Schedule

The 2026 UC Digital Accessibility conference will feature workshops, panel discussions and keynotes focused on empowering participants in accessible digital ecosystems. 

Overview

Tuesday, February 3
Time EST Session Presenters Location
8:30am-9:00am Check-in - Nippert West Pavilion 377
9:00am-9:10am Welcome Nicole Mayo  Nippert West Pavilion 378
9:10am-10:00am Panel Discussion Heidi Pettyjohn, Emily Kiehl, Larry Klug, Jessica Guess, Jacob Counts Nippert West Pavilion 379
10:10am-11:00am Breakout Session 1 varies
TUC
11:10am-12:00pm Breakout Session 2 varies TUC
12:10pm-1:00pm Lunch Dean Jeffrey Bauer Nippert West Pavilion 377
1:10pm-2:00pm Breakout Session 3 varies TUC
2:10pm-3:00pm Breakout Session 4 varies TUC

Panel Discussion

Kick off our Digital Accessibility Conference with a powerful conversation on disability and accessibility in higher education. Hear from panelists who live with disabilities and work in the accessibility field as they share candid, real-world perspectives from the classroom to the workforce, calling on us to move this work forward with purpose. 

Panel Members: Heidi Pettyjohn, Emily Kiehl, Larry Klug, Jessica Guess, Jacob Counts

Headshot of Heidi Pettyjohn

Heidi Pettyjohn

ADA & EIT Accessibility Coordinator, and Executive Director for Accessibility, Accessibility Resources

Heidi supervises four offices that provide direct accessibility and disability support to students, faculty, staff and visitors across all UC campuses. She is a member of the Student Affairs Leadership Team and co-chairs the Accessibility Network.

Headshot of Emily Kiehl

Emily Kiehl

Assistive Technology Instructor, Access Technology Services, Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Emily teaches nonvisual computer and phone skills that help blind people build confidence and independence. She is a UC graduate and passionate advocate for the blind community and is a leader in the National Federation of the Blind.

Headshot of Larry Klug

Larry Klug

Assistive Technology Services Instructor, Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired

A certified assistive technology specialist in the field for 22.5 years, Larry was diagnosed with Nystagmus, Albinism, & nearsightedness at age 3. He is a licensed bioptic driver who provides training & support to the blind & low vision community.

Headshot of Jessica Guess

Jessica Guess

Counseling Program Faculty, Gallaudet University

Jessica is a counseling program faculty member in Gallaudet University. Her experiences as a late-deafened adult have allowed to focus her work, research, and advocacy (personally and professionally) on disability representation and access.

Headshot of Jacob Counts

Jacob Counts

Adaptive Athletics Coordinator, Accessibility Resources, University of Cincinnati

Former collegiate wheelchair basketball player with over 25 years in adaptive sports, he won 3 national titles at Wisconsin-Whitewater & represented Team USA at the 2008 Paralympic Games. Founder of Cincinnati Dragons Youth Wheelchair Basketball.


Special Guest Speaker

Dean Jeffrey Bauer facing camera, sitting at desk.

Dr. Jeffrey C. Bauer is the Dean of the University of Cincinnati’s Clermont College and Professor of Management and Marketing.  He joined the faculty at UC Clermont in 1995, was named dean in 2015, and will begin his third term as dean in the summer of 2025.  Dr. Bauer served as chair of the Council of Deans from 2019 - 2020 and has served on the Clermont County Chamber of Commerce Board since 2018.  He began his career in industry serving in various analytical and leadership roles for 11 years and began the move to academe as an adjunct faculty member in 1993.  Dean Bauer’s research interests including the microeconomic impacts of organizational design and the stages and complexities of organizational development.  He is a relationship builder within the university and community and is committed to student success.  Dr. Bauer earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Dayton and a doctorate in business administration from the University of Sarasota. His adult children Alexander and Kristina are both UC grads and he and his wife Petra Hackenberg-Bauer, M.D. have lived in Cincinnati since 1991.  


Breakout Session Schedule

For descriptions of each session's content and presenter information, see Breakout Sessions Details.

