Provost's Retreat on Teaching and Learning Speakers' Profiles

Jeanne Kincaid is a nationally known disability lawyer and consultant, representing colleges and universities nationwide and public and independent schools regionally on a host of disability and special education issues, including the physical accessibility requirements imposed by the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act.

Jeanne has been a special education hearing officer and mediator for the State of New Hampshire, and has served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of New Hampshire's Graduate School of Education, Antioch University, and the University of New Hampshire School of Law (formerly Franklin Pierce Law Center).

Jeanne worked in an advisory capacity with AHEAD, a national organization whose membership consists of higher education staff that coordinate services for students with disabilities. She has held staff attorney positions with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, the Oregon Department of Education, and served as a hearing officer for the Oregon Bureau of Labor and the New Hampshire Department of Education. She has been a contributing author to "Section 504, the ADA and the Schools" and "Disability Compliance for Higher Education."

Jeanne represents institutions of higher education before the Office for Civil Rights and the U.S. Department of Justice. She has an active practice serving in a consulting capacity to the Office of General Counsel for numerous private universities throughout the country. An engaging presenter whose improvisational comedic background affords participants a unique approach to understanding complex legal issues, Jeanne has shared her expertise in dynamic presentations on hundreds of campuses from coast to coast.

Sheryl Burgstahler founded and directs the DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) Center and the Access Technology Center (ATC). These two centers promote (1) the use of mainstream and assistive technology and other interventions to support the success of students with disabilities in postsecondary education and careers and (2) the development of facilities, computer labs, academic and administrative software, websites, multimedia, and distance learning programs that are welcoming and accessible to individuals with disabilities. The ATC focuses efforts at the University of Washington; the DO-IT Center reaches national and international audiences with the support of federal, state, corporate, foundation, and private funds. Dr. Burgstahler is an affiliate professor in the College of Education at the University of Washington in Seattle. Her teaching and research focus on the successful transition of students with disabilities to college and careers and on the application of universal design to technology, learning activities, physical spaces, and student services. Her current projects include the Alliance for Students with Disabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (AccessSTEM), the Alliance for Access to Computing Careers (AccessComputing), AccessCS10K: Including Students with Disabilities in Computing Education for the Twenty-First Century, AccessEngineering, AccessSTEM CAREERS, the RDE Collaborative Dissemination project, and the Center for Universal Design in Education.

Dr. Burgstahler has published articles and delivered presentations at national and international conferences that focus on universal design of distance learning, websites and multimedia, computer labs, instruction, student services, and other applications in education; and the management of electronic communities, work-based learning activities and transition programs for youth with disabilities. She is the author or co-author of eight books on using the Internet with pre-college students and directing e-mentoring and transition programs and lead editor of the book Universal Design in Higher Education: From Principles to Practice. Dr. Burgstahler has degrees in mathematics, education, and administration of higher education. She has taught precollege and postsecondary mathematics, computer programming, assistive and accessible technology, and preservice/inservice courses for teachers on mathematics instruction and technology applications.

Dr. Burgstahler and her projects have received many awards, including the Professional Recognition Award for the Association for Higher Education and Disability, the National Information Infrastructure Award in Education, the President's Award for Mentoring, the Golden Apple Award in Education, and the Harry J. Murphy Catalyst Award.