My support of equal access…

began in second grade when I read books to my neurodivergent friend on the playground, and when the teacher spoke while writing on the blackboard, I mouthed the words to my friend who could lipread. I received services for my speech impediment in a portable classroom that playground bullies named the "SPED Mobile." In fifth grade, I spent recess interacting with students having Down Syndrome.

When I requested an accommodation for undiagnosed Dyslexia that ran in my family, my guidance counselor told me that I couldn't possibly have Dyslexia because Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) accepted me. He said that if I genuinely had a learning disability, I should drop out before wasting money and failing out. Instead, I graduated with honors.

At CMU, I studied Design and Human Factors (learning to build the environment for the person). The wayfinding device I designed for my degree project benefited low vision/blind people and visitors - since they all gain from additional navigation information. As part of my research, I joined a club supporting the Blind. Pittsburgh installed curb cuts in response to the Americans with Disabilities Act. Excellent accommodation for anyone using wheels, potentially deadly for anyone who could not see where the sidewalk met the street. We worked with the city in installing tactile paving to mitigate the dangers.

My Master of Design Human Factors Thesis was "Recommendations for a Software Application Based on Individual Differences." I developed ten recommendations to help people efficiently use the software regardless of computer anxiety, cognitive style, and problem-solving methods.

At Boeing, I used Human Factors to accommodate people based on body size and ability. One highlight was changing the design for an airplane bathroom that located the toilet paper over three feet from the toilet bowl.

I usability tested Windows and Office products at Microsoft and made suggestions to improve users' experiences despite their level of computer knowledge.

As part of my Master of Education, I studied Special Education. Then I developed a universal curriculum using the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol and Sensory, Graphic & Interactive Scaffolding, which benefit Neurodivergent, Deaf, Blind, English Language, and typical learners.

Accessibility wasn't part of my job description at the University of Washington (UW), but it is part of me. Working with UW Accessibility Technology, I became a Subject Matter Expert and increased the accessibility of digital communications and events from 5% to 95%. Not only for the 36 departments I supported in the College of Arts & Sciences but across campus.

At Seattle Children's, I joined the Disability Inclusion Network and work with like-minded colleagues to elevate accessibility as an essential tenant of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. I increased inclusion for their Quarterly Report.

I dedicated my life to educational, technological, vocational, and built environment access and inclusion for all.

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Contact me via Cell Phone/Text - 360.920.2008
Email me at wendelin@wendelindunlap.com