Jillian Fortin Burtnett: Be a Digital Ally is our free monthly accessibility webinar series for
Content creators of all skill levels.
Um, specifically digital content creators, so if you're create… if you're publishing website content, marketing content, if you are creating, uh, digital
Templates in the CMS of your choice. Anything digital that will be consumed by people on the internet, we are here to support you in ensuring that
Everything you publish and create is accessible.
for people with disabilities.
Our main goals with these monthly sessions are to cover the basic skills and principles behind accessible digital design,
And to make digital content accessible to people with disabilities.
A little bit about us.
Knowbility was founded in 1999.
after our landmark program, the Accessibility Internet Rally.
From that program, we decided to incorporate
We are based in Austin, Texas, and over the last
26 years have, um, established ourselves as an award-winning leader in digital accessibility.
Our mission is to create an inclusive world
for everyone, including people with disabilities.
We have a variety of community programs for everyone, no matter where they are in their accessibility journey. BADA is just one of them.
I mentioned the accessibility Internet Rally, or AIR, which is run every fall.
Um, folks who are learning about, um, accessible web design, accessible content creation, are paired with nonprofits every fall.
to compete in
to compete in, um, a really fun competition, um,
I'm building the most accessible website. And fun fact, 18 years ago, I got my start in the accessibility world through an AIR program.
Another one of our programs is John Slayton AccessU, which is our annual accessibility training conference.
I like to tell folks that accessibility people go to CSUN to learn
what they need, um, to… to stay on top of.
And then they go to AccessU to actually figure out how to do it, or learn how to do it.
So, um, for those of you who are attending CSUN next month,
Also, mark your calendars to come join us in Austin for AccessU.
Which is also what I'd like to call summer camp for accessibility professionals.
More on that later. Um, some of our other programs include Access Works,
Which is our employment program for people with disabilities through user testing experiences.
K-12 Digital Accessibility, which is a consulting arm of our team that focuses specifically on the needs
For K-12, and last but not least, be a digital ally, which you're here to join us for today.
I mentioned John Slayton AccessU this May. Um, it is both an in-person event and an online event. So, for those of y'all who
don't think you can make it to Texas this May. You are absolutely invited to join us.
to join us virtually. So…
More details can be found at Knowbility.org slash accessu.
We also offer fee-based services to help you and support you along your accessibility journey, no matter where you are. So, some of the services we provide are accessibility testing and auditing,
Consulting for organizations of all sizes,
training, uh, one of our most popular trainings is our PDF training.
So, those of y'all who are prepping your documents for April 26th this year, and need a little bit of help, you know who to call.
Uh, I mentioned AccessWorks, which is our user testing service and the Accessibility Help Desk, which connects you with
experts in technology, programming, and development as you go through your remediation journey.
Like many other webinar series, we want to ensure that the programming we provide you every single month is relevant, is helpful, is meaningful, and has an impact.
on you and your organization. So…
We would love if you'd consider filling out our… our feedback survey after today's session. Um, you can
easily navigate to it by going to Knowbility.org slash betta survey.
Um, or scanning the QR code on the screen.
Next month, we are excited to…
welcome Alert Drive, UT Austin's EcoCar vision for inclusive mobility. It will be…
something new that we have featured on VADA, and it's really… it's an honor and a privilege to showcase these young students who have, um,
who have worked on this project. So, if you're interested, please join us, and um…
be on the lookout for more details on how to register.
With that, that pretty much wraps up my housekeeping items. Um, couple of…
uh, reminders on how to interact.
with our esteemed speakers today. Um, you can ask
Any question, any time in the Q&A.
So, there is, um…
There is a Q&A, um, icon or section in your Zoom toolbar, um, where you can input your questions, and I will ask them on your behalf, or ask if you'd like to, uh, come on stage and unmute your microphone and ask
the speakers directly. Um, you can also ask in person.
By raising your hand, so if you click on the React button, there is an option for you to raise your hand. You can do that as well, or you can also type in the chat.
Whatever works best for you. We want to make sure that all of your questions get answered, and you're able to interact with the speakers in a way that will, um,
help you. So, with that,
I'm excited to introduce to you today's digital allies, Joan and Jane.
Um, Joan Breslin Larson is an independent consultant on issues relating to assistive technology.
Her work has a particular focus on policy, leadership, and developing effective teams to improve services
For assistive technology in special ed. Jane has a degree in elementary education from the University of Kansas and an MA in speech pathology and Audiology from the University of Illinois.
She has worked as a speech pathologist and AT resource specialist with individuals of all ages, having significant sensory motor differences and autism.
Um, previous experience and accolades, um, aside, both Joan and Jane are
extremely vibrant storytellers, and it is inspiring to see how
The work that they've done and the mission that they live their lives by have been the common denominator in an amazing friendship. So, I have no doubt that today's session is going to be very informative, very vibrant,
Um, and I'm… I'm so excited to pass the mic over to them. So, Joan and Jane, over to you.
