David L. Jaffe, MS
Lathrop Library Classroom 282
Tuesdays & Thursdays from 4:30 to 5:50pm PT

Tuesday, January 24th

Perspectives of Stanford Students and Faculty with a Disability Ari Gabriel, Jeff Butler, Allegra Hosford Scheirer, Mary Cooper, Bhavya Shah

Abstract: In this panel discussion, several Stanford students and faculty with disabilities will discuss their disabilities, the challenges they have faced, why they chose to attend Stanford, their academic and career goals, the resources Stanford provides them, and the assistive technology they employ to be successful students and productive faculty members.

Confirmed Panelists for 2023:

Ari Gabriel Ari Gabriel is a Senior pursuing a double major in Assistive Design Engineering and Comparative Literature. In early middle school, Ari was diagnosed with hemiplegic migraines which have progressively increased in their intensity. Additionally, in first grade, they were diagnosed with severe dyslexia which makes them unable to process 3D images. Ari is an impassioned advocate for people with disabilities and sexual violence and relationship abuse survivors. Ari is a Bridge Peer counselor and also serves in ASSU as the Director of Sexual Violence Prevention. Additionally, they are a staff writer for The Stanford Daily where they have investigated and written at length about mental health care on campus.

Jeff Butler Jeff Butler is a two-time Paralympic silver medalist and entrepreneur. In 2015, he founded his first company, VIPatient Telehealth, which focused on bridging the healthcare gap for rural and underserved communities. After breaking his neck at the age of 13, he quickly found wheelchair rugby and a renewed sense of purpose. He was fortunate to represent Team USA at the 2016 and the 2020 Tokyo Rio Paralympic Games, winning a silver medal in wheelchair rugby at both. As an MBA student at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, he is exploring the intersection of accessibility and technology.

Allegra Hosford Scheirer Allegra Hosford Scheirer is a research scientist in the Earth and Planetary Sciences department at Stanford. She studies the interaction between rocks and fluids in the subsurface by constructing numerical models of sedimentary basins. She developed epilepsy 4 years ago as a result of a benign brain tumor.

Mary Cooper Mary Kate Cooper is a Senior pursuing degrees in Aerospace Engineering & Computer Science. She is a member of Pi Beta Phi, an official Stanford tour guide, and a member of the Division 1 reigning Lightweight National Champion Rowing team. As a below-the-knee amputee, life has naturally pushed Mary to think outside the box. She is the proud owner of several high-performance, light-weight carbon fiber legs and believes being an amputee has given her a unique perspective and helped shape her problem-solving skills. Most recently, Mary was part of a Zero Gravity flight to research accessible space flight solutions called Mission AstroAccess. Looking forward, she would like to be a ParaAstronaut while lowering the barrier to entry for human spaceflight.

Bhavya Shah Bhavya Ashush Shah is a Junior at Stanford studying Mathematical and Computational Science with interests in education, disability studies, and oral communication. He is an active member of Stanford's Debate Society and Ethics Bowl teams. Outside of academics, he enjoys watching Indian standup comedy, having meaningful conversations, and eating spicy food.

Lecture Material:

Slides - 941 Kb pdf file

Allegra Hosford Scheirer's Notes - 114 Kb pdf file

Allegra Hosford Scheirer's links from her Notes

Slide 2 - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Epilepsy

Slide 3 - What devices are available to assist with epilepsy?

Slide 3 - Epilepsy : Common Assistive Technologies

Links:

Disabled at Stanford - 1982

Office of Accessible Education Links:

Office of Accessible Education Video: Welcome to Stanford University

Guide to the Office of Accessible Education

Office of Accessible Education helps students with disabilities realize their full potential

Other Links:

Stanford Pursues Accessibility but Overlooks Basic Solutions by Malia Mendez

2012 Stanford Daily article - Panel reflects on life at Stanford with a Disability

2014 Stanford Daily article - An Overlooked Minority by Aubrie Lee

Power2ACT seeks community center for students with disabilities by Edan Armas

Brickelle Bro finds her niche at Stanford by Kit Ramgopal

The fight for disability community at Stanford: Reflections and aspirations by Tilly Griffiths

‘It makes you a little proud to be a human’ about Eric Sibley

Updated 01/25/2023