Breakout Session 1, 10:10am-11:00am
Time EST Session Presenters Category Location
10:10-11:00am Creating and Presenting Accessible PowerPoint Presentations Kimber Andrews  Audio/Visual Media TUC 417
10:10-11:00am Textbook Accessibility: Current State and What We Need to Know Mike Suit, Allison Behrmann Academic & Instructional TUC 425
10:10am-11:00am Accessibility for Busy Developers Malik Spencer, Noelle Bareswilt Website & Application Development TUC 400C
10:10am-11:00am Writing Effective Alternate Text for Images Diana Riggs Audio/Visual Media TUC 400B
10:10am-11:00am Achieving A 90+ Ally Score Matthew Williamson Academic & Instructional TUC 400A
Breakout Session 2, 11:10am-12:00pm
Time EST Session Presenters Category Location
11:10am-12:00pm Manual Testing, Web Development (Workshop) Manuel Salazar Website & Application Development TUC 400A
11:10am-12:00pm Meta Glasses Demonstration by CABVI Emily Kiehl, Nancy Yerian General Tools TUC 400C
11:10am-12:00pm Accessibility with Bearcat GPT Noelle Bareswilt, Bearcat GPT Team General Tools TUC 400B
11:10am-12:00pm Captioning Basics Spencer Penrod, Marcus Goodwin Audio/Visual Media TUC 425
11:10am-12:00pm Accessibility in the classroom when disabled students are the norm, not the exception. Jessica Guess Academic & Instructional TUC 417
Breakout Session 3, 1:10pm-2:00pm
Time EST Session Presenters Category Location
1:10pm-2:00pm Finding & Fixing Web Accessibility Issues with Siteimprove Katie Lane Website & Application Development TUC 400B
1:10pm-2:00pm Canvas, Ally, and UDoIt OH MY! Megan Wuebker, Ph.D. Academic & Instructional TUC 417
1:10pm-2:00pm Choosing Accessible Tools Noelle Bareswilt General Tools TUC 425
1:10pm-2:00pm Achieving A 90+ Ally Score Matthew Williamson Academic & Instructional TUC 400A
1:10pm-2:00pm Video Accessibility Deep Dive (Part One) Spencer Penrod Audio/Visual Media TUC 400C
Breakout Session 4, 2:10pm-3:00pm
Time EST Session Presenters Category Location
2:10pm-3:00pm Textbook Accessibility by McGraw Hill Higher Education Lisa Nicks Academic & Instructional TUC 400A
2:10pm-3:00pm Accessibility Glow-Up (No Redesign Required) Sighle Denier, Zack White Academic & Instructional TUC 400B
2:10pm-3:00pm Writing Effective Alternate Text for Images Diana Riggs Audio/Visual Media TUC 425
2:10pm-3:00pm Panel Discussion continued, Open Forum Jessica Guess Academic & Instructional TUC 417
2:10pm-3:00pm Video Accessibility Deep Dive (Part Two) Spencer Penrod Audio/Visual Media TUC 400C

Breakout Session Details

Morning Presentations

10:10 AM

In this session, participants will gain practical guidance on designing PowerPoint presentations that meet accessibility standards and best practices for facilitating a talk, lesson or lecture using PowerPoint slides. Topics will include best practices for slide design (color contrast, font and slide layout), as well as how to use the built in accessibility checker to evaluate and improve presentations. In addition, participants will learn strategies for inclusive PowerPoint in person and virtual presentations.

Headshot of Kimber Andrews

Kimber Andrews

Associate Director, Center for the Enhancement for Teaching and Learning

Kimber's work for CETL includes offering professional development opportunities for faculty in the areas of accessibility, trauma informed pedagogy, and mindfulness.

In this session, we will discuss the current state of digital textbook accessibility and explore the accessible future of digital textbooks and course materials.

Headshot of Mike Suit

Mike Suit

Senior Instructional Technologist, DTS Academic Technology

Mike collaborates with faculty, staff, and athletic teams to enhance their technology experience. His expertise lies in Canvas. When he’s not at work, Mike enjoys remodeling houses and going on adventures with his family.

Headshot of Allison Behrmann

Allison Behrmann

Accessible Content Specialist, Accessibility Resources

A member of the Digital Access Team, Allison draws on years as a student employee to optimize student experiences. A 2025 UC graduate of the Speech Language Hearing Sciences program, Allison is studying to be an American Sign Language Interpreter.

Learn the tools, techniques, and thinking process DTS developers use to make web applications accessible. In this session we will demonstrate ways to structure your systems to make accessibility much easier.

Headshot of Malik Spencer

Malik Spencer

Application Developer 2, DTS

Malik is an application developer with 20+ years of experience. As a member of UC's Accessibility Network, he shares best practices learned while developing critical systems for the university.

