as of Friday, November 1, 2002


Ellen Perlow - Professional Biographical Narrative

November 2002

Ellen Perlow
E-Mail: eperlow@hotmail.com Web: http://www.a4access.org/
Manager of Information Services
Texas Woman's University's School of Library and Information Studies
This document is available in alternative formats upon request.
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URL: http://www.a4access.org/epbio2002.html


Ellen Perlow - Biographical Information

Ellen Perlow is Manager of Information Services at Texas Woman's University's School of Library and Information Studies. She received her BA in Elementary Education from the University of Michigan, Master's degrees, including an MS in Information Science, the MLS, and an MS in Educational Technology, at Long Island University, and a law degree from Touro College on Long Island. Ellen is a graduate of the California State University at Northridge [CSUN] Assistive Technology Applications Certificate Program (September 2000), and CSUN Advanced Symposium Series in Assistive Technology (August 13-17, 2001, Philadelphia: components on vision differences, Section 508 Accessibility Standards, and Computer Access; June 200: components on Section 508 and alternative and augmentative communication). She also has completed the [highly recommended] beginning and advanced online EASI courses (http://easi.cc/) in accessible web design, e-learning, and Train the Trainer (December 2000, May 2001, October 2001, March 2002), as part of the University of Southern Maine /EASI Certificate in Accessible Information Technology.

In July 2002, Ellen began doctoral studies in the Department of Health Studies at Texas Woman's University. Her goal is to be a catalyst for the incorporation of accessibility training, awareness, and practice into the core curriculum of of health studies education.

In the Spring 2002, Ellen taught as an adjunct instructor for the graduate level Internet course for majors as yet to be library science majors at Texas Woman's University.

Prior to coming to Texas Woman's in September 1996, Ellen was an academic librarian in Israel, and for nearly a decade, a bibliographic instruction, cataloging, and public services librarian at the C.W. Post Campus Library of Long Island University.

Ellen was responsible for locating the original anonymous annual donor to the American Library Association's ASCLA Division Century Scholarship. The purpose of this diversity initiative, part of the American Library Association's [ALA's] Scholarship Program, is to recruit people who do things differently or people with differabilities into library and information science [LIS] programs and into the LIS profession. Ellen is chair of the ASCLA Century Scholarship Committee. Her advocacy was instrumental in the establishment of both the ALA ASCLA Century Scholarship (founded June 27, 1999), and the matching Texas Century Scholarship, founded in February 2001 by the Texas Library Association. She hopes that other library and information science [LIS] organizations will follow Texas Library Association's lead.

Ellen's motto is A for Accessibility: Positive Wins Every Time.

Have you recruited applicants for the ALA ASCLA and Texas Century Scholarships today? Next application deadline for the ALA ASCLA Century Scholarship: March 1, 2003. Please see: http://www.ala.org/ascla/centuryscholarship.html.

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Professional Affiliations

Ellen is very active in professional associations, in particular, the American Library Association [ALA], in particular its ASCLA Division, the Texas Library Association [TLA], the Association for Library and Information Science Education [ALISE], and AHEAD in Texas. She is the past chair of the ASCLA Division Library Services to People with Physical or Visual Differences Forum, and current member and Library and Information Technology Association [LITA] Division liaison to ASCLA's ADA Assembly. She was a member of the ADA Assembly committee that wrote the American Library Association's Accessibility Policy. She is the ASCLA liaison to the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee.

Ellen also served on the ALA Core Competencies Task Force and was the ASCLA Library Services to Special Populations Section representative to the Second Congress on Professional Education.

Ellen is a graduate of the Texas Library Association [TLA] TALL Texans Leadership Development Institute at which she set forth her goals to bring accessibility and assistive technology awareness to the national and Texas library and information science community. She also serves on TLA's Diversity Committee and served on the the TLA 2002-Dallas Conference Program Committee.

