The Joy Zabala Fellowship

Joy Zabala was an inspiring leader, a gifted communicator, a passionate advocate, and a beloved friend. With over 40 years dedicated to supporting equity, creating more inclusive educational environments, and access for individuals with disabilities, Joy’s SETT Framework revolutionized AT services, and her leadership fostered a stronger, more connected community of AT professionals.

The Fellowship was established in 2021 to actively honor Joy’s legacy by supporting emerging leaders who continue her work of expanding access to AT and AEM in schools and workplaces. Mentorship partners and individuals are able to apply for the fellowship each spring for the following academic year.

Donate and Support Joy’s Legacy

Joy was a remarkable and much-loved professional, advocate, mentor, and colleague. To celebrate and ensure her legacy, please make your tax-deductible gift to support the Joy Zabala Fellowship Fund today.

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Organizations and companies are also invited to sponsor the Joy Zabala Fellowship mentorship program and help foster innovation and accessibility in educational settings. Contact us to learn more about sponsorship opportunities to help the Joy Zabala Fund support the next generation of leaders.

The Fellowship

This fellowship supports emerging, early career professionals working with students with disabilities from birth through transition, who, in collaboration with a seasoned mentor, will strengthen their expertise and skills in services supporting assistive technology and/or accessible educational materials, and share what they learn with the larger community of stakeholders.

These dynamic mentorship teams will work together to build capacity in AT and AEM, with a focus on improving accessibility and educational equity for students with disabilities. The collaborative efforts of the mentors and mentees will be supported by “connectors” in the field who help guide the Fellows in spreading their innovations and solutions across educational settings.

The 2024-2025 Fellowship Teams

• Judith Nomura (Mentee), Assistive Technology Specialist, Hawaii Department of Education.
  Mentor: Dr. Brian Wojcik, Assistive Technology Partnership Supervisor, Nebraska Department of Education.
• Amy Comford (Mentee), Supervisor, OT and PT Department, Columbus City Schools.
  Mentor: Sayard Bass, Southwest Cook County Cooperative Association for Special Education.
• Amy Thompson (Mentee), Occupational Therapist, Rapid City Schools.
  Mentor: Judie Schoonover, AT Consultant, National Expert.
• Lindsey Fountain (Mentee), Speech-Language Pathologist & AT Consultant, Intermediate District.
  Mentor: Stacy Alvare, Instructional Support & Inclusion Specialist, Florida School System.

Fellowship Applications

There are two ways to apply for the Joy Zabala Fellowship:

• Apply as mentorship partners, with one mentor and one mentee.
• Apply as an individual, either seeking or willing to provide mentoring. These individual applications will be included in a mentee/mentor pool, and a match may be considered from this mentor pool.

The expected time commitment of the fellowship supported partnership is the duration of the academic year.

The application deadline for the 2024-2025 year closed in March, 2024. Subscribe to our newsletter for announcements about future application periods.

Past Fellows

2023-2024 Fellowship Teams

• Dr. Aaron Marsters (mentor), an Assistive Technology Instructional System Specialist for the Department of Defense Education Activity in Europe, and Jayme Grant (mentee), an Educational and Assistive Technology Specialist in the Beaufort County Schools in Beaufort, South Carolina.
• Darla Ashton (mentor), an Instructional Interventionist Coach in Indiana, will work with Candace Hayden (mentee), an AT Specialist in Texas.
• Dr. Danalyn Workentin (mentor), an Occupational Therapist and AT Professional in Florida, will work with Megan Stewart (mentee), a Speech Language Pathologist at a school in Florida.

Learn more about the 2023-2024 Fellowship Teams and their goals.

2022-2023 Inaugural Fellowship Teams

• Matthew Newton (mentor), a Technology Coordinator, Teacher, and AT Specialist in Virginia, will work with Kristin Blain (mentee), a Special Education Curriculum and Access Consultant in Michigan.
• Elisa Wern (mentor), an Occupational Therapist and AT Professional in Florida, will work with Susan Key (mentee), a Special Education Specialist in an Educational Service Center in Texas.
• Stacy Springer (mentor), an Occupational Therapist and AT Professional in Ohio, will work with Bethany Britt (mentee).

Read about the 2022-2023 Fellowship Teams and their goals.

Learn more about the Joy Zabala Fund

Questions about the Fellowship can be directed to joyzabalafellowshipforms@gmail.com.