Assistive Technology Student Wins Scholarship

Congratulations to Lyndon Dunbar, a student in the Tseng College’s master of science in Assistive Technology Studies and Human Services (ATHS) program, a recipient of the new Jane Small Scholarship for Advocates for People with Disabilities.

Jennifer Kalfsbeek-Goetz, the Tseng College’s assistant dean of program development, and her husband Jack Goetz, academic lead for the Tseng College’s certificate in Mediation and Conflict Resolution, established the scholarship, which launched this spring with two awards of $1,000 each to CSUN students.

“In my future career as an assistive technology professional, I plan to work with individuals who are blind and visually impaired by ensuring accessibility and usability of mainstream and assistive technologies,” said Dunbar, a second year student in the online program, who has a passion for making technology available to visually impaired people.

Dunbar’s devotion extends beyond classroom studies and into the nonprofit world. He has volunteered with many nonprofits, including the American Foundation for the Blind, Vision Forward Association and the Louisiana Assistive Technology Access Network, helping in a variety of ways, including marketing, research, designing a guide for adults new to vision loss, and accessibility analysis.

His goals including making websites, mobile apps and other technology available to blind and visually impaired people. “As a graduate student in the ATHS program, I’ve learned about disability laws, usability and design, accessibility standards, quality of life issues, and assistive technologies that can enhance the independence of persons with disabilities,” he said.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau about 56.7 million people, or 18.7 percent of the non-institutionalized population, had a disability in 2010. According to the National Institutes of Health, that number is expected to grow because of the aging population.