The Mountains, The Valleys, and the View from Here: ACCESSING HOPE

December 2, 2026 | 1:00 PM ET | 10:00 AM PT

Accessibility in STEM grows stronger every time someone shares what they’ve learned. In this webinar, hosted by Every Learner Everywhere in partnership with NWHeat, we’ll explore the current landscape of disability belonging and accessibility in STEM through research, data, and real stories from the field, and spotlight the remarkable momentum behind the Accessible Math Ecosystem.

This growing community shows what’s possible when educators connect and build on one another’s work: one person, one equation, one story, one post at a time. Each contribution helps grow seeds planted decades ago by others who often worked from their own closets under the stairs. Today, no one has to go it alone.

Whether you’re just beginning to make your STEM courses more accessible or looking for new tools and collaborators, you’ll leave with practical resources, fresh ideas, and a network ready to support you. Leaders, Sara Shunkwiler, adjunct STEM faculty, and instructional designer at Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering, and Ailee Dixon, former (and future) STEM student, invite you to bring your questions and your curiosity (laughter welcome!) as we come together to access hope for an accessible STEM future.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

Identify key tools, resources, and communities within the Accessible Math Ecosystem that support accessible STEM teaching and learning.
Recognize how individual contributions, from a single accessible equation to a shared post or story, build collective momentum for accessibility in STEM.
Explore practical next steps for making their own STEM courses and materials more accessible.
Connect with a supportive network of educators and advocates to continue learning and collaborating after the session.

Workshop Leaders

Sara Shunkwiler, CPACC

Instructional Designer, Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering

Sara Shunkwiler is (now) a proudly disabled engineer, adjunct STEM faculty, and instructional designer at Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering. After hiding her disabilities for 25 years, she chooses daily to risk sharing why to create culture change for others. A Medical Device Event and 4-time Accommodations Survivor, she co-leads Hopkins Disability ERG, is a Teach Access Fellow, and advocates for STEM accessibility, workplace support, and disability belonging. Most of her work time is still devoted to costly retrofits, while most of her personal time is devoted to fixing the systems that disable. With passion born from dark days in the janitor’s closet (it’s real), Sara co-founded the STEM Access Community of Practice to provide a space where individuals can join together, Access Hope, and change the future of STEM - for all of us.

Ailee Dixon

Former STEM Student

Ailee Dixon is a 26-year-old dog mom, former (and future) STEM student, and passionate advocate for disability access in the built and digital environments. The youngest member of the Frederick County (Maryland) Equity and Inclusion Commission, she is a frequent speaker and media guest who works with community officials throughout the state. Ailee has a lifetime of experience with disability. She was paralyzed when pushed out of high school without her degree and advised by faculty to leave nursing school when she became blind. With a lively sense of humor, grace, and an actual glittering crown, Ailee says that “blindness is the one disability she didn’t see coming”, and losing her vision overnight at age 20 indeed helped her to see. She works with tech companies, K12 schools, and universities - where she often speaks to faculty and course designers about Alt Text, AI Accuracy, and why Accessibility Matters in STEM.