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Accessibility, Assistive Technology, Universal Design, the Universal Diversity of Doing Things Differently or Differability, and the Power of Positive Language

Since 1999, Ellen has been focusing on learning about accessibility, assistive technology, and universal design, and sharing with others an awareness and appreciation for the universal diversity of doing things differently (or "differability" - a word Ellen coined). Ellen began her accessibility awareness journey when she testified at an NCLIS Hearing at Gallaudet University, held on July 8, 1999. Her testimony: http://www.a4access.org/nclistestimony.html. Then in October 1999, she attended her first, mind-opening assistive technology conference, sponsored by the Assistive Technology Industry Association in Orlando, Florida. She subsequently has attended the second-January 2001 Assistive Technology Industry Association conference and, in March 2000, 2001, and 2002, the 15th, 16th, and 17th annual California State University at Northridge [CSUN] assistive technology conferences in Los Angeles. Ellen presented on the power of positive language at the CSUN March 2002 Conference. Please see: http://www.a4access.org/csun2002.html.

With the many materials she has collected at these conferences, Ellen established an Assistive Technology database with links to a myriad of sites, including those of manufacturers and distributors of assistive technology. The materials were organized to create a Demonstration Assistive Technology Lab for the Texas Woman's University School of Library and Information Studies.

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Since January 2000, Ellen has been involved in presenting programs and workshops on accessibility, assistive technology, universal design, and the universal diversity of differability or doing things differently both at Texas Woman's University and nationally and in Texas at a variety of conference programs.

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During the 2001-2002 academic year, Ellen presented or is scheduled to present at the following events:
In all of these forums, Ellen has and will be advocating for training in formal and continuing library and information science education on accessibility, assistive technology, universal design, and the universal diversity of differability.

In the Fall 2002, at the invitation of professors, Ellen has presented a number of workshops on Accessibility and Assistive Technology to University library science and health studies classes. Please see: http://www.a4access.org/accessibilityfall2002.html Blackboard online courseware for use at Texas Woman's University. During the Spring 2002 semester she served as an Adjunct Instructor for LS 5573 The Internet course (section for students who have yet to become library and information science majors) at Texas Woman's University. In February 2002, Ellen joined the Education and Outreach Working Group of the World Wide Web Web Accessibility Initiative.

Some success stories of note stemming from advocacy by Ellen and her colleagues: both the ALA ASCLA and Texas Century Scholarship Diversity Initiatives, writing and successfully lobbying for the unanimous passage by ALA Council (January 2001) of ALA's Accessibility Policy ( http://www.ala.org/ascla/access_policy.html), and helping to persuade the Library of Congress Cataloging Policy and Support Office to choose People First language for new Library of Congress Subject Headings.

For a list of Ellen's resources and conference presentations on the Century Scholarship, please see: http://www.a4access.org/#diversityinaction

For a list of Ellen's resources and conference presentations on accessibility, assistive technology, the universal diversity of differability, and positive language, please see: http://www.a4access.org#resources.

For a list of Ellen's publications, please see: http://www.a4access.org#publications.

Among Ellen's major goals:

1) Facilitating the achievement of the American Library Association's mission of a representative workforce that reflects the communities served by all libraries and information centers, through the inclusion of people with differabilities, assistive technology laboratories, and assistive technology training as an integral part of curricula in library and information science programs for multicultural librarianship, diversity education, and technology; and

2) Facilitating nationwide and in Texas the success of the Century Scholarship Diversity Initiative, home page at http://www.ala.org/ascla/centuryscholarship.html and the companion Texas Century Scholarship and their theme: Celebrating a New Century that Celebrates Diversity. March 1, 2003= next application deadline! Recruit Century Scholarship applicants today! Please also see ALA Scholarship Program website at: http://www.ala.org/hrdr/scholarship.html.

3) The adoption of positive language to promote worldwide the celebration of all diversity, including the universal diversity of doing things differently or differability.

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This page last updated Friday, November 1, 2002, 9 am

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