Dena Shumila

Note: This is not a current recent version of Dena Shumila's résumé. Contact Dena for an up-to-date résumé, or call 612-616-8449.

Highlights

Expert user of numerous mainstream computer applications, operating environments, Internet tools, and office packages.
Authority on adaptive technology, especially text to speech, refreshable braille, and optical character recognition.
Fourteen years media and public relations experience.
Veteran public speaker.
Superior facilitation skills.
Typing speed: 80 words per minute.
Proficient Grade II Literary Braille user.
Functionally bilingual.

Software Design Identified specifications for accessible HTML authoring tools, web browsers, text to speech programs, and applications that incorporate digitized sound with other blindness products.
Software Evaluations Conducted reviews of optical character recognition packages, screen readers, refreshable braille display software, Internet tools, and mainstream applications.
Hardware Evaluations Examined the usability of accessible portable notetakers and personal organizers, and other adapted serial, parallel, and SCSI devices.
Physical Accessibility Audits Recommended solutions for overcoming barriers encountered by persons with visual disabilities. Examined the accessibility of structural components such as stairways, elevators, and floor layouts.
Informational Accessibility Audits Evaluated the usability of World Wide Web sites, signage, and auditory and tactile cues.
Accommodation Assessments Matched adapted computer software and hardware to the physical and practical needs of clients with disabilities.

Film Consultations Offered insight to filmmakers who wished to convey an accurate and realistic portrayal of life without vision. Assisted with the development of plot, content, and characters.
Workshop Design Coordinated workshops aimed at disabled clients, their families, caregivers, and service providers. Topics included: descriptions and demonstrations of adaptive technology, the identification of contacts and resources, adjustment and coping, and the use of computers to access information and for creative expression.
Group Facilitation Led workshops on accessible web design, disclosing and accommodating disabilities, the social experiences of visually impaired teenagers, life skills for disabled individuals, assertiveness training and self advocacy, special academic, professional, and social services, and strategies for parents of blind children.
Computer Instructor Taught individuals and small groups in corporate, educational, recreational, and in-home settings. Trained adults and children of all ages, regardless of skill level or previous computer exposure.

Co-authored an online course module for the Special Needs Opportunity Windows project.
Co-authored two papers that were presented at the California State University Northridge (CSUN) Conference, in 1996 and 1998.
Wrote article that appeared in an American Library Association (ALA) publication, 1997.
Authored and co-authored reference materials and instructional manuals.
Designed personal and professional HyperText documents.
Assisted with the writing and preparation of funding proposals.
Contributed to the fund raising initiatives of such charitable organizations as the Canadian Lung Association, the United Way of Canada, the Committee on National Accessibility Awareness, and Guide Dogs for the Blind Incorporated.
Marketed products in conference booths on behalf of the University of Toronto and international adaptive technology developers.
Demonstrated adaptive technology software and hardware to university staff and faculty members, graduate and undergraduate classes, private and public sector organizations, and educational institutions.
Conducted interviews for television and radio stations, newspapers, and magazines.
Delivered presentations at international conferences and banquet receptions, and in classrooms and corporate boardrooms.

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, 1998, University of Winnipeg.
Recipient of numerous bursaries, scholarships, and awards of academic excellence.
Completed a Peer Counseling training program, University of Toronto Women’s Centre.

List of publications is available upon request.

Alan Cantor, President of Cantor Access Inc.
416-406-5098
acantor@cantoraccess.com

Ann Petrie, Documentary and Film
Writer/Director/Producer
416-818-8858
annpetrie@aol.com

Jutta Treviranus, Manager of the Adaptive Technology Resource Centre
416-978-5240
jutta.treviranus@utoronto.ca