Including Disability Journal Editorial Team

Paul T. Jaeger, PhD (he/him)

A lifelong member of the disability community, Paul has spent much of his career writing and teaching about the ways in which laws and policies shape the experiences of disabled people, as well as advocating for improvements to those laws and policies. Paul is an unshakable mentor to nontraditional students in higher education and has won multiple awards which only begin to scratch the surface of the support he offers students. Paul is also a renowned scholar in his field of Library and Information Sciences, bringing Critical Disability Studies and Accessibility to the forefront of conversations around information justice.

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Stephanie J. Cork, PhD (she/they) “notable alumni”

An intrepid and outdoorsy Canadian with an international, interdisciplinary background. Her work complements her experiences and expertise in qualitative research, public health, community-based advocacy, and years of teaching. Stephanie is a proud co-conspirator with many across the disability community.

Sara H. Olsen, PhD (she/her)

Sara Olsen grew up surrounded by people who dedicated their lives to the service of others despite the challenges or sacrifices involved. The Navy seemed a natural choice to continue the family tradition of service before self. The combination of adventure with the mission to protect personnel and property inherent in the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) community drew her in. After nine years of active duty as an EOD Officer, Sara transitioned to the Reserves, where she has risen to the rank of Captain having commanded three units, and served in multiple staffs. In her civilian life, she co-founded Crossroads Adaptive Athletic Alliance, a nonprofit designed to increase inclusive fitness for all people with disabilities. Working with people with disabilities in fitness opened Sara’s eyes to all the social and environmental barriers to participation. As a result, she pursued a Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of Maryland.

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Ron Padrón, MS (he/him)

Ron Padrón is a transplant to Maryland from the sweltering swamps of South Florida. He began working in higher education as an academic advisor serving at-risk student populations and, in his current role, centers justice, equity, diversity, inclusion (JEDI), and accessibility more broadly: from course and curriculum development to student services and shared governance. He has previously presented on advocacy in student services and diversity work in higher education, and also serves as a facilitator for social justice education programs on the UMD campus. Ron is an unwavering advocate for those with disabilities and has been a vocal supporter of disability justice and queer history in all facets of his work and life.

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Nedelina Tchangalova, MS, MLS, AHIP (she/her)

Nedelina Tchangalova is a librarian passionate about teaching students life-long searching skills. A strong advocate for open access research, she collaborates with faculty on public health-related issues. Her professional work surrounds the IDEA concepts of inclusivity, diversity, equity, and accessibility for all people with different abilities. Originally from Bulgaria, she immigrated to the United States with her family. She loves traveling, being in the parks, and walking in the woods. Nedelina uses her insight into the deep need for inclusive technology to facilitate open and accessible communication for the disability community. She artfully crafts into her work, weaving information, and disability justice together.

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Alexander Pilon (he/him)

As a video and graphic design specialist, and communications strategist, Alexander has worked on Emmy, Grammy, and Juno winning productions. He has created content, and communication plans in the fields of healthcare, education, hospitality, and the arts. Alexander is passionate about storytelling, invoking emotion, and provoking discussion. Alexander joins the Summit to further his contributions to publicize efforts of patient advocates, service workers, and increase representation for the disability community.

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Alex Peterson (she/her)

Alex Peterson (she/her) is a Speech-Language Pathologist turned software developer, aiming to create accessible web platforms and inclusive digital experiences. She received her BA in communicative sciences and disorders from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her MA in speech-language pathology from the University of Maryland, College Park. She also worked as a Graduate Assistant for UMD President’s Commission on Disability Issues while studying at UMD.

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LuanJiao (Aggie) Hu (she/her/hers)

Dr. LuanJiao Aggie Hu (she/her) is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy, Brandeis University, and the incoming Director of Research with Disability Policy Consortium. She completed her PhD in the International Education Policy program at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her first book, entitled Inclusion, Exclusion, Agency, and Advocacy: Experiences of Women With Physical Disabilities in China, With Worldwide Implications, was published in 2024. Dr. Hu also founded an international disability interest network called Disability Without Borders which gathers more than 600 scholars, graduate students, practitioners, and advocates from four continents with shared interests in disability inclusion in China.

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Petra Anders (she/her)

Dr. Petra Anders is a research assistant at the University of Bamberg/Germany. Since 2022, she is a member of the jury of the prestigious Grimme-Preis. She is also a founding member and an international editor of the journal “Including Disability” and acts as consultant for film and TV productions regarding the cinematic representation of disability. As a disabled academic, she focuses on different aspects of the cinematic representation of disability as well as disability studies, diversity and inclusion. Her research draws on the belief that differences should not only be recognized, but accepted. In 2024, she was awarded the University of Bamberg’s Diversity Prize for excellent research and teaching.

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Amelia Gibson

Mollie Greenberg (she/her)

Mollie M. Greenberg, PhD, is a Teaching Assistant Professor of Sociology at University of Wisconsin, Superior.. She specializes in stigma, deviance, and social status allocation. Her work largely focuses on how stigmatization affects attitudes about people with physical disabilities. Her current projects center on how origin and type of disability can influence attitude formation. As someone who researches disability and identifies as physically disabled, Mollie prioritizes accessibility and inclusion in both teaching and research. She has published in Sociological Compass, Stigma and Health, and has a number of upcoming book chapters and articles.

