consulting & writing

What I Do

I work with education organizations to make digital accessibility clearer, more practical, and more actionable. My consulting and writing focus on helping institutions understand their obligations, reduce risk, and improve user experience—without jargon, fear-based messaging, or unrealistic expectations.

This work often sits at the intersection of policy, accessibility standards, and day-to-day workflows.

Consulting Services

I consult with K–12 districts, higher education institutions, and education organizations on digital accessibility, with a focus on clarity, practicality, and sustainability. I help teams prioritize risk, understand their responsibilities, and take achievable steps toward more accessible digital spaces.

My consulting work is collaborative, scoped, and grounded in how institutions actually operate.

I help districts, colleges, and education organizations:

  • Interpret Title II and WCAG requirements in plain language
  • Prioritize accessibility work based on risk and impact
  • Develop realistic improvement plans that fit staff capacity
  • Prepare for upcoming compliance deadlines (2026–2027)

Support may include:

  • Reviewing or drafting accessibility statements and policies
  • Advising on document posting and archival practices
  • Helping teams clarify internal roles and responsibilities
  • Identifying where accessibility fits into existing workflows

For teams who need practical help, not theory:

  • Targeted guidance for communications, IT, or instructional staff
  • Documentation districts can reuse internally
  • Office-hour style consultations for questions as they arise

For teams who need practical help, not theory:

  • Targeted guidance for communications, IT, or instructional staff
  • Documentation districts can reuse internally
  • Office-hour style consultations for questions as they arise

Writing & Thought Leadership

I enjoy collaborating with other academics and practitioners to think and write about digital accessibility, equity, and institutional responsibility in education. I’m especially interested in bringing academic and policy conversations into the public sphere in ways that are accessible, rigorous, and grounded in real-world practice.

I write both independently and in collaboration, and I welcome opportunities for commissioned, sponsored, or contracted writing where the goals and expectations are clear.

  • Digital accessibility as leadership, not just compliance
  • Rhetorics of digital accessibility
  • Accessibility as both a civil rights and user experience issue
  • Governance, transparency, and public records
  • Readiness for 2026-2027 (without panic)
  • Systems, capacity, and reality checks
  • Educator-facing perspectives

Applegate et al. (2026). Changing accessibility culture through a student Digital Accessibility Remediation Team. In F. Williams (Ed.), Advancing access to digital learning: Innovations, frameworks, and solutions. (pp. x-x) IGI Global. Coauthors: Emily Boles, Ella Ferguson, Jacob Gulso, Ira Joshi, Taylor Lester.

This chapter explores the transformative impact of the student-staffed Digital Accessibility Remediation Team (DART) at the University of Illinois Springfield on fostering an inclusive culture in higher education. The authors provide the campus context and history of the team’s accessibility work. They outline the theoretical groundwork for the current iteration of DART, which is framed through the lenses of Critical Disability Theory and the Social Model of Disability. The chapter then details three key principles: digital accessibility is a civil right, digital accessibility should be proactive, and digital accessibility teams should live their values; it also outlines how the values of proactive accessibility, distributed leadership, and ethical accountability intersect to create an effective, positive model of a digital accessibility team that aligns with NACE competencies. It concludes with sample short-term and long-term objectives for campus accessibility that are aligned with implementation strategies, evaluation points, and assessment instruments.

Keywords: digital accessibility, remediation, Critical Disability Theory, ethical accountability, distributed leadership, proactive accessibility, WCAG, Social Model of Disability, civil rights

  • Opinion and analysis pieces for education publications
  • Practical guidance for administrators and practitioners
  • Ghostwritten or bylined content
  • Internal guidance documents and resource sheets

  • K–12 districts navigating accessibility with limited staff
  • Higher education institutions refining accessibility practices
  • Education organizations and associations
  • Publications seeking informed, practitioner-grounded perspectives

How To Get Started

If you’re looking for clear guidance, strong writing, or a practical accessibility perspective grounded in real educational contexts, I’d be happy to chat about opportunities. Please feel free to reach out via the contact page.