Lessons Learned on the Journey Through a Website Accessibility Audit

Rosa Calabrese

Senior Manager, Digital Design, WCET

303-541-0219rcalabrese@wiche.edu

Rosa Calabrese has been with WCET since 2014. As the senior manager of digital design, she is responsible for creating and managing WCET’s web and graphic design. She is additionally responsible for maintaining the web accessibility and user experience of the WCET website. Before coming to WCET, she worked as a program assistant at the Danish Institute for Study Abroad in Copenhagen. She received an MS in Technology, Cybersecurity, and Policy from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023, and received a BA in Electronic Media Arts Design and Sociology from the University of Denver in 2013. She lives in Boulder, Colorado and has a cat named Nora. Outside of work, she enjoys volunteering at the local animal shelter, biking, cooking, running, and reading.

John Northup

Director of Evaluations, WebAIM, Institute for Disability Research, Policy and Practice, Utah State University

John Northup has worked in web development since 2000, in roles including design, coding, usability, and accessibility. He thrives on the challenge of facilitating delightful, engaging experiences for aural and visual users alike. He holds a master’s in information science from the University of Michigan School of Information, an undergraduate degree in mass communications from Goddard College, and a CPACC certification from the International Association of Accessibility Professionals.

Russ Poulin

Executive Director, WCET & Vice President for Technology-Enhanced Education, WICHE

303-541-0305rpoulin@wiche.edu

LinkedIn Profile

Russ Poulin is the executive director for WCET. He directs the team’s work in supporting the efforts of postsecondary institutions from all 50 states with a focus on the policy and practice of digital learning. He is a highly sought-after expert and leader regarding policy issues for distance education and on-campus uses of educational technologies. As WICHE vice president for technology-enhanced education, he advises on policy and projects for the regional higher education compact. Russ’s commitment to the field is continually noted, and he was honored to have represented the distance education community on federal negotiated rulemaking committees and subcommittees. Russ has received recognition from the Online Learning Consortium (OLC), the Presidents’ Forum, Excelsior College, and the National University Technology Network (NUTN) for his contributions to postsecondary digital education and educational policy.

Russ received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado Denver and holds a master’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado. For no discernible reason, Russ also writes movie reviews for WCET members. As a movie enthusiast, Russ is most fascinated with characters and plots that surprise him. In addition, Russ is a recovering trivia guy who is also partial to cats and to his wife, Laurie.

Marianne Colgrove

Deputy CIO, Information Technology, Reed College

Marianne has held a number of positions at Reed College and has contributed to a wide variety of IT activities, including academic initiatives to foster quantitative skills and support undergraduate research, IT policy, security and compliance, finance and procurement, strategic planning, web support services. In her role as co-chair of NWHeat, Marianne helps lead a collaboration between the Orbis Cascade Alliance of academic libraries and the Northwest Academic Computing Consortium to advance their common goal of ensuring that services, systems, and curricular and scholarly resources are accessible to users.