Joan Breslin Larson: Thank you. Um…
Thank you.
Goodness. Go to the next slide, please.
Oh my goodness, let's go back to the beginning. There we go.
Oh, okay.
Thank you.
Jane and I are friends, um, we've known each other probably for about 20 years, um,
She's one of my heroes, so that, you know, it's like I'm gonna make her feel really, really important today.
But we're going to talk about the Joy Zabala Fellowship in Assistive Technology and Accessible Educational Materials.
Um, we represent the steering committee, uh, for the, for the Zabala Fellowship, and we'll obviously be talking more about the… all about the fellowship today.
And I want to mention that one of our co-steering committee members, Jan McSorley, is also, um,
in the audience today, so Jan, feel free to pipe in whenever you have that opportunity, and thanks for
Hooking us up with y'all to present today, the Zabala Fellowship is a collaborative organization.
Um, between the assistive technology industry association, the Zabala family, the Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology, which is the organization that Jane and I belong to, and Jane, in fact, is a co-founder.
And cast out of Boston, which deals in accessibility, and…
educational technology. So, moving on.
Jane Korsten: So, when we talk about who Joy was, uh, I always think that maybe the Energizer Bunny was modeled after Joy.
It was one way or the other. They might have been twins separated at birth.
She was a leader in the field of assistive technology and accessible instructional materials.
She co-founded, um, the Quiet Community of Practice,
to develop and disseminate information about what really makes good quality services for AT.
And she also developed a framework for consideration of AT in the IEP.
And it was called the SET Framework, where we looked at student, environment, task, and tool.
She also, and I don't have…
forward, I don't… do I have a con… yeah, okay.
Um, she was Senior Assistive Tech, um,
Excuse me, technology.
technical assistance advisor.
co-director of AIM. She was the director of AIM Consortium from 2007 to 2009.
Co-Director of the National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials,
From 2009 to 2014.
She was Educational Program Chair for ATIA. She served on the faculty of the Center on Technology and Disability.
The editorial board for assistive technology outcomes and Benefits Journal, the ATOB.
And she was on the advisory board of National Accessible Materials Access Center.
So, the Energizer Bunny was there, but above all, she was a mentor.
And so, after her death,
Um, the colleagues and friends look to see how could we support her ongoing legacy. And that developed into the fellowship in AT.
And so the first class of fellows was formed in 2022, and we really didn't know what we were doing other than that we were clear we wanted to honor Joy's legacy of mentoring.
And so, as we said the first year, we were building the plane while we were flying it.
And there was a lot of scotch tape involved.
Joan Breslin Larson: So…
I just want to interrupt, Jane, because you know I'm going to do it anyway. Uh, just…
Jane Korsten: Yeah, I know. I've been waiting.
Joan Breslin Larson: Uh, just to talk a little bit about how naturally mentoring came to Joy.
Um, I first met Joy in 1999, I think it was. I was a brand… I was just hired to be a brand new state specialist for the state of Minnesota Department of Education.
to focus on assistive technology, and I, of course, had no idea how to do that.
And a friend of mine said, well, you have to go to this conference, Closing the Gap, and go to this pre-conference, a day-long session with this woman named Joy Zabala, who's going to tell you about the SET Framework, because
We need to use the set framework. I said, fine, okay, what?
And went to the conference, and during the lunch break, I ran back to the room to get my jacket.
And, um, I noticed that Joy was sitting at the table up ahead in front of the room. Joy was…
presenting the full-day workshop, obviously.
And working on her computer, and my first thought was, oh geez, she doesn't have anyone to have lunch with.
Now, in retrospect, now that I know Joy…
And knew her style, she was rewriting the afternoon session based on the needs of the participants of the needs we expressed in the morning, and she was trying to address our needs.
But I said, oh geez, you know, you want to go have lunch with me? And she said, yeah!
Great! And from that moment on, she took me under her wing,
Talk me how to be a state specialist, taught me who the other people in the world I should go to for mentoring,
And I joined the quiet listserv, which is a very vibrant online community of practice via email.
And one of the things I remember most is my first post to the list, of course, were kind of dumb.
Um, because I really didn't know much.
But as I gained capacity,
capacity and competency in my role, I started answering people's questions and providing some guidance and advice on how to provide good services and assistive technology.
And every time I sent a message that was
a little more insightful than usual, Joy would email me privately and say, that was really good. We really need you to speak up more.
She was making sure that I knew that I was a valued member. She automatically just mentored every one of us in our career.
