DO-IT Director Wins Diversity in Technology Leadership Award
Please join us in celebrating Sheryl's receipt of this well-deserved award!
Every year, the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE) presents the Diversity in Technology Leadership Award. This year’s awardee is Sheryl Burgstahler, director of Accessible Technology Services at the University of Washington. The Diversity in Technology Leadership Award recognizes a role model who embodies NAPES’s core values to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion of underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Their mission is to "build the capacity of those in education to implement effective solutions to increase student access, educational equity, and ultimately workforce diversity.”
Those who are familiar with Sheryl and her work understand that she firmly believes individuals with disabilities–an incredibly diverse group–are too often left out of education, business, civic duty, policy-making, and community life. She has spent much of her career promoting the use of technology to address this critical issue.
As stated in the award nomination, “Dr. Burgstahler lives and breathes the idea that diversity of thought enhances communities and has profound impact on individuals, our region, and the world. She has mobilized countless people to engage technology to provide equal access to individuals with disabilities–on the University of Washington campus, at the state and local level, and on a national and international scale. Her creativity and dedication has brought people together and facilitated unimaginable projects in the field of technology and disability. This work has unlocked the potential of countless “thought leaders” from underrepresented groups that would have otherwise not had a voice at the table – primarily individuals with disabilities, but others that include English-language learners, women, racial/ethnic minorities, first generation college students, persons of low socio-economic status, and individuals that may belong to more than one underrepresented or underserved group. “
Read more about the Diversity in Technology Leadership Award, NAPE’s other awards, and past award winners on the NAPE website at napequity.org/about-us/nape-awards/.
Congratulations, Sheryl, from DO-IT staff, mentors, project partners, and students! We are very proud of your accomplishments and are honored to work alongside you to tackle some of society’s most challenging issues.