of inclusivity and collaboration that extends far beyond the classroom.
In conclusion, Scott Strilka’s unwavering commitment to accessibility improvements in learning environments at UNC Charlotte is commendable. His efforts align perfectly with the core values of our institution, and he exemplifies the spirit of inclusivity and innovation. I believe he is highly deserving of the Dubois Award for Accessibility Improvement, and his work serves as a model for others striving to create accessible learning environments.”
- Dr. Suzanne Boyd, School of Social Work — CHHS
“It is a pleasure to nominate Dr. A. Suzanne Boyd, Associate Professor of Social Work, for the Dubois Award for Accessibility Improvement. Dr. Boyd has made accessibility improvement contributions through her teaching, service, and research contributions during Fall 2023 semester.
Examples of her contributions in the area of accessibility to the University, national, state, and local communities are below:
UNC Charlotte:
Teaching: She was selected and invited to join the University Digital Accessibility Working Group in October 2023 (this was influenced by her 4 year service as a committee member and subcommittee lead on the Chancellor’s Accessibility Committee (disbanded 2022) and her contributions to accessibility in on-line course revisions in on-line Social Work courses. Dr. Boyd has expertise in mental health.
Teaching: In an interdisciplinary, interdepartmental collaborative partnership between the School of Social Work and the UNC Charlotte’s Center for Teaching and Learning’s Chris Muellenbach (Instructional Designer) and Kory Trosclair (Instructional Media Designer), they
redesigned a MSW graduate course, SOWK 7222 – Advanced Organizational Practice. They produced a simulated internship representing the roles of an Organizational Social worker, weaving in social work competencies through an Inclusive, Anti-racist, Anti-oppressive, and Rights-based perspectives and practices (including accessibility in organizations) along with online courses that meet Accessibility Guidelines. Accessibility content was infused throughout the course: example: on-line course meets Digital Learning Accessibility Content; infusing accessibility content such as for workplace accommodations per ADA. She infused additional Accessibility content into the redesign of SOWK 5090/4090 – Social Determinants of Health & Health Disparities (8 week 100% asynchronous undergraduate/graduate elective Spring 24) to include a Module on Accessibility + Its Relationship to SDoH/HD. Of course, ensuring on-line Canvas courses are fully Accessible to learners, such as does the course content and technology work with a screen reader if a student experiences low vision?
Service: As an 18 year Health Services Research Doctoral Program Faculty member and a 17 year member of the Health Services Research Committee, she continues to advocate and encourage doctoral students and candidates to consider the role of accessibility in their program of research. For example, she is Brian Del Grosso’s Dissertation Chair, he is a HSR Doctoral Candidate studying the role of burnout on nurse anesthetists – accessibility to mental health services and the implementation of ADA in hospital settings for nurse anesthetists is a key area to improve burnout.
Research: In collaboration with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Greater Carolinas Chapter, she submitted a UNC Charlotte “Innovations Grant” application to hold a 1 day conference about Multiple Sclerosis on March 28, 2023: to educate the University Community about MS and available resources including sessions that infuse accessibility content throughout.
National:
Teaching/Research: She is a currently elected, active member of the Council on Disability and Persons With Disabilities Resources (CDPD), one of the Council of Social Work Education’s – the Social Work Program Accrediting Body). On October 28, 2023, she gave a competitively selected presentation entitled “Supporting Students with Disabilities in Social Work Field Placements: What is Being Done?” with 6 Council Members. She developed a disability and accessibility resource list to share with CSWE membership – mainly field education professionals.
Service: In July 2023, she was selected to serve as a member of the National Academies of Practice (NAP) Justice Equity Diversity Inclusion Taskforce, representing the Academy of Social Work. She is a Distinguished Fellow in the NAP. This task force is responsible for promoting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive interprofessional community of practitioners, scholars, and professionals that focuses on NAP strategic initiatives related to these themes. She has attended JEDI fall 23 meetings and contributed to advancing accessibility content in different ways (e.g., recommendation to offer virtual access/participation at NAP Annual Conference for persons with various accessibility considerations; consider annual conference location and physical accessibility; membership – promote inclusive membership for differently abled persons.)
State:
Service: She represents UNC Charlotte as an elected volunteer member of the Greater Carolinas Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) Board of Trustees. Beyond her primary role, she infuses accessibility content into her Community subcommittee especially around mental health needs that are often invisible for persons living with MS.
Local:
Research/Service: She is the PI to develop the Mecklenburg County Child Maltreatment Prevention Plan in collaboration with the Mecklenburg County Child Fatality and Prevention Protection Team and partners. Accessibility (as a form of inclusion) will be infused throughout the plan.”