Um, and as I've spoken to literally hundreds of individuals across the country,
Since Joy's death, they always refer to her as their inventor. So this became the only way we could find
to, uh, carry on her legacy and to honor her, so…
Jane Korsten: I also met Joy at closing the gap, and we were going to meet for dinner, and um… when I got there, there was a little
cadre of people that expanded and shrunk and shifted over the course of about 3 to 4 hours.
No one knew everybody, but everybody knew Joy.
And she would connect them with information, she would connect them with each other, and so the
Three things you always knew when you were with Joy.
was that you were going to have fun…
You were gonna talk shop.
If you were gonna learn something, and it didn't matter whether you were kayaking in the bayous off the coast of Georgia, whether you were swimming in the eclipse in the, uh,
Caribbean in the rain, or…
Joy was there, and you would be laughing, and you would be solving problems in the world of AT. And so from that
group at Closing the Gap that kind of ebbed and flowed, um, a core group emerged.
And they became the first group of quiet.
And we were telling Jillian before that nobody knew any… everybody. When Joy and I made the original list, we were afraid that none of these people would come.
Because it was on their own dollar, on their own time.
We didn't know what we were going to do, so how do you invite people to come spend a week in a field in Kansas and do something?
That they're going to pay for. And 201, the group came.
And so Joy very early found her crown, and she became the
Queen, and she would direct us skillfully, always linking and mentoring as we went along.
So…
Um, when joy passed, we really looked at how to honor her legacy, and because she was such a consummate mentor, the mentorship became the obvious thing.
And so, looking at mentoring between experienced and emerging practitioners in either assistive technology or accessible instructional materials.
So, it was an opportunity for emerging practitioners to strengthen their skills,
develop their expertise, and have measurable outcomes that they could share with other practitioners.
The fellowship partnership works together for one year, and they have their goals.
Um, the steering committee, Joan and Terry Breslin-Larson are the co-chairs of that steering committee.
The Zabala family supports that process. Um, the quiet leadership, Diana Carl, Shannon Page, and I.
caste representatives, um, Perez and Skip Stahl, ATI representative, Dan Hubbell, and looking at AT and AIM at large.
Kurt Beenke, Chris Baguay, Cynthia Curry, Rick Ferry, Beth Poss, and Carolyn Van Hau.
And so that is the group that comes together. And it is a two-phase application process.
I want you to be taking notes and thinking about what you might bring to this process. You can apply as a mentor or a mentee.
Or if you already have somebody that you have been working with, you can do a paired application where you submit it together.
If you're submitting as either a mentor or mentee, that steering committee looks at matching those goals and skills.
So, there's a blind review of the applications, and then some are selected to move to Phase 2,
During which those teams develop a work plan, with goals and objectives, a budget,
And a little video introduction of themselves and what their project would be.
Mm-mm. Um,
So, the mentors are self-identified, experienced practitioners in either AT or AIM.
They receive a $1,000 stipend,
They agree to meet monthly with their mentee,
And they're supported by a connector from the steering committee.
The mentees are emerging practitioners in either AT or accessible instructional materials.
And they're focusing on activities to achieve the goals they established in their work plans.
They have a budget for up to $1,500 to achieve their goals, and they must have the approval of their supervisor in whatever their agency is.
Um, you know, approval for their work plan.
So, the connectors, you know, Joan, I'm not sure what number we're on. My walking past where you should be…
Joan Breslin Larson: Yeah, I think this is… you're coming to your end.
Jane Korsten: Okay. Okay, okay, uh-oh.
The connectors are members of the steering committee, and they're just a liaison between those… the partnership and the steering committee. So when there are questions or things they wonder, they can ask their connector, and they can take it back to the, um,
committee and talk. They act as a connection to the broader AT community.
And they act as a resource and counsel. They approve expenses, and they are cheerleaders and guys.
Joan Breslin Larson: So, we'll talk a little bit about our fellows. So far, we have… we accepted our fourth class of fellows this past June.
Um, in all honesty, as Jane mentioned, when we started this off, we were building this airplane while we were flying it. We weren't even quite sure.
You know, if we make it through our first year. So the fact that we've accepted our fourth year,
Um, is really exciting, and we're making plans now for our fifth year. So this, this class that was accepted, their applications came in a year ago, March, so almost a year ago now.
Um, they were, um, notified of their acceptance in the end of…
May beginning of June, and they began their work together in August.
For most of our teams, most of our fellowship teams, with the exception of one team,
These folks do not… have not known each other.
So, the mentor and mentee were introduced by the steering committee, going,
Congratulations, Sarah, you've been accepted to be… to move on to the next phase, you've been matched with this mentor named…
Bob, here's your, you know, here's each other's contact information.
get together, see if you think you'll be a good team.
Develop a work plan, submit a video,
And, quite frankly, we think that what's happening has been pure magic.
Um, so our last class began their collaborative work together in August.
They work together formally through the next June, so June of 2026.
