2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Navigating Complexity Through Collaboration: Lessons from Advancing Accessibility in Engineering

Presented at FDD Technical Session 6: Equity, Values, and Culture in Faculty Work

This Lessons Learned paper shares the development and facilitation of a cross-functional accessibility initiative within a decentralized College of Engineering (COE), aimed at meeting university-wide goals for accessible online content by 2026. The initiative was led by the College’s Graduate and Professional Studies and the College’s IT units together in collaboration with the University’s Technology Enhanced Learning and Online Strategies (TLOS) office. Rather than producing accessible content directly, the team focused on empowering faculty and communicators to create and remediate digital materials through strategic partnerships, decision-making frameworks, and scalable support systems.

The decentralized nature of the college presented unique challenges in reaching faculty across departments with consistent messaging, tools, and training. To address this, the team developed a facilitation model that emphasized relationship-building, shared ownership, and flexible engagement strategies. Key practices included coordinated communication through established departmental points of contact, co-hosted workshops and office hours, shared discussion platforms, and created/curated resources to support faculty and communicators in creating and remediating accessible digital content.

This paper highlights lessons learned in navigating institutional change through facilitation rather than enforcement, including the importance of trust, transparency, and adaptability. It also reflects on how accessibility efforts contributed to broader pedagogical improvements and fostered a culture of shared responsibility. These insights will be valuable to faculty developers, administrators, and instructional support professionals working in similarly complex institutional environments.

We prefer to present this work as a talk.

Authors

Sahar Heidari http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7260-1820 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University [biography]

Sahar Heidari is a Ph.D. student in Computer Science at Virginia Tech and served as a graduate assistant supporting the College of Engineering’s digital accessibility initiatives. In this role, she adapted university provided accessibility training into practical checklists, designed and delivered remote workshops, and facilitated weekly office hours to support graduate students. Sahar brings a strong technical background to her work, enabling her to translate complex guidelines into usable, discipline aware accessibility practices.
Ethan Young Marshall University [biography]

Ethan is a Technical Content Writer/Editor and User Experience Analyst in Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering, where he develops accessible technical documentation, tutorials, and user guides to support faculty, staff, and students. His work includes managing knowledge bases, maintaining public facing webpages, and translating complex technical and accessibility requirements into clear, usable guidance. He holds a B.A. in English with a concentration in professional writing from Virginia Tech.
April Keene Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University [biography]

April is the lead project manager for the College of Engineering’s digital accessibility initiative at Virginia Tech, supporting coordination, documentation, and process development across units. She previously served as the Online Learning Specialist and Site Administrator for Cardinal Education and has worked in the College of Engineering Dean’s Office since 2015.
Jeffrey Michael Phillips Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University [biography]

Jeff Phillips is the Associate Director of Instructional Design and Technology in the College of Engineering Dean’s Office at Virginia Tech, where he provides leadership for educational technology research, support, and training across residential and online programs. He coordinates troubleshooting and integration efforts across platforms, support units, and vendors, with a focus on helping faculty incorporate effective and accessible technology practices into their teaching. Jeff brings over twenty three years of experience in web and print design, online course development, and educational technology and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Education with a focus on Instructional Technology.
Dr. Alicia L. Johnson http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3506-574X Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University [biography]

Dr. Alicia Johnson is the Director for Graduate and Professional Studies in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech. Her areas of expertise include instructional design, distance education, technology enhanced learning and self-efficacy in online learning environments.

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