Program Lead

Naomi Jeffery Petersen, PhD
CSEL Curriculum, Supervision, & Educational Leadership
Naomi.Petersen@cwu.edu
509-963-1481

Steering Committee

Several ad hoc steering committee meetings involved many people across the campus of Central Washington University as the programs were designed and curriculum developed. Below are brief profiles of many of them, some of whom will also serve as faculty. The official steering committee will include people teaching the courses and providing project contexts.
 

Faculty

Naomi Jeffery Petersen (“NJP”) is a professor in the Department of Curriculum, Supervision, and Educational Leadership. She is a graduate of Pacific Lutheran University (BA/Ed), Chapman University (MA/Counseling Psychology), and Seattle Pacific University (EdD/Curriculum) where her dissertation was a psychometric investigation of teacher beliefs.  As a teacher educator, her instruction and consultation work have been in assessment and professional dispositions. The interpretive panels she designed for the Washington State History Museum demonstrate her longstanding interest in informal learning environments, including an emphasis on STEM, arts, and literacy integration. She has published on a range of topics involving systemic issues, including public health, watersheds, railroad and military histories, and accessibility. NJP is the originator of the Accessibility Studies Programs and teaches most of its classes. She is the primary contact person for all aspects of ASP.
Contact:  Naomi.Petersen@cwu.edu

Joshua Welsh is an assistant professor in the English department at Central Washington University. He researches and writes about rhetoric and technology, with special interests in intellectual property, open-source software, user experience, accessibility, and online technical writing pedagogy. He earned an MS (2009) and a PhD (2013) from the University of Minnesota. His current projects include investigating the rhetoric of the so-called “smart phone patent wars” as well as working to develop a pedagogy and practice to connect the teaching of technical writing with open-source software communities and projects. He is a member of the ASP Steering Committee and teaches ASP 435 Accessible Information Design, a five-credit course.
Contact: Josh.Welsh@cwu.edu

Lynn Swedberg is a lecturer in the Department of Curriculum, Supervision, and Educational Leadership. She is an occupational therapist with older adults and adults with intellectual disabilities and disability consultant for the Disability Ministries Committee of the United Methodist Church. She received her BS (Occupational Therapy/ Psychology) from the University of Puget Sound and MS (Health Services Administration) from Whitworth University. Her passion is improving accessibility so that all children and adults can participate fully in faith communities, conferences, camps, and playgrounds.  She co-developed the scorable church accessibility audit used throughout her denomination and writes web resources such as the Understanding Ableism Toolkit.  She lives in Spokane, Washington, where she is acting chairperson of Access 4 All Spokane.  She presents nationally on topics such as inclusion in faith communities, the role of conference accessibility coordinator, and eliminating the use of “us/them” language.  She teaches ASP 325 Universal Design and co- teaches ASP 305 Accessibility & User Experience.  Contact Lynn.Swedberg@cwu.edu  

Maria Hays is a lecturer in the Department of Curriculum, Supervision, and Educational Leadership.

Community Support

Wendy Holden is the director of Disability Services at Central Washington University. Her responsibilities include oversight of Central Access, the accessible material production lab. Wendy was part of the team responsible for the creation of the Central Access Reader, the Central Access Toolbar and other accessibility resources. She has been instrumental in the development of the Accessibility Studies programs and continues on the Steering Committee and as a curriculum advisor.