Teach Access is proud to announce a $150,000 grant from the Lavelle Fund for the Blind to support the 2027 Teach Access Fellowship Program, our year-long, train-the-trainer initiative that prepares higher education faculty to teach accessibility and inclusive technology design. The 2027 Cohort will serve faculty and academic support staff from colleges and universities across the United States and Puerto Rico.
The Fellowship Program addresses the accessible technology skills gap by equipping faculty and academic support professionals with the knowledge, tools, and practical strategies needed to integrate accessibility into courses across disciplines. Through expert-led learning, individualized mentorship, and a collaborative national network, Fellows build expertise in accessibility, disability inclusion, and inclusive technology design while helping ensure that future technology professionals enter the workforce ready to create products and experiences that are born accessible from the start.
“I’ve always been a fan of Teach Access, believing that it is one of the strongest investments one can make to ensure that accessibility is built into technology from the beginning. Technology is a great field-leveler for blind and visually impaired people, but it needs to be accessible. Teach Access works to ensure that the next generation of products and technologies are born accessible by giving educators the knowledge and tools to teach accessibility before students enter the workforce. That’s how lasting change happens.” Susan Olivo, Executive Director and CEO, Lavelle Fund for the Blind
“We’re honored to have the Lavelle Fund for the Blind as a partner in this work,” said Kate Sonka, Executive Director of Teach Access. “This investment strengthens our ability to prepare faculty across the country to teach accessibility, ensuring that tomorrow’s technology workforce is equipped to design products that work for everyone.”
The support from the Lavelle Fund for the Blind will enable Teach Access to continue building a growing community of faculty leaders who are embedding accessibility into higher education curricula and preparing students to design technologies that work for everyone. Applications for the 2027 cohort will open this fall for the January 2027 program launch. Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram to be notified when the application opens.
