Congrats to UMBC's Faculty Accessibility Trailblazers!

Wed, 13 Aug 2025 19:05:23 -0400
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We are proud to announce our second annual Faculty Accessibility Trailblazer Awards to recognize faculty members who have championed accessibility in their course materials and instruction and demonstrated a commitment to the inclusion, access, and success of students with disabilities at UMBC.

ADS is thrilled to recognize the following "trailblazers" who were consistently recommended by their colleagues and students as faculty committed to accessibility and inclusion over the past academic year.

Please join us in congratulating:

Dr. Eric Anderson, Physics

Dr. Nicole Belfiore, Social Work (UMBC-USG)

Dr. Carlton Crabtree, Information Systems

Dr. Mercedez Dunn-Gallier, Sociology, Anthropology, & Public Health

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These faculty members will receive a certificate of recognition from ADS, will be featured in the SDS office bulletin board and newsletter, named in a Division of Institutional Equity announcement shared with the broad campus community, and this recognition will be shared with Academic and Faculty Affairs senior leadership and college and department leads. We encourage these faculty members to share their inclusive teaching practices with their colleagues to help foster our next faculty accessibility trailblazers at UMBC!

*The previous year, we honored faculty members from the Chemistry and Psychology departments and adjunct faculty in Cinematic Arts; all who continue to teach with accessibility and inclusion as vital elements in their pedagogy.

UMBC is committed to ensuring all students with disabilities are afforded an equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from all of the University's programs, services, and activities through creating an educational environment of equal access, inclusive participation, and welcoming belonging. Full inclusion requires accessible course materials and teaching practices, supportive advising and mentoring of diverse student learning styles, and proactive welcoming to the University through the creation of universally designed environments. We cannot achieve our University's goal of inclusive excellence without our faculty's commitment to accessibility and inclusion. Accessibility is a shared campus responsibility, and all community members play a role in fostering disability inclusion and belonging through accessible practices.

Kudos to our amazing faculty who go above and beyond to support student success daily. We appreciate you and your partnership!