Headshot of Noelle Bareswilt

Noelle Bareswilt

IT Accessibility Program Director, DTS

Noelle co-chairs the Accessibility Network at UC. She champions continuous improvement in accessibility testing and review. With the AN, she drives campus-wide initiatives and develops best practices to ensure UC remains at the forefront.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but how does that translate to alternative text? This workshop will cover the essentials of alt text, best practices for images in common situations like course content and communications, data visualizations, and more!

Headshot of Diana Riggs

Diana Riggs

Assistant Director, Accessibility Resources

Diana's work on the Digital Access Team and the Accessibility Network supports digital accessibility initiatives across campus. They lead academic accommodation services for digital class materials and support accessible technology for students.

During the workshop, we will take a Canvas course with accessibility issues and go through the step-by-step process of using the embedded tools to reach an accessibility score of 90. This session is designed to support faculty in meeting new ADA Title II requirements for digital accessibility.

Headshot of Matthew Williamson, Ph.D.

Matthew Williamson, Ph.D.

Associate Director, CETL

Matthew directs efforts related to online learning and teaching. He has experience teaching college, high school, and adult learners. Beyond education, he specializes in alternative assessment, e-accessibility, and artificial intelligence.

11:10 AM

Demonstrate the manual accessibility testing process which may include a more detailed demonstration of the use of Xray test management.
Headshot of Manuel Salazar

Manuel Salazar

IT Quality Assurance Analyst 2, DTS IDEAS

Manuel is an Accessibility QA Analyst with 15 years of experience. He holds a Section 508 Trusted Tester certification and has spent the last four years at UC ensuring its web platforms meet high standards of digital accessibility.

How Meta glasses have opened new doors for persons with visual impairment.

Headshot of Nancy Yerian

Nancy Yerian

Assistive Technology Instructor, Access Technology Services, Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Before working with Assistive Technology, Nancy worked for many years in library outreach. In both fields, she enjoys working with people one-on-one and in groups to ensure they have access to the information they need to navigate the world.

Headshot of Emily Kiehl

Emily Kiehl

Assistive Technology Instructor, Access Technology Services, Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Emily teaches nonvisual computer and phone skills that help blind people build confidence and independence. She is a passionate advocate for the blind community and is a leader in the National Federation of the Blind.

Noelle Bareswilt and the Bearcat GPT Team, University of Cincinnati

AI tools can play a powerful role in making digital content more accessible at the University of Cincinnati. There tools help simplify complex language, generate alt text for images, assist with captions and audio descriptions for videos, and provide guidance on accessible document formatting. Join us to learn how BearcatGPT and other AI-driven solutions combine with human insight to provide valuable support in ensuring content is usable by everyone.

Headshot of Noelle Bareswilt

Noelle Bareswilt

IT Accessibility Program Director

With a rise of online learning environments, there has been a steady increase in the use of video media. Captions are an important part of making sure video content is available for all who want to access these materials. This workshop will provide information on the tools provided by UC, including how to request professional captions, platforms with captions editors, and ways to implement captioning into your video creation workflow.
Headshot of Spencer Penrod

Spencer Penrod

Digital Accessibility Specialist, Accessibility Resources

Spencer has been a member of the Digital Access Team for 2 years. He leads and specializes in the Captioning of Pre-Recorded media. As a part of the Accessibility Network he prioritizes video accessibility, training, and best practices.

Headshot of Marcus Goodwin

Marcus Goodwin

Digital Access Program Coordinator, Accessibility Resources

Marcus supports initiatives that promote equitable access to digital tools and resources. He serve as a key point of contact for captioning requests and collaborates across departments to enhance accessibility and the student and employee experience.

Having a few disabled students requiring accommodations is typical, but what if disabled students were the norm?  Are you curious about how to set up an accessible classroom for online courses when at least 75% of enrolled students have a disability?  This requires general accessibility to be a large part of planning and course development.  This workshop will share tips and processes for teaching and prep that are used at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC where typically 75% of students have a disability of some kind.

Headshot of Jessica Guess

Jessica Guess

Counseling Program Faculty, Gallaudet University

Jessica is a counseling program faculty member in Gallaudet University. Her experiences as a late-deafened adult have allowed to focus her work, research, and advocacy (personally and professionally) on disability representation and access.