And one of the most wonderful things we've learned is out of all of our classes of fellows that have been identified and have completed their year, they continue to have their relationship going despite the fact that there is not
formal support or recognition
from the steering committee. We, of course, maintain relationships with them, we see them at conferences, we exchange emails, we have phone chats, video chats.
Um, but the formal relationship ends after a year.
And we are very pleased and very excited about the fact that these relationships continue.
One of the really lovely things I have seen happen is the mentees
sometimes become mentors.
for their previous mentor, uh, one of the… one of the…
teams that I worked with as a connector.
Um, he took on a new role in which he had to oversee speech and language services, and his mentee said, oh, I have expertise here.
Let me help you with that. Several of our fellows have moved on to leadership positions in other agencies,
And we're seeing really exciting things happen as a result of this.
So our current fellow… fellowship teams…
Um, you'll notice that most of our fellows come from very different states.
Um, so that, um, we very much do rely on, um, Zoom, other digital tools to make sure that we have access with each other. Oh, one thing I wanted to mention,
Um, regarding accessibility.
Um, we have a lot of expertise regarding expertise in our steering committee, including folks who need accessibility supports with, uh,
you know, manage me, uh, navigation of a screen, um, text-to-speech, those kinds of things.
Our application process is accessible.
Um, we use a Google Form, and we worked hard to make it accessible. When we asked folks to submit videos, which we do at several points during the relationship,
We require them to be captioned. Um, we do focus a lot on accessibility.
So that's… that's a big, big priority for us.
So, um, Hilary Goldthwit Fowls and Donna Calhoun are collaborating this year to work on building district-wide capacity. You'll notice as we talk about these teams,
Some folks are focusing on a district, some folks are focusing on a region of their state.
Some folks are working on an entire state, and we're… or an individual school, so we've been very excited about the scope.
of all these teams. One of the things I want to point out, Hillary,
Um, applied to be a mentor three different times before she was accepted.
Three times we asked her to go to the work plan step phase of the application. She's an outstanding individual and leader in the AT field.
But we never quite matched her correctly, or found a good match for her, until this year.
So, Hillary is a great example of someone who is persistent in saying, I have something to give back to the field.
And I want to make sure that
I get a chance to give back the things that I have received.
So we're very excited. In fact, we… I wrote to her this year and just said, you know, please consider applying again, because I think
We've got the right mentee for you this year.
So that… and I was very pleased when she… when she submitted her application, and…
She and Don are just doing a great job.
Okay, next slide. Mike Murata and Emily. Mike is probably a very well… well, we… Mike is very well known in the assistive technology field.
And Emily is brand new at being a state leader. She was feeling like
as I did way back in 1999, that taking on this whole state thing was way more than anyone person could handle.
And so she's collaborating with Mike, who is a leader for the state of New Jersey,
And they are doing, um, monthly seminars between their two states.
With all of their practitioners, they, um, they have been managing to get together more times than any other team face-to-face.
Um, and are doing very, very exciting work.
Um, Mike said that he, uh, decided to apply to be a mentor simply because he thought it was expected of him, uh, based on his experience in the field.
But what he's finding is he's getting an amazing amount back
from the field as a result of being a mentor.
So I'm very excited about that. They're focusing a lot on adult learning skills so that educators are taught properly
how to learn the assistive technology and AIM techniques,
that they need to support the educators in their state. So we're very excited about that.
Our next group, Paula Gumpman and Joan Goldfarb,
Um, again, we have someone from Georgia and Indiana working collaboratively.
And they're developing lots of training materials to go out so that the folks in Indiana will get the supports they need.
Okay, next slide.
This is where you're going to learn how to apply yourself,
Um, if you go to Joy Zabala.com,
Um, you will find a lot of information about Joy, as well as applications for both being a mentor and a mentee.
And as we mentioned earlier, folks self-identify whether they have the skills or knowledge to be a mentor,
or the needs to be a mentee.
Every mentor I've talked to said, I really don't think I'm an expert.
none of us are experts in all areas of assistive technology. What we do develop skills and capacity for is assisting others in learning.
One of the really nice concepts we have that Jane mentioned is our connectors.
Um, this was a concept that came up very early in our conversation, and it's been a really fun thing. I've been a connector for several years.
And one of the fun things that I have is, you know, the mentor and mentee might be talking about
Well, we really need to focus on this, but I don't quite have the skill.
The mentor says, to help you with that. Then they say, connector, Joan, can you help with this? And I go, oh, you need to talk to Cynthia.
Cynthia's in charge of AIM practices for the country. Let's give Cynthia a call.
Let's give Kelly Fonner a call. Let's give so-and-so a call. And you send an email, or you call them up and say, hey, can you talk to this person?
And, um, basically we find that our mentees are really kind of scared.
that they think that if they call Joan face-to-face, that I'm going to be snarky and mean and, you know, too busy to help them.
