Devon A. Cancilla is the Chief Knowledge Officer at the Online Learning Consortium. Prior to this role, he served as the Vice Provost for Academic Innovation at UMKC. His team provided instructional design support for the development of online and traditional programs and coordinates UMKC’s activities toward state authorization, student authentication and learning analytics. Prior to coming to UMKC, Devon served as Dean and then Associate Provost for Learning at American Sentinel University, a fully online institution. Devon was also an Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Director of Scientific Technical Services (SciTech) at Western Washington University (WWU) where he led the development of the Integrated Laboratory Network (ILN), an online laboratory initiative funded by the National Science Foundation. Devon has received both the Sloan-C (now OLC) Outstanding Achievement Award for Online Education and an Effective Practice Award for his research into the development and use of online laboratories. He attended the University of Iowa, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and UCLA, where he received his doctorate in Environmental Health Science. Devon’s current research interests relate to the use of analytics in the design and development of online courses.

Kelly Hermann is the Vice President of Accessibility Strategy for the University of Phoenix. She has oversight of the university’s accessibility initiative, including the evaluation and remediation of curricular resources, and disability services office. Prior to joining the University of Phoenix, Kelly was the director of disability services for SUNY Empire State College where she coordinated accommodations for students. She frequently presents at national conferences, such as the Online Learning Consortium, WCET and the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) regarding online learning and accessibility for students with disabilities. She also chairs the special interest group on online and distance education for AHEAD and was the chair of AHEAD’s standing committee on public policy from 2009 to 2013.

Dr. Sean J. Smith is a teacher, teacher educator, researcher, national presenter, and the parent of four school-age children, two having exceptionalities. With a background in the research and implementation of Universally Design for Learning (UDL) technology-based innovations for struggling learners and those with disabilities, Sean has authored books, chapters, articles, and offered hundreds of national presentations. The Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-PI on federally funded research and implementation projects, Sean is currently examining the impact of virtual reality and online learning on student development as well as ways to apply evidence-based technology innovations across the lives of those with exceptionalities, particularly in the area of literacy and technology. A former co-editor of the Journal of Special Education Technology and Teaching Exceptional Children, Sean works to identify ways to further the research-to-practice gap to ensure effective and efficient outcomes for ALL learners, especially via innovative technology-based solutions.

Dr. Cyndi Rowland is the Founder and Executive Director of WebAIM and the National Center on Disability and Access to Education housed at Utah State University. Since 1999 she has focused on research, tool and resource development, training, and policy initiatives in web accessibility for education. The work of both WebAIM and NCDAE are viewed as important resources in web accessibility. Both groups have a rich history of research and product development to benefit the broader community and an inclusive web. WebAIM is consistently in the top 5 Google returns when searching for “web accessibility”, where there are typically millions of returns. Some of WebAIM’s content includes issues and technical recommendations for developers who wish their designs to be inclusive of individuals with disabilities. NCDAE has rich resources for administrators and faculty alike who wish to make changes in their systems and individual practice. This includes an institutional Benchmarking and Planning Tool as well as accessibility Cheatsheets used frequently by faculty and staff. Dr. Rowland has engaged in her accessibility work at top tier national and international levels. Examples include sitting on the Section 508 refresh committee, and working on initiatives out of UN organizations such as the ITU and UNESCO where she was an invited expert to assist in the creation of global guidelines for online distance education, where accessibility plays a role for UN Member States.