New Digital Information Accessibility Coordinator

Introduction

Hello Owls! I’d like to introduce myself: my name is Trisha, I use she/her pronouns and I am the new Digital Information Accessibility Coordinator.

I started at Rice in late October and am excited to be here. I joined the Learning Environments team within OIT, working remotely from New Hampshire, and am coming from Southern New Hampshire University where I was a librarian and faculty member for eight years. Prior to SNHU I was at Nova Southeastern University for several years as a teaching and research librarian.

I’ve been working with digital accessibility since 2016 and this past spring earned a credential as an IAAP Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competency. Last year I completed a sabbatical research project on ableism & disability microaggressions experienced by SNHU’s disabled community, and am an active presenter on accessibility topics.

My Role

Currently, I am working to get to know the Rice community and beginning to branch out as I am getting up to speed with all things accessibility at the University. I know I am not the only new face on campus, it sounds like I am joining the team at an exciting time of change and renewal across the organization. For anyone else that is new or has not engaged with digital accessibility for a while at Rice, here’s a quick overview of some of the ways I’m here to support you and our community:

• Developing & executing best practices for accessible public and learner facing content
• Assessing & evaluating technologies
• Delivering training & development opportunities
• Assisting to foster social initiatives for accessibility as part of DEI

Support

As I get going into more activities within my role, there are many ways you can get support now for any accessibility work you are currently engaged in. There are lots of great posts within this blog, recorded webinars and guides on the Access @ Rice website from my predecessor, John. Schedule some time with me or invite me to a department or committee meeting. Join the Accessibility @ Rice Slack channel to connect with me and other a11ies as we share work, questions, news and development opportunities.  I look forward to working with you all and building on the strong accessibility foundations that exist and expanding our a11y network here at Rice!