About the Office
The ADA/Section 504 Coordinator provides leadership, coordination, and oversight to advance the University’s ADA/Section 504 mission, vision, and strategic priorities relating to accessibility. The office works in partnership with a broad network of University partners, offices, and programs who in turn provide direct support, resources, and outreach on ADA/Section 504 matters and initiatives.
About the Team
Bree Callahan, ADA/504 Coordinator
Contact: breec@uw.edu / adaoffice@uw.edu
Bree Callahan, M.Ed. is the ADA Coordinator for the University of Washington and provides leadership, coordination, and oversight to advance the University’s strategic priorities relating to access and accessibility. Prior to this role, she directed disability services offices for fifteen years across three universities and has worked in a variety of higher education areas: admissions, academic advising, and residential life. She has over 20 years’ experience in higher education, determining accommodations and providing consultation on ADA compliance matters of digital, physical, and program access.
Beth Somerfield, Deputy ADA Coordinator for Digital Accessibility
Contact: somebeth@uw.edu / adaoffice@uw.edu
Beth Somerfield, CPWA is the Deputy ADA Coordinator for Digital Accessibility. Throughout her career, Beth has worked to make it easier for people to connect with public services. Before joining UW, Beth was the director of digital accessibility at a human-centered design consultancy. Her work primarily supported state and local governments, helping agencies build accessibility into their digital product lifecycles from procurement, development, and design through content management. Prior to consulting, she had over 15 years of experience working in local government in user experience, accessibility, and digital content roles.
Toby Gallant, Program Operations Specialist
Contact: tjgallan@uw.edu / adaoffice@uw.edu
Toby Gallant, B.A. is a Program Operations Specialist for the Office of the ADA Coordinator supporting the development of communications and resources to amplify accessibility across the University of Washington enterprise. With over nine years of experience in disability community organizing on the West Coast and guided by the principles of Disability Justice and Universal Design, his work navigates the intricacies of legal frameworks and public institutions to bring about transformative change for disabled and d/Deaf people.
Lester Dery, Student Office Assistant
Contact: lmdery@uw.edu
Lester Dery, M.S. HCDE is the student Office Assistant for the Office of the ADA coordinator creating accessible social media graphic materials and content to support the accessibility and distribution of campus resources, events, and programs. Before UW, Lester worked with the Student Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Department in her undergrad, and she has also worked to support students. With academic needs and resources. She is currently getting her M.S. in Human Centered Design & Engineering at UW and hopes to design and create accessible technologies.