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Shige Sakurai (they/them)

The Rev. Shige Sakurai (they/them) is a social justice advocate, religious leader, and professor.

Currently, Shige is the senior diversity affairs executive for the Unitarian Universalist Association, advancing strategies for institutional transformation and multicultural flourishing. They are also an adjunct professor for American University’s International Training and Education Program. Previously, they served as a diversity expert at the University of Maryland and a director at a national social justice nonprofit.

Shige founded International Pronouns Day, which has been celebrated in numerous countries, trended globally with a #1 hashtag, and was recognized by the U.S. Department of State and UN Women. Shige also created Pronouns.org, which has over 15 million visits and is archived by the Library of Congress. They made history as the first person in the U.S. to obtain a nonbinary X-marker driver’s license.

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Ashley Shew(she/her)

Ashley Shew (she/her) is an Associate Professor of Science, Technology, and Society at Virginia Tech. Her research areas are philosophy of technology, bioethics, animal studies, and emerging technologies. Her books include Animal Constructions and Technological Knowledge (2017) and Against Technoableism: Rethinking Who Needs Improvement (2023), as well as three co-edited volumes in philosophy of technology and a forthcoming open textbook project on Technology and Disability (co-edited with Hanna Herdegen).

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Mike Kent (he/him)

Mike Kent is a Professor and Head of the School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry at Curtin University, Western Australia. Mike’s research and writing focuses on the overlapping areas of digital and social media, disability and eLearning. His recent publications include Gaming Disability: Disability Perspectives on Contemporary Video Games (Routledge 2023), with Tama Leaver and Katie Ellis. His forthcoming book projects include The Routledge Handbook of Critical Disability Studies with Katie Ellis and Kim Cousins, and Surveillance and Social Justice: Big Data Politics, Predictions and Potentials, with Leanne McRae.

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Katie Ellis

Cy Jillian Weise (she/her)

The Cyborg Jillian Weise (she/her) is a poet, novelist, video artist and activist. Cy’s second book of poems, The Book of Goodbyes, won the 2013 James Laughlin Award from the Academy of American Poets. From 2016-2020, Cy produced a web series as Tipsy Tullivan. The pandemic interrupted and Cy paused that series. Founded Borg4Borg Productions. First video play: A Kim Deal Party. A memoir and book of poems are forthcoming from Ecco.

Claire Burdick (she/her/hers)

Claire Burdick is a Senior Research Analyst in the Department of Human and Organizational Development at Vanderbilt University. She works with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation’s National Paralysis Resource Center to evaluate their services and assist with research related to psychosocial aspects of paralysis. She is also a Master of Social Work student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and is pursuing a certificate in Veterinary Social Work. Claire researches mental health, wellness, diversity, and inclusion in veterinary education with veterinary social workers and students on the Inclusive Vet Med project. She also explores the experiences of disabled veterinary students and seeks to promote disability inclusion in veterinary education and the veterinary profession.

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Dom Kelly (he/they)

Dom Kelly is the Co-Founder, President & CEO of New Disabled South, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and New Disabled South Rising, its 501(c)(4) arm. Dom is one of a set of triplets with cerebral palsy and a lifelong disability advocate. He received a Master of Science in Nonprofit Leadership degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice. Dom is a part of the 2025 global cohort of Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity, was chosen as a 2024 Rockwood National Leading From the Inside Out Yearlong Fellow, and was one of ten winners of The J.M. Kaplan Fund’s 2023 Innovation Prize. He currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife Catie, their daughter Mahalia, and their dog Vivi.

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D’Arcee Charington Neal

P. David Howe (he/him)

P. David Howe is a Professor of medical anthropology and leads the Health and Physical Cultures for Social Justice Lab (https://uwo.ca/fhs/hpscj/) in the School of Kinesiology at Western University, Canada with research interests in disability sport and physical activity cultures. His ethnographic research focuses on unpacking the embodied socio-cultural milieu surrounding inclusive physical activity and disability sport. With reference to the culture of disability, ableism, health and disability and medical discourse surrounding the Paralympic Games, David is concerned that his research highlights ways and means of making sports and physical activity more empowering for marginalised populations. In 2023 David was honoured by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) with their Sport Science Award for his contribution to the expansion of socio-cultural knowledge in the field. David is also editor of the Routledge Book Series, Disability, Sport and Physical Activity Cultures and holds a guest professorship at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium.

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Krystal Iseminger (she/her/hers)

Krystal Iseminger (she/her/hers) is the Director of Accessibility at WSU Tech, where she enjoys advocating for access and equity across the college, supporting and training faculty and staff on accessibility best practices, and teaching Composition as an adjunct. Her commitment to promoting accessibility in education was fostered during her time as an Instructional Designer/Online Lecturer for Wichita State University and continues as she pursues her Doctorate of Education in Higher Education Leadership at Baker University. She is also passionate about her role as Director of the virtual Accessibility Summer Camp conference hosted by WSU Tech.

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