A11y in Sci

Making technology-mediated science learning more accessible

Team

Dr. Natalie L. Shaheen

A close up of Dr. Shaheen, a masculine presenting white woman, in the woods. Shaheen is wearing a floral-print collared shirt and her long white cane rests on her shoulder.

Principal Investigator

Dr. Natalie L. Shaheen is the principal investigator of A11y in Sci and an associate professor at Illinois State University, jointly appointed in the Department of Special Education and the School of Teaching and Learning.

Dr. Mutiara
Syifa

Headshot of Mutiara Syifa, a Southeast Asian woman wearing a maroon hijab and a brown check blazer.

Postdoctoral Scholar

Dr. Mutiara Syifa specializes in science education for blind and low-vision students. Dr. Syifa’s research centers on how socio-scientific issues impact students’ reasoning, teachers’ noticing, and teachers’ development of born-accessible science learning.

Niki White

headshot of Niki White

Creative Writing Consultant

Blind since birth, Niki White holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Texas at El Paso. Niki is a published author and often serves as a creative writing consultant to elevate others’ personal and professional work.

Matthew Hagaman

A close up of Matthew standing in front of a brick wall and wearing a tie with diagonal patterns in grey.

Web
Developer

Matthew Hagaman is an educator and web developer. Matthew creates interactive STEAM curricula, with an aim to make materials accessible to all. His research investigates forms of literacy in society, especially AI literacy.

Undergraduate Research Assistants

  • Abby Neenan

Join the Team

Dr. Natalie L. Shaheen is recruiting a doctoral student for the 2026-2027 academic year. The student will work on the A11y in Sciproject, conducting research and creating professional development for teachers. As part of Shaheen’s Lab, the student can pursue an Ed.D in either special education or teaching and learning at Illinois State University. 

The opening begins fall of 2026 and concludes spring of 2029. This 3 year graduate research assistantship includes full tuition remission and monthly stipends all year (12 months).

Prospective students should email Dr. Shaheen (nlshahe@ilstu.edu) before January 4, 2026 to discuss their research interests and potential projects.

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A11y in Sci is available under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. 2334693.
Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.