But in all actuality, all of us who have been around the AT field for a long time know that it is our role to give back, so we find that folks are very, very excited to be asked
to be of support to teams.
So, next slide, please.
So this is where our fellows are. I do want to comment that there are multiple states, for example, Florida has at least 3 fellows. Michigan, I know, has 3.
Um, I could not break it down so that it showed where mentors or mentees were.
But my goal is to get every one of these states colored in. I'm pretty snarky.
that we don't have someone representing my state of Minnesota, so I'm nagging all of the practitioners here.
Um, but you can see that we have some pretty wide geographic dispersal of fellows.
Interestingly, we have a mentor who was in Germany!
Um, Erin represents the U.S. Department of Defense schools,
in providing assistive technology. So he… he…
all of Europe is his… is his focus area, which is a huge job, of course.
And so when we matched him,
with a mentee, we had to look at someone who was also working on systems pieces,
And that the time differential wouldn't be too broad, so that was… that was always challenging. I think, Jane, you were the connector for that team.
That year. And, uh, they were, they were pretty interesting.
Um, Saird and Amy are… were a partnership from last year.
Um, Serge was one of our entries into the world of higher ed. She's been a, uh…
adjunct at University of Illinois, um, also working with Amy from Ohio, and they're working on building very specific
skills for their local district there in Ohio.
We also, last year, had… next slide, please.
Judy Schoonover and Amy Thompson.
Uh, Amy, working in South Dakota, was very geographically remote from other practitioners.
And so she was really struggling, looking for someone to support her.
in building capacity in the district where she worked.
And so, um…
Judy had being a long-term, um…
professional development provider in assistive technology was able to help me a lot of those needs, and they developed a lot of resources.
This team, uh,
is one that I was particularly proud of.
Um, I was at a meeting for state leaders in assistive technology to promote the idea of the fellowship.
And I started chatting with Judy Nomura from Hawaii.
And she's going, I am so isolated, I have nobody here who knows anything. What I really need is somebody smart in how to build capacity.
And I said, oh, well, over on the other side of the room,
is my friend Brian Wojcik.
Ryan is the smartest person you'll ever meet, and he is so giving and so generous.
Brian, get over here!
and introduce them to each other, and uh…
begged and twisted Brian's arm,
And they began working together and have developed an incredible process.
that the state of Hawaii is adopting.
Um, obviously there are a lot of challenges with time…
timeframes, um, for both two very busy people to meet and work together. All of us wanted to be their connector, because we thought we could maybe, you know, swing a trip to Hawaii. That didn't happen.
But, uh, they've done some amazing work together, and we're so very, very proud of them, and I always take credit for that one, even though I shouldn't, Brian gets all the credit for that.
Okay, next slide.
Jane Korsten: And I think, you know, Joan, I think…
to highlight the work plans and see how different… differently
Um, the needs are addressed in each work plan, and it's not like there's a cookie cutter and you have to be doing this or doing that.
That they really identified sometimes a local, um,
their district, their county, their state, their LEA,
Um, it's been interesting to see what the need is in each of those, and how they've developed their plan.
According to that, there really haven't been any that came out exactly alike.
Even when sometimes it looks, going into it like they had similar goals.
And I think that's pretty fun.
Joan Breslin Larson: Absolutely.
One of the things that we have found that has been incredibly
Um, reinforcing to us is when we get together sort of as a gathering of fellows,
Um, during the ATIA conference, and sometimes during the Closing the Gap conference,
CSUN, other conferences. We try to get folks together just to have some face time with each other.
And what we are finding is that we have cross-fellowship team
ongoing relationships, so a mentee…
Um, from year one might start working on a project with a mentee from year 3.
Because they find that they have some similarities in their needs,
But they've had different approaches, so how can we combine these different approaches to come up with a more cohesive plan moving forward?
Um, one of our teams that we'll talk about in a minute, um, the, the mentee is currently finishing up her dissertation.
Uh, for her doctorate. And she, uh, gives a lot of credit to the skills and knowledge she gained as a mentee.
in supporting her achievement in this, and so we're very, very proud of all of the things that these folks are able to do.
Uh, this is our last team from 2425. Stacy.
Uh, is another example, or Lindsey, excuse me, is another example of someone who applied more than once. The first time she applied, she was not accepted.
Second time she applied, we said, wow, this looks terrific. Um, she had really tightened up her application.
One of the things that was unique about her application
Is she actually works with a Year 1 mentee.
Um, and so they were able to combine some of the components of their work plans and build a more consistent approach that, uh,
It meets a broader need. These two individuals, the year one and year three mentees,
support 11 different school districts, and I told them originally that that was far too big a task, that they shouldn't… wouldn't be able to do it, and of course, they've exceeded all of our expectations and have done all of that and more.
