Resume

Accessibility consulting experience

Independent Accessibility Consultant: July 2022 – present

I help organizations assess their digital accessibility maturity, identify gaps in processes and workflows, and scale accessibility programming, with an approach that centers the needs of people with disabilities, beyond compliance. I also mentor folks who are new to the digital accessibility space to help them have sustainable careers.

Workshop Instructor, School of Visual Concepts: July 2013 – present

Designs and delivers in-person and online workshops for product teams and UX designers to teach:

• Accessibility best practices for UX design
• Digital accessibility standards
• Roles and responsibilities
• Tools and workflows
• Sustainable processes

Accessibility Specialist and Accessibility Operations Program Manager, Shopify: May 2018 – November 2021

• Developed and managed roadmap for AODA compliance for core product
• Responsible for requests for proposals and managing relationships with vendors
• Co-authored internal Accessibility Handbook to support asynchronous instruction on disability, digital accessibility, AT, and best practices for accessibility-focused research, design, development, and testing
• Established accessibility programming for the UX discipline:
  • Developed accessibility performance expectations for UX roles
  • Created onboarding and ongoing training for UX practitioners
  • Established standards for accessibility and usability workflows and benchmarks
  • Instructed and mentored designers in conducting research with disabled users
• Facilitated accessibility-focused communities of practice across the organization
• Provided policy recommendations to senior and executive leadership
• Performed advocacy and provided education across the organization through live and recorded workshops and talks
• SME for design system team, providing education and support for design, implementation, testing, and documentation in a React JS environment
• Co-led cross-disciplinary projects with DEI
• Provided support for disabled employees seeking help with accommodation requests for AT and related tools

Accessibility Consultant, Simply Accessible/Level Access: August 2015 – May 2018

• Provided strategic and tactical support for international clients in a consulting agency
• Performed manual testing and reporting against WCAG 2 and best practices
• Delivered training through live workshops, digital office hours, and async support

Accessibility Analyst/Developer, Foundry Interactive: March 2012 – July 2015

• Established accessibility programs and teams for client organizations
• Performed manual and automated testing against WCAG 2 and best practices
• Reported test results and supported clients through accessibility repair and remediation

Additional experience

Web Developer, LexBlog: October 2010 – November 2011

Performed CMS customization and information architecture for complex sites.

Interface Specialist, Scholarly Publishing Office, University of Michigan: August 2009 – September 2010

• Performed requirements gathering, information architecture planning, prototyping, implementation, iterative testing of interface improvements, and Google Analytics tracking and reporting for online books and journals
• Delivered design and front-end development of CMS and custom-built sites for open access publishing, academic community, and peer review projects
• Contributed to omprovement of standards-based XHTML output for both accessibility and search engine rankings
• Performed design, implementation, and reporting of formal and informal usability tests for large-scale public-facing websites to gather feedback from user populations and stakeholders
• Consulted across departments on usability, accessibility, and web standards

Digital Services Assistant, Kresge Library, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan: March 2008 – August 2009

• Delivered content inventory and traffic and search log analysis leading to revised information architecture, revised design, and implementation for library site relaunch
• Managed of the library website, blog, wiki, and Google Analytics tracking and analysis
• Provided technical support of online research and course management tools for librarians and faculty

Content Manager and Instructor, Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan: September 2006 – May 2008

• Content management and user instruction for a complex Drupal site in an academic setting
• Collaboration with Director of Communications and faculty to design and produce digital materials for news and events
• Hired for the position after managing a content migration for the organization through a contract with a web development agency

HMIS Analyst, Housing and Homelessness Services, Washtenaw County, MI: September 2006 – May 2008

• Provided administration, report management, training, and support for a proprietary web-based database application used for demographic data collection and reporting
• Delivered for interface design and data mapping in data conversion and development efforts
• Assisted over a dozen human services agencies, serving thousands of individuals and families, to fulfill their reporting needs to secure federal and local program funding

Library Research Assistant, Center for the Education of Women, University of Michigan: September 2004 – August 2006

• Provided research support and resource management for sociological research, work and education counseling, and academic meetings
• Designed metadata standards and help documentation for the National Clearinghouse on Academic Worklife
• Collaborated with subject specialists, external firms, and in-house information professionals to successfully deliver grant-funded projects

University Assistant to the Library, Blough-Weis Library, Susquehanna University: January 2001 – August 2004

• Performed design, implementation, testing, and maintenance of interactive online tutorials in general research methods and library literacy, aimed at undergraduates
• Collaborated with public service and reference librarians, faculty, and students, to develop course-specific online tools and guides in a course management system environment

Education

MS in Information, School of Information, University of Michigan: 2004-2006

• Library & Information Services specialization, with additional focus on human/computer interaction and policy for information management of public services
• Special projects in human services systems to support unhoused community members

BA in Creative Writing, Susquehanna University: 2000 – 2004

• 2001-2004 University Assistant to the Library, developing a comprehensive undergraduate orientation program in research methods and library literacy
• 2004 fiction editor of the national student magazine Susquehanna Review
• 2003 winner of the Juliet Gibson Prize for best student fiction