Associate Professor Bridget Whearty, a medievalist and English scholar at Binghamton University, has long advocated for digital accessibility, but her commitment deepened after a sudden vision impairment caused by complications from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Experiencing partial visual loss forced her to rely on dictation software, audiobooks, and PDF-reading tools, revealing firsthand the shortcomings of current digital accessibility systems. This personal challenge reshaped her approach to teaching and research, emphasizing the importance of inclusive design in academic materials.

Now serving as a SUNY Accessibility Advocates and Allies Faculty Fellow, the first from Binghamton, Whearty works with other fellows to expand accessible practices across campuses, ensuring compliance with upcoming digital ADA requirements and promoting Universal Design for Learning. Their goal is to make course content fully usable for all students, including the more than 41,000 learners with disabilities in the SUNY system.

Her fellowship also seeks to address broader cultural and institutional barriers by fostering environments that welcome neurodivergent and disabled individuals. Whearty emphasizes that anyone may need accommodations at some point and advocates for proactive, systemic change beyond legal obligations. In her future work, she hopes to establish a digital disability hub at Binghamton to centralize resources and support a more inclusive academic community.