And they are building just an amazing, um…
cross-district leadership team with 25 representatives across those 11 districts, folks are anxious and hungry.
For information about assistive technology, so we're very pleased about that.
Okay, next slide, please.
These are our year 2
Teams, Darla and Candace focused a lot on
Um, building capacity, one of the things that was, uh, disappointing was Candace moved on to
Working in another position outside of a school district, but Darla continues to work with her replacement.
So, despite the fact that the original mentee is not there,
the work is still continuing.
Erin and Jamie were our teams from Germany and South Carolina.
Um, they are… they…
really rose to the challenge of figuring out how to meet and collaborate. Jamie has more energy than any two people need to have.
And, uh, she is a firecracker, and if you ask her to do something, she'll do it, and then more.
And then Dandelin and, um…
Megan, their relationship was very unique because Dana Lynn
Um, was… had some oversight for the state.
And so there was, uh…
potential of conflict, because in some ways it was viewed that she oversaw Megan's work
In her position as the state overseer,
But we were able to work it out so that we could… they… we could have them be a good fellowship team.
And we saw very, very nice outcomes from that group.
And then our first-year teams, boy, these are the ones that, uh…
We really, you know, we cut our teeth on them.
And the fact that they stuck with us while we were struggling to figure out how to do this,
is, you know, gives a lot of credit to them and to all the things they did.
I had the pleasure of working as a connector with Matt Newton and Kristen Blaine.
Matt is in Virginia, Kristen is in Michigan.
Um, they found first that they had a lot of commonalities personally, young parents with, uh, you know,
Young children struggling to get to work and make sure things happened, but in their applications,
They both use the term
I work on an island.
that they were the only people there
with responsibilities for AT.
And we thought that there might be some ways for them to connect, and they, in fact, have.
They've developed a very strong relationship, friendship, um…
And there are best example of the team that continues to work. Kristen, in fact,
Mentors Matt on issues related to
Um, some AAC kind of issues that she has better skills with. Matt continues to mentor on systems change.
Alyssa is in Florida with her mentor.
Uh, with her mentee, Susan, from Texas. I had the pleasure of working with Susan this past fall,
at the Closing the Gap conference, where she came and talked about her experience.
As a mentee, um, they also have a very strong relationship. Alyssa has pointed out to us that if you get to the work plan phase,
Even if you're not accepted as a fellow, you still have a plan that you can put into place.
You don't get the money, the $1,500 to, you know, buy tools or supports or strategies.
To implement your plan, but you already have a concise work plan that gives you goals and objectives.
Um, and that's really one of the strong points of that work plan.
And then, um, Stacy and Bethany, um, both from Ohio, they did not know each other going in.
Um, but they… they ended up developing a good working relationship. Bethany introduced the concepts of assistive technology
to her district in Ohio.
And, um, did some really nice work just to introduce gently assistive technology tools to teachers so that they became intrigued with it and really anxious to learn more and explore more.
So those are all of our teams moving… we have, uh…
The Zabala Fellowship is entirely supported by donations.
Each team, um, receives the $1,000 for the mentor, which they can spend any way they want to do.
Uh, it's just a pure stipend in recognition of the work they do.
And then the $1500 to the mentee, which they must spend in ways that move their projects forward. We do allow them to spend
a certain percentage of that to go to conferences. I think it's $500 maximum.
Um, it's entirely supported by donors, uh, either organizations or individuals. PRC Saltillo and Savas Learning.
Um, have been sponsoring teams for the last several years.
Um, 99.9% of our donations go directly to fellowship teams.
Um, the steering committee and our sponsoring organizations donate all of our work and materials.
CAST is our fiscal host, donations are tax deductible.
Um, and…
Jan McSorley: Hi, Joan, we have a question in the chat.
Joan Breslin Larson: Yes. Yes.
Jan McSorley: Do you have to be in the education industry to be a mentor?
Joan Breslin Larson: You have to have skills and knowledge regarding, um, education.
Primarily because the mentees will be in education.
So, you at least have to have an awareness of how education works.
So that when someone says, you know, this is how I'm trying to get, um, awareness of AT to all of our teachers across six school buildings, what ideas would you have?
in those cases, some… you know, for example, I have never worked directly in a school system. I've consulted with school systems, but I could be a mentor.
Um, because I know how schools work.
Hope that answered the question.
So, this year, um, we are recruiting our fifth
class of Zabala Fellows, we opened up the application window, I think on January 28th.
Um, and so, uh, next January, at the ATIA conference, we're planning on celebrating the fact that we made it to 5 years.
And that we've actually had
Um, some amazing outcomes. We are working on collecting data on outcomes from our team that we'll be able to share.
Uh, with the field, um, we know that mentoring is one of the primary strategies to support teacher retention.
