Professional Bio

Krista’s love for helping students, technology and data is a great fit for her position as the Assistant Director, where she manages the Access Text & Technology program and Captioning program for all 3 UW campuses. She has served in higher education disability services, providing students with alternate text since 2007 with 4 years as a part-time employee at Central Washington University and as a full-time employee at the University of Washington since 2012. She is involved with the UW’s Web Council, Approaches on Accessibility interest group, Online Advising group and Husky Toastmasters. In her graduate work in Educational Technology, Krista aims to learn more about the tools, content and strategies faculty use to teach online and hybrid courses in order to train faculty how to create accessible-born courses, degrees and programs.

Story Behind My Passion

https://spark.adobe.com/video/CyEL4pOHu9i6d

Transcript of Digital Story

I work in one of the best professions — helping students with disabilities obtain accessible versions of textbooks. This means I get to work with both students and technology

I could choose to tell you HOW I landed in this profession. But today, I want to tell you WHY this work is so meaningful. It starts at a barn dance in July 1954.

My grandfather, Marlow, and grandmother, Gayla, met for the first time. Grandma thought grandpa was handsome.

She even tried to grab his attention by throwing a rusty can of water. It sort-of worked as they did became pen pals while he served a mission for the LDS Church.

With permission, Marlow wrote a very special letter with gold ink. In it, Marlow confessed his love and offered marriage. Gayla said yes.

He came home, they married and eventually had 4 children. Theirs was a typical life full of happiness and challenges.

One day, in 1988, Marlow was working in the yard, kneeled over, and it was discovered, he had a stroke.

The stroke paralyzed his dominant side and his speech and overall health were greatly affected.

I was born in 1989 and Grandpa used a wheelchair. This in no way limited him from being one of the best grandpas.

He taught himself how to paint again. He taught me how to play the card game FreeCell and how much to water the garden. He even sharpened our knives, one-handed.

Grandma feels that I never knew the “real” Marlow Freckleton. I disagree. For inside his decrepit body, existed a loving man.

Grandpa only lived for the first 14 years of my life. In many ways, Grandpa was a MORE impactful person BECAUSE of his disability.

Through him, I learned that disability is not bad; it’s just different.