Cerritos College Professor Recognized For Her Dedication To People With Disabilities

Dr. Cynthia Alexander is 2016 CAPED Teacher of the Year

Cynthia Alexander and colleaguesDr. Cynthia Alexander, educational technology professor, Cerritos College, was named the 2016 Teacher of the Year by the California Association for Postsecondary Educators of the Disabled (CAPED) at the 42nd annual conference on October 9.

The Teacher of the Year Award recognizes an outstanding instructor or teacher (outside Disabled Student Programs and Services) who has made extraordinary efforts to meet the needs of learners with disabilities in the classroom through the use of innovative instructional techniques and accommodations.

Dr. Alexander has been an active advocate of online accessibility and incorporates universal design into her courses.  She was instrumental in integrating captioning and assistive technology into distance education classes. She has also played a vital role in making the College’s Open Educational Resources (OER) accessible for students with disabilities.

Statewide, Dr. Alexander is the president of the California Community College Distance Education Coordinators Organization. She also serves as the Vice President-Information for the Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources, and represents Cerritos College on the Open Course Ware Consortium.

“Since Cynthia first came to DSPS in 2007, she has advocated for DSPS students and accessibility in instruction,” said Dr. Lucinda Aborn, dean of Disabled Student Programs and Services at Cerritos College. “Her knowledge and advocacy have impacted Cerritos faculty and provided leadership to change campus culture to include accessibility in all instruction, and she has supported a great number of students with disabilities.”

In keeping with its mission to enable all students to equally access activities and programs in the campus community, Cerritos College is committed to accessibility on campus in many aspects, including web, information technology, instruction, and facilities.  The Abilities Empowered student club is also active on campus advocating for students with disabilities.

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