When the Digital Accessibility Collaborative at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln launched its inaugural Accessibility Ambassadors Program in 2025, the goal was straightforward: Build awareness, improve the accessibility of digital content, support peers and help prepare the university for federal accessibility requirements.
At its core, digital accessibility is about inclusion. It means creating materials and experiences that work for everyone, and the first group of Accessibility Ambassadors embraced that challenge.
Fourteen faculty and staff from colleges, departments and student support units became Accessibility Ambassadors, serving as local guides for colleagues navigating the increasingly important world of digital accessibility. One year later, that vision continues to take root across the university.
The Accessibility Ambassadors team helped improve accessibility scores and build communities committed to making digital materials, resources and technologies more accessible within their units.
That ripple effect is an important part of the program. Ambassadors do not need to be accessibility experts. Instead, they build their own knowledge, connect colleagues with support and resources, and help accessibility practices spread within their units. As ambassador Pedro Aguero described it, faculty and staff can serve as “nodes that connect others to resources,” helping build a stronger and more sustainable culture of accessibility across the university.
The program was led by Amy Ort and Krista Croghan of the Center for Transformative Teaching and Remy Sydik of the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance. Together, they supported ambassadors representing several academic and support units.
The inaugural cohort included:
Faculty
- Pedro Aguero, assistant professor of practice, management;
- Emily Cerny, assistant professor, interior design;
- Nicholas Husbye, associate professor, teaching, learning and teacher education;
- Dawn Kopacz, associate professor of practice, natural resources;
- Zach Norwood, assistant professor of practice, mathematics;
- Elina Ibrayeva, associate professor of practice, management;
- A. McKinzie Sutter, lecturer, agronomy and horticulture; and
- Adam Wagler, interim dean, journalism and mass communications;
Staff
- Jaci Gustafson, training and professional development specialist, Exploratory and Pre-Professional Advising Center;
- Makenna Pardee, office associate, food science and technology;
- Lynnette Sallinger, administrative coordinator, Center for Academic Success and Transition;
- Mel Sedlacek, office associate, child, youth and family studies; and
- Lizzie Vietz, marketing strategist, Student Life marketing and communication.
As accessibility questions arose throughout the year, colleagues increasingly turned to ambassadors within their own departments for help. Ambassadors conducted consultations and answered questions about Canvas, Microsoft 365, PDFs, PowerPoint and video captioning. They also connected faculty and staff with additional campus resources when specialized expertise was needed.
In many cases, those conversations translated into changes. Across participating units, ambassadors reviewed and improved course materials, websites, advising resources and training documents. Some ambassadors reported significant improvements in Ally, an accessibility tool in Canvas, across their own courses and those of their colleagues. Others helped departments improve the accessibility of their web resources.
The program also encouraged participants to think about accessibility earlier in the process. Rather than viewing accessibility as a problem to fix after materials were created, participants began incorporating accessibility into their work from the start. Ambassadors shared what they learned with colleagues, helping promote accessible practices throughout their areas of the university.
The program also sparked innovation. Ambassadors developed accessibility checklists, quick-start guides, workshops, newsletters, departmental resource repositories and discipline-specific tools tailored to unique challenges. Resources created for one department were requested by colleagues in other units, extending the program's reach beyond its original participants.
With the federal compliance timeline extended, ambassadors see an opportunity to build on the momentum established during the program's first year. The cohort recommended continuing the ambassador network as an ongoing community of practice, expanding hands-on support through instructional designer consultations, developing more discipline-specific resources and creating a centralized accessibility hub for faculty and staff.
What began as a professional development initiative has grown into a network of Cornhuskers working to make accessibility part of teaching, service and communication. Across colleges, classrooms and offices, the network is helping advance accessibility one conversation, one course and one resource at a time.
Faculty and staff interested in advancing digital accessibility within their units are invited to become Accessibility Ambassadors. Learn more by contacting Krista Croghan at kcroghan2@unl.edu.