Afternoon Presentations

1:10 PM

Join us for a hands-on session designed to help web authors build confidence using Siteimprove, an all-in-one digital optimization tool that helps improve website accessibility, quality, and performance. We’ll walk through how to use Siteimprove—including its accessibility plugin—to check your pages for accessibility issues directly within our content management system. You’ll learn which issues to prioritize, how to address them, and how to verify that your fixes are effective. 

Headshot of Katie Lane

Katie Lane

Assistant Director, Digital + User Experience, Marketing + Communications

Katie works in UC's central MarComm office and is a member of the Accessibility Network. She specializes in website content organization and user experience. F Katie prioritizes creating user-friendly, accessible content for all audiences.

This session will provide a comparison of the two accessibility tools integrated into Canvas: Ally and UDOIT. Each tool provides users with different ways to assess the accessibility of their Canvas content.

Headshot of Megan Wuebker, Ph.D.

Megan Wuebker, Ph.D.

Computer & Information Analyst, DTS Academic Technologies

Megan works with faculty and staff to assess, acquire, test, and integrate tools into the university's learning management system. As a member of the Accessibility Network, Megan co-develops course content training and professional development.

What are the current expectations and processes around choosing accessible tools? How do you know if a tool is accessible? What supports are coming to help us choose accessible tools?
Headshot of Noelle Bareswilt

Noelle Bareswilt

IT Accessibility Program Director

During the workshop, we will take a Canvas course with accessibility issues and go through the step-by-step process of using the embedded tools to reach an accessibility score of 90. This session is designed to support faculty in meeting new ADA Title II requirements for digital accessibility.

Headshot of Matthew Williamson, Ph.D.

Matthew Williamson, Ph.D.

Associate Director, CETL

Matthew directs efforts related to online learning and teaching. He has experience teaching college, high school, and adult learners. Beyond education, he specializes in alternative assessment, e-accessibility, and artificial intelligence.

Making videos accessible can go beyond just captioning your videos. This session will provide information on how to provide accessible materials, regarding captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions, by helping identify when these elements are necessary, what they could look like, and how to implement them when creating your content.

Headshot of Spencer Penrod

Spencer Penrod

Digital Accessibility Specialist

2:10 PM

Lisa Nicks, McGraw Hill Education

With the ADA Title ll deadline approaching, universities are required to make sure web content and other digital assets are accessible. This session will explain Title ll and how it impacts higher education. We will also cover how McGraw Hill is preparing for Title ll and how we can collaborate with your faculty and staff.

Accessibility Glow-up is an informative session about making an existing Canvas course's content accessible. The presentation consists of an Accessible Content Overview and Accessible Canvas Course step-by-step demonstration. Participants will also receive resources to share at the end of the session. 

Headshot of Sighle Denier

Sighle Denier

Director of Instructional Design and Technology, College of Allied Health Sciences

Sighle is the Accessibility Liaison for CAHS and leads the strategy for digital accessibility at CAHS. She has 40+ years of experience in technology and instructional design across corporate and academic environments.

Headshot of Zack White

Zack White

Instructional Technologist 1 (IDATS), College of Allied Health Sciences

Zack has 10 years of experience in the technology sector, specializing in digital accessibility and content optimization. He supports CAHS in advancing accessible learning materials with a focus on document remediation and compliance best practices.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but how does that translate to alternative text? This workshop will cover the essentials of alt text, best practices for images in common situations like course content and communications, data visualizations, and more!

This session covers the same content as the morning session with the same title.

Headshot of Diana Riggs

Diana Riggs

Assistant Director

Join us for an open forum discussion with the panelists.

Headshot of Jessica Guess

Jessica Guess

Counseling Program Faculty

Headshot of Emily Kiehl

Emily Kiehl

Assistive Technology Instructor, Access Technology Services

Headshot of Jacob Counts

Jacob Counts

Adaptive Athletics Coordinator

Headshot of Heidi Pettyjohn

Heidi Pettyjohn

ADA & EIT Accessibility Coordinator, and Executive Director for Accessibility

Headshot of Larry Klug

Larry Klug

Assistive Technology Services Instructor

Making videos accessible can go beyond just captioning your videos. This session will provide information on how to provide accessible materials, regarding captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions, by helping identify when these elements are necessary, what they could look like, and how to implement them when creating your content.

Headshot of Spencer Penrod

Spencer Penrod

Digital Accessibility Specialist