Um, we conducted a study when I was at the Minnesota Department of Education,
Um, in a mentoring project that I was overseeing then, and we knew that we had a turnover rate. The teachers basically would stay in the field for 5 years, and then, you know, need to leave.
What we have found is that with good, planful mentoring,
Um, we have teachers who are staying 7, 10, or more years, um, because they have that relationship, someone who understands.
And so we're very excited about the fact that we are contributing to the future of the assistive technology and accessible educational materials field.
by having this ongoing retention and cadre of practitioners.
Um, so we're really excited about, um,
what we can… what we can do to support teachers moving forward.
So, as we look at Year 5, um, one of my friends is named Kelly Fonner. Kelly is a well-known professional development provider.
in assistive technology and accessible educational materials.
And after a presentation we did one year, she came up to me,
took me by the shoulders and shook me and said, what would Joy do with those folks that you haven't accepted as teams? What are you gonna do for them?
It's like, I'm a man!
Um, so from that, we've been discussing inside the steering committee, how do we support those not accepted?
Um, so we're looking at developing, um, libraries of resources.
Um, the teams that we've spoken with, we had a lovely roundtable of teams.
At the most recent ATIA conference last month,
And the need… they explained to us was they wanted support for multiple years.
Um, should we be reaching beyond K-12 education? Should we be looking at
Um, higher education, should we be looking at
Community Living Assistive Technology needs. We don't know. We have a lot of room to grow and expand our
Um, services based, of course, on our own capacity as steering committee,
and financial support. So we're continuing to build our airplane while we're flying.
Um, we suspect that we're going to have a bigger, better airplane each and every year.
But, um, we are looking forward to, you know, what would Joy do? I carry my WWJD bracelet around with me. What would Joy do?
Looking at ways to find more ways to support our emerging practitioners.
And I'd love to hear what questions or thoughts y'all have. You can either use the chat box, you can unmute yourself and chat,
Jillian Fortin Burtnett: Yeah. Joan, we actually have Eric, who would like to, um,
come on stage, virtually, um, unmute his mic and ask you a question.
Perfect.
Yes.
Eric Stearns: Good afternoon, and I hope you can hear me well. I have a question because of the fact that I am very deeply involved in ATS because of the fact that I was visually impaired since birth and I have basically grown up watching and participating in the evolution of assistive technologies.
Uh, so forth and so on, and that led to me, uh, not only doing quality assurance and accessibility, but also, at the same time, uh, doing also mentorship with stakeholders and stuff like that. I do have some education experience with regards to doing remediation and also, uh.
training in the higher education sector for some of the community colleges around Texas. And also I've done some remediation and training work for.
the headquarters of the Austin Independent School District. So, my question here is, is that based on those credentials, uh, would I potentially qualify as a mentor, or would I need more experience in, uh.
Uh, in the education field in order to bring my expertise to the, uh, to the table.
Joan Breslin Larson: in… excuse me… in my opinion, you'd certainly qualify to be a mentor. One of the things that we would be looking for is
an appropriate mentee match for you.
Eric Stearns: Okay.
Joan Breslin Larson: I mentioned earlier that Hillary applied 3 times before we found the right match for her, not saying she wasn't fantastic,
The first year she applied, but there wasn't the right match.
Eric Stearns: Uh-huh.
Joan Breslin Larson: Um, I would… Eric, I would, you know, if you would apply to be a mentor, I'd be looking for a mentee who is looking to enhance their skills in blind visually impaired.
Eric Stearns: Okay.
Joan Breslin Larson: Um, and so, um, we would be, you know, we might put the word out, you know, does anyone know a BDI teacher who might need some supports in some accessibility strategies?
Um, we typically don't go out and do, you know, specific recruiting for mentees, but we do have ways to say, oh geez, you know that BDI teacher? Ask her to apply.
Eric Stearns: That sounds cool. That's worth at least taking a shot for because of the fact that I just came off of Knowbility's Air 2025 project and my team won first place, by the way. Gotta brag about that a little bit. And so anyways.
Joan Breslin Larson: Bravo!
Congratulations! That's great!
Eric Stearns: So the so yeah, I'd definitely be interested in taking a shot at this and all that stuff. Um, who can I contact if I have questions regarding filling out the application and stuff?
Joan Breslin Larson: Um, that would be me.
Eric Stearns: Okay.
Joan Breslin Larson: Um, and you can reach out to me privately at joanbreslin at gmail.com.
Um, there is the Joy Zabala website.
Okay.
Um, at joy zabala.com, and they have a link to the application.
And if it's not accessible, please let me know, because we think it is.
Yeah.
Eric Stearns: Okay, I'll definitely do that. I've gotta have it as pointing out stuff like that, so anyway…
Jane Korsten: Well, and I think, Eric, you have some incredible skills that, you know, could
come into… with the right mentor or mentee.
Absolutely, the supports are there, so…
You should apply.
