ض

21 Faculty Selected for Boosting Course Accessibility Fellows Program

The William E. Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation is pleased to welcome 21 faculty members to the 2026-2027 Boosting Course Accessibility Faculty Fellows program. The program aims to enhance the digital accessibility of courses across USM institutions and help ensure that disabled students can access instructional materials effectively and independently.

The selected faculty will receive funding and support to redesign their courses with accessibility in mind, including implementing universal design principles that benefit all learners. Participants will work closely with Kirwan Center staff to identify and address barriers in their course materials, learning activities, and assessments.

In addition to fostering immediate improvements in course accessibility, the initiative aims to build long-term capacity for inclusive design across departments. The selected faculty span the System and represent diverse disciplines, which will lead to accessibility improvements across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; social sciences; humanities; business; education; and health professions.

“We are delighted to welcome this distinguished group of faculty into the 2026-2027 Boosting Course Accessibility Faculty Fellows program,” said Nancy O’Neill, Executive Director of the USM Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation. “Their leadership in the design and development of accessible materials will benefit the students in their courses and model effective accessibility practices more broadly across the ض and beyond.” 

The 2026-2027 Boosting Course Accessibility Faculty Fellows are:

Bowie State University

  • Jerry Diabor, Adjunct Professor, Computer Science
  • Elkanah Faux, Assistant Professor, Accounting, Finance and Information Systems
  • Ebony Toussaint, Assistant Professor, Nursing
  • Aislinn Woody, Instructor and Research Specialist, Nursing Education

Coppin State University

  • Patience Ebuwei, Assistant Professor, Health Information Management
  • Tammira Lucas, Assistant Professor of Marketing and Interim Director of the Center for Strategic Entrepreneurship
  • Mamunur Rahman, Assistant Professor of Decision Sciences

Frostburg State University

  • Stefanie Hay, Professor of Nursing

Salisbury University

  • Viktoria Basham, Lecturer, Clarke Honors College

Towson University

  • Audra McMullen, Professor of Communication Studies
  • Zach Runge, Adjunct Professor, Communication Studies

University of Baltimore

  • Praneet Randhawa, Associate Professor of Marketing

University of Maryland, Baltimore

  • Jeanine Gargiulo, Didactic Director, Physician Assistant Program

University of Maryland, Baltimore County

  • Milvia Hernandez, Teaching Professor, Modern Languages, Linguistics and Intercultural Communication

University of Maryland, College Park

  • Rasha Alkhateeb, Lecturer, English
  • Anna Greenstone, Instructional Designer, Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (MFRI)
  • Helene Nguemgaing, Assistant Clinical Professor, First-Year Innovation & Research Experience (FIRE)
  • Ryan O'Grady, Senior Lecturer, Master of Library and Information Science Program

University of Maryland Eastern Shore

  • Jia Liu, Assistant Professor, Engineering
  • Madhumi Mitra, Professor of Biology and Environmental Sciences
  • Masoud Moghaddam, Associate Professor, Physical Therapy

The William E. Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation is pleased to welcome 21 faculty members to the 2026-2027 Boosting Course Accessibility Faculty Fellows program. The program aims to enhance the digital accessibility of courses across USM institutions and help ensure that disabled students can access instructional materials effectively and independently.

The selected faculty will receive funding and support to redesign their courses with accessibility in mind, including implementing universal design principles that benefit all learners. Participants will work closely with Kirwan Center staff to identify and address barriers in their course materials, learning activities, and assessments.

In addition to fostering immediate improvements in course accessibility, the initiative aims to build long-term capacity for inclusive design across departments. The selected faculty span the System and represent diverse disciplines, which will lead to accessibility improvements across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; social sciences; humanities; business; education; and health professions.

“We are delighted to welcome this distinguished group of faculty into the 2026-2027 Boosting Course Accessibility Faculty Fellows program,” said Nancy O’Neill, Executive Director of the USM Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation. “Their leadership in the design and development of accessible materials will benefit the students in their courses and model effective accessibility practices more broadly across the ض and beyond.” 

The 2026-2027 Boosting Course Accessibility Faculty Fellows are:

Bowie State University

  • Jerry Diabor, Adjunct Professor, Computer Science
  • Elkanah Faux, Assistant Professor, Accounting, Finance and Information Systems
  • Ebony Toussaint, Assistant Professor, Nursing
  • Aislinn Woody, Instructor and Research Specialist, Nursing Education

Coppin State University

  • Patience Ebuwei, Assistant Professor, Health Information Management
  • Tammira Lucas, Assistant Professor of Marketing and Interim Director of the Center for Strategic Entrepreneurship
  • Mamunur Rahman, Assistant Professor of Decision Sciences

Frostburg State University

  • Stefanie Hay, Professor of Nursing

Salisbury University

  • Viktoria Basham, Lecturer, Clarke Honors College

Towson University

  • Audra McMullen, Professor of Communication Studies
  • Zach Runge, Adjunct Professor, Communication Studies

University of Baltimore

  • Praneet Randhawa, Associate Professor of Marketing

University of Maryland, Baltimore

  • Jeanine Gargiulo, Didactic Director, Physician Assistant Program

University of Maryland, Baltimore County

  • Milvia Hernandez, Teaching Professor, Modern Languages, Linguistics and Intercultural Communication

University of Maryland, College Park

  • Rasha Alkhateeb, Lecturer, English
  • Anna Greenstone, Instructional Designer, Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (MFRI)
  • Helene Nguemgaing, Assistant Clinical Professor, First-Year Innovation & Research Experience (FIRE)
  • Ryan O'Grady, Senior Lecturer, Master of Library and Information Science Program

University of Maryland Eastern Shore

  • Jia Liu, Assistant Professor, Engineering
  • Madhumi Mitra, Professor of Biology and Environmental Sciences
  • Masoud Moghaddam, Associate Professor, Physical Therapy

News Type:

Areas of Focus:

Cross Post: