Valerie Claire Haven

Valerie is adjunct faculty and staff at the University of Massachusetts. She teaches graduate courses in accessibility and inclusive learning in online education for both UMass and the University of Southern Maine. Valerie also does consulting on accessibility issues related to technology and pedagogy. Her primary interests and work relate to supporting faculty and staff to integrate assistive technology into their courses as easily as possible.

Valerie’s career in assistive technology and on-line learning began in 2001 when she was hired to support the start-up of a new distance-based graduate program at UMass. She is an avid user of all types of assistive technology and develops toolkit suites to support learners with various disabilities and diverse learning styles. While she is passionate about technology in general, her real interest is in helping faculty find and select the right technologies to support the learning objectives of their courses. She lectures and speaks publicly on issues of disability and inclusion. Valerie focuses on the value and power of disability. She shares her own journey of becoming blind and how she gained new skills from embracing her “disability.”  Valerie was the 2010 recipient of the Online Learning Consortium President’s Special Award for Outstanding Achievement by An Individual in the Field of Online learning. She also received the Campus Technology Magazine’s 2012 Innovators Award.

Paula Thorsland

Paula holds a BA in English and Education, and an M.Ed. in Instructional Design. She has worked in the education field for 18 years. She is now a Senior Instructional Designer at UMass Boston, where she specializes in accessibility and new faculty education.

Linda Sudlesky

Linda holds a B.S. in Special Education and an M.Ed. in Instructional Design. She has
worked with the eLearning and Instructional Support team for 5 years, the last two of which she served as the team’s Synchronous Online Learning Specialist. Linda has worked with people with intellectual disabilities for 20 years and is a tireless advocate for accessibility in all aspects of life.