Eric Stearns Absolutely.
Jane Korsten: I don't want to should… I don't want to should on you, but you should.
Eric Stearns: Okay. I will definitely do that then.
You know, and…
Well, that's a good one. I'll take that one. Everything else just about is stinky. So, anyways, but I appreciate the support of that. Thank you.
Joan Breslin Larson: Yeah, and when, you know, so we'll ask in the application, the application asks some very broad questions. Why would you like to be a mentor? What, in your experience, leads you to, you know,
to be a mentor. One of the things we found was that there's a lot of folks who are using AI to generate things, so we had some fairly similar applications. So we rephrased the questions, what, in your experience?
Um, but I think that would be an instance where you would actually, you know,
Mm-hmm.
Despite the fact that we make them blind, uh, golly, that's a bad phrase,
Um, we, um…
Yeah, we take away identifying information, but I think it would help for you to actually acknowledge that you have a visual impairment.
Mm-hmm.
Because then that tells us that you have some unique skills to bring to the table in supporting us in finding the right match.
Um, neither Jane nor I typically do, um,
The selection, uh, our current process for selecting fellows to move forward,
is right now, we're typically asking members of the steering committee
and former fellows, or past year fellows, to make the choices.
And we're finding that that gives us a lot of value, because folks know what their, you know, what the expectations are. So, um, I think that's…
Mm-hmm.
I would look forward to seeing your application, but I couldn't personally say, yes, I really want him.
Because, like, I don't get… I don't get a vote.
Eric Stearns: Yeah, no, that's fair. Yeah, well, no, that's fair. I really appreciate that, the honesty in that. But yeah, I mean, not only that, I also have a lot of experience as a process engineering analyst as well. So, and I've, you know, I've been able to basically cross-functionalize, you know, the, uh.
Uh, the AT stuff, as well as, uh, you know, process engineering and stuff like that. So, you know, those… those are some of the key factors that I can, uh, uh, basically say are primaries to, you know, my bringing, you know, assets to the table.
Joan Breslin Larson: Perfect, and if you're not accepted as a mentor, we might be hitting you up to help us with the steering committee anyway.
Eric Stearns I would, uh, I would be honored to do that.
Joan Breslin Larson: Ensuring we're doing a good job.
Cool!
Eric Stearns: Yeah, I'd be honored to do that. As a matter of fact, Knowbility drafted me for their Air 2026, uh, advisory Board, so I'd be more than happy to do it.
Joan Breslin Larson: Wonderful.
Excellent. Well, thank you, Eric. We're looking forward to hearing from you.
Eric Stearns: Thank you. Likewise.
Jillian Fortin Burtnett: Thanks, Eric, and yes, um, we, we absolutely did, in fact, draft him to join us for the next season of AIR.
Um, Eric, I think, um, you have so much to give, and both organizations are lucky to have your interest.
We still have a few moments, uh, 6 more minutes until the top of the hour here.
For those of y'all who have any…
Additional questions for Joan and Jane. Um, you're welcome to drop them in the chat, or put them in the QA window,
Or, just like Eric did, uh, come off of mute and ask your question directly.
Jane Korsten: And while you're thinking about that, I want to put in another plug.
I think that when you are where the rubber meets the road, you are in the best position.
to identify needed tools and skills, and to recognize what you have to share with others. So we really want to encourage you to look at the application process
And think about in terms of what are your strengths and what are your needs. You know, what might you
want to explore and really be able to dive into with that support.
Jillian Fortin Burtnett: Awesome, thank you so much for that, Jane.
Well, I believe we don't have any additional questions.
So, on behalf of the team over at Knowbility, I want to thank you once again, Joan and Jane, for sharing
Wonderful stories of Joy, um, for sharing stories of the successful mentor and mentee matches you've seen over the years.
And I hope that
In doing so, we've inspired a lot of the folks on the line to engage with your program.
And, um, and, uh, take advantage of the…
connections and the resources that the fellowship will provide them.
Um, so thank you once again. For everyone on the line, we hope that you enjoyed today's session, and we'd love to hear your feedback.
Uh, for upcoming BADA webinars.
So, I've dropped a link in the chat to our post-event survey, but you can also visit it through our short link, which is Knowbility.org slash badasurvey.
Um, and as a reminder, Knowbility is a non-profit, and we have been able to
made the impact over the last 26 years through the support of community members just like you.
So, if you feel moved to take part in the service
That we provide our community. We'd love if you'd consider a donation at Knowbility.org slash donate.
With that, my name is Jillian with Team Knowbility, and we hope to see you again next month.
Thanks again, Joan. Thanks again, Jane, and we hope to see y'all again soon.
Joan Breslin Larson: Thanks, Jillian. This was fun.
Bye-bye.
Jillian Fortin Burtnett: Yes, likewise.