Advisory Board Members
Talea Anderson
Serves as a Digital Collections Librarian at Washington State University.
Brandi Becker
Mother of a teen who has a visual impairment and is committed to ensuring he has equal access, in the educational and healthcare realms, as his non-visually impaired peers. She is honored to serve with such accomplished board members.
Dr. Sonja Phillips Biggs
TVI, COMS, President and Co-Founder of Sonja Biggs Educational Services, Inc. (SBES, Inc.), Mom to Brandon Biggs, CEO, Co-Founder of XR Navigation and R&D Engineer at Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute who is a successful adult who is blind. Dr. Biggs has 32 years of experience working with children who are blind and 35 years working as a teacher.
Jeni Canaday
Parent to a Blind and Autistic son and disability justice advocate.
Katie Carlock
Mother to a blind daughter. She is a Registered Nurse and an IEP advocate for The National Federation of the Blind. As an advocate, she strives to make sure that all blind and visually impaired students receive and have access to the education they deserve.
Andrea Carlson
Devoted mother from Iowa and an advocate for children with disabilities. Her son’s diagnosis with Peters Anomaly, autism, ADHD, and anxiety has driven her commitment to raising awareness and supporting families facing similar challenges.
Christie Conley
HR professional and parent of a blind child. She combines her lived experience and professional expertise to advocate for inclusive policies and equitable opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
MarChé Daughtry ⠠⠙⠁⠥⠣⠞⠗⠽
PhD candidate in Gender Studies at Indiana University. Their research explores Black disabled and chronically ill women’s experiences with romantic relationships, complemented by their advocacy and mentoring work. ⠠⠃⠕⠜⠙⠲
Rob Harris
Colorado native and father to a blind daughter, is a certified IEP Facilitator and disability advocate. He specializes in blindness, low vision, and special education advocacy, working to ensure educational equity for children with disabilities.
Miso Kwak
PhD student in Special Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Michelle R. Nario-Redmond
Professor of Psychology and Biomedical Humanities specializing in stereotyping, prejudice, and disability studies. Her research focuses on group identification, wellness, political advocacy, and strategies for social change. Michelle is passionate about increasing access and resisting ableism in higher education and beyond.
Dr. Jennifer Pearlstein
Blind/low-vision clinical psychologist and assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis. Her work focuses on disability identity, mental health care, and fostering inclusion in academia and medicine.
Rusty Perez
Blind since birth, Rusty Perez has been a high school and college English teacher, Spanish language interpreter, and professional singer/songwriter and composer. He lives his life with grace and courage finding ways to do the things he enjoys without sight.
Melissa Riccobono
Serves as an advisory board member.
Dr. L. Penny Rosenblum
Owner of Vision for Independence LLC and a Research Professor Emerita at the University of Arizona. Born with congenital low vision, she brings personal and professional expertise in disability advocacy, research, and education.
Angela Shuback
Senior Science Programs Associate at the American Psychological Association. She is passionate about advancing accessibility and inclusion in STEM fields and psychological science, informed by her experiences as a visually impaired woman.
Sharona Silverman
MPH, is a parent of a blind adult, Arielle Silverman. Arielle has Leber's congenital amaurosis and is a social psychologist, presently working as the Director of Research for the American Foundation for the Blind. Their professional work has been in health education and promotion toward the healing of mind, body, and spirit.
Tiffany Taylor
Blind queer advocate passionate about promoting accessibility and inclusion for multi-marginalized people. She leads trainings on ableism and best practices for accessibility while serving as a role model for young blind individuals and their families.
Sheri Wells-Jensen
Professor of Linguistics at Bowling Green State University. Her research interests are disability studies, xenoolinguistics, and astrobiology.