Justin Bowman, Oregon State University (pronouns)

Building a Community for Autistics, by Autistics

Session Four

Wednesday, November 5th, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Justin is an Access Adviser at Oregon State University. The two populations that he works with the most his Blind/Visually Impaired and Autistic students. As part of his work with Autistic students, he hosts an Autism Community Group that is open to all Autistic students at OSU. Justin is Autistic and shares many of his own experiences navigating college life in this group.

Allyson Day, Portland Community College (pronouns)

ADA Digital Accessibility: How Are We Approaching Compliance Collectively?

Session Eight

Friday, November 7th, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

bio.

Mel DeLeon, Portland Community College (she/her/hers)

The Power of Plain Language

Session Two

Wednesday, November 5th, 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

The Interactive Process

Session Two

Friday, November 7th, 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Melanie is the ASL Interpreter and Transcription Coordinator at Portland Community College. Prior to coming to PCC in 2019 she held several roles with the Oregon Judicial Department, Court Language Access Services, including Certification and Training Coordinator, and was the Staff ASL Interpreter for many years. SHer passion is advocating for meaningful communication access for the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard-of-Hearing communities.

Jennifer Gossett, Portland Community College (pronouns)

ADA Digital Accessibility: How Are We Approaching Compliance Collectively?

Session Eight

Friday, November 7th, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

bio.

Jewls Griesmeyer-Krentz, Willamette University (she/her/hers)

How Does Your Office Advance Narratives of Intersectional Equity?

Session Five

Thursday, November 5th, 2:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.

Jewls is the Assistant Director of Accessible Education Services at Willamette University. Primarily at Pacific Northwest College of Art, she oversees disability services and institutional accessibility efforts. She enjoys finding creative and collaborative ways to promote equity and inclusion for students and university communities. Before finding her home at Willamette University, she was at Linfield University School of Nursing in 2022 and had been an Access Counselor and Consultant at the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at Portland State University (PSU) for over nine years. Jewls serves as the President of the Board of Directors of the Oregon Affiliate of the Association of Higher Disability (ORAHEAD) and serves as a mentor for the Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) Start Academy for new(er) disability services professionals. She is a frequent presenter at both regional and national conferences. Jewls received her Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling from PSU in 2008 and is a PhD candidate in Adult and Higher Education at Oregon State University. Her doctoral work focuses on international and immigrant students with disabilities, disability identity, and intersectionality. Prior to coming to PSU, Jewls had a private counseling practice and served as a commissioner on the city of Portland Commission on Disability. In her spare time, Jewls enjoys the outdoors, art, and theater, especially when shared with her family including her wife, 2 adult kids, and an old, lovable dog named, Rizzo.

Dane Johns, Rogue Community College (he/him/his)

Diversity Representation in Graphic Novels

Session Three

Thursday, November 6th, 9:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

Dane Johns has been a member of Rogue Community College's Access and Disability office since July 2024. He has a Masters degree in History, and additional degrees in Philosophy and Communication. He's been an adjunct instructor since 2014, and currently teaches History for RCC and Foundations of Ethics in Graphic Novels for Boise State in Idaho. He also has a background in professional testing, and spends his free time LARPing, Gaming, and enjoying the outdoors.

Ned Laff (pronouns)

Hacking College, A Conversation on Tackling Wicked Problems

Keynote

Wednesday, November 5th, 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

bio.

Jeff Larson, Portland Community College (he/him/his)

Listserv in Real Time

Thursday, November 6th, 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Jeff is the Student Accommodation Manager at Portland Community College (PCC). Prior to joining PCC, he was the Director of Accessible Education Services at Willamette University. Previously, he had been at Willamette had been the Director of Learning Support Services at Linfield University and held positions with the Accessible Education Center at the University of Oregon and with Bushnell University. He has spent his entire professional career working in higher education and has a passion for student inclusion and success. He received a master’s degree in school counseling from Bushnell University and a bachelor’s degree in history from Linfield University. Jeff is also a past president of ORAHED.

Kate Lewandowski, National Deaf Center (pronouns)

The Interactive Process

Session Seven

Friday, November 7th, 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

bio.

Gabriel (Gabe) Merrell, Oregon State University (he/him/his)

ADA Digital Accessibility: How Are We Approaching Compliance Collectively?

Session Eight

Friday, November 7th, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Gabriel Merrell is a certified ADA Coordinator who has been working in areas directly related to physical access, IT access, accommodations, inclusion, and universal design for 17+ years. He is a Past President of ORAHEAD, and the co-chair of the AHEAD ADA Coordinators Knowledge and Practice Community.

Miri Newman, Portland Community College (she/her/hers)

Let's Talk!: Producing Multimedia for Accessibility

Session One

Wednesday, November 5th, 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.

Miri Newman is the lead producer of the Let's Talk! Podcast Collective. Specializing in creating accessibility standards and software for multimedia projects, she joined the Let's Talk! team at PCC as an audio engineer. She has since expanded the show's production, created new series within the Let's Talk! umbrella, and championed for the Music and Sonic Arts program from which she graduated. She likes long walks in the rain, clam chowder, and the Green Bay Packers.

Jamie Opdyke, Linfield University (she/her/hers)

Hacking College, A Conversation on Tackling Wicked Problems

Keynote

Wednesday, November 5th, 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

bio.