Leadership and Administration

Michele Anderson

Manager: Academic Accommodations, Accessible Learning

mbanderson@wlu.ca
519.884.0710 x3538
P203, Peter’s Building, Waterloo

Area of Responsibility

I am currently the Manager of Academic Accommodations for the Waterloo campus Accessible Learning Centre within Teaching and Learning. In my current role, I provide oversight and leadership to the team of six academic accommodation consultants, and work with faculty to support the implementation of effective accommodations for students with disabilities. My role provides front line response and resolution support to any implementation issues arising from the accommodation process. Prior to starting at Laurier, I held the position of Manager, Student Accommodation - AccessAbility Services [AAS] with the University of Waterloo for five years in a similar role. I am impassioned by the ability to support Laurier’s removal of barriers in education and experiential learning and am deeply committed to the principles of equity and inclusion.

Background

My graduate education, training and work experience as a Speech-Language Pathologist has given me an active understanding of the strengths and functional limitations of individuals across a broad range of disability conditions. Through experience, I understand how functional limitations of a condition intersect with an adult student’s ability to access and participate in the postsecondary environment. Work in this field has provided the opportunity to develop support plans to assisting individuals across the lifespan in private practice, hospital, community and educational settings. I hold registration with the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario; I am an Independent Authorizer of Communication Aids – Assistive Devices Program Province of Ontario and hold memberships with certification from Speech-Language and Audiology Canada and the American Speech-Language Hearing Association.

Professional Memberships

In my spare time, I have and continue to contribute to advancement of the field of Communication Disorders and Sciences through various volunteer roles at provincial, national and international levels with the following organizations:

Council for Academic Accreditation (CAA), The American Speech-Language and Hearing Association, 2000-2010: Site reviewer and past voting board member of the world’s largest accreditor of Graduate Programs in Communication Disorders and Sciences.
Council for Accreditation of Canadian University Programs in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CACUP), 2008- present: Site reviewer for university graduate programs in speech-language pathology and audiology.
Canadian Association of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology Regulators of Canada (CAASPR), 2014-2016: Subject-matter contributing consultant.
College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario (CASLPO), 2012-present: Subject-matter contributing consultant.

Katlyn Guzar

Supervisor, Academic Accommodations, Accessible Learning

kguzar@wlu.ca
519.756.8558 x5737
OM 207-24, One Market, Brantford

Area of Responsibility

Part of my role is to act as an accommodation consultant for a caseload of students. As an accommodation consultant, I work with students with disabilities to develop their academic accommodation plan and ensure that it is carried out.

As a supervisor, I oversee the Accessible Learning Centre on the Brantford Campus. In this role, I supervise staff at the ALC providing leadership in the provision of academic accommodations. In addition, I liaise with faculty and staff to support the development of effective accommodations and to consult on disability issues and complex student cases.

Background

I began at Laurier in September 2019 in the role of Supervisor, Academic Accommodations. Previously I worked at Redeemer University College as a Learning Strategist and Director, Institutional Research. My educational backgroud includes: Bachelor of Science (biomedical biology), Bacholor of Education (junior/intermediate/senior qualifications), Master of Education (administration and leadership), Certificate in Learning Disabilities Studies. I'm certified with the Ontario College of Teachers and in Mental Health First Aid.

Publications

Hands, Catherine; Guzar, Katlyn; Rodrigue, Anne. "The Art and Science of Leadership in Learning Environments: Facilitating a Professional Learning Community across Districts." Alberta Journal of Educational Research. (2015)

Davis (Guzar), Katlyn. "Education for Sustainable Development in the Elementary Classroom." Elements Online. (2012)

Davis (Guzar), Katlyn; Armstrong, Denise. "Engaging difference and racial equity: What school leaders need to know and do." Teaching and Learning. (2012)

Justine MacNeil

Administration and Reception, Accessible Learning

accessible_learning@wlu.ca
519.884.0710 x3086
P220, Peters Building, Waterloo

Area of Responsibility

My main responsibility is to provide initial support for students, faculty and staff who are coming to the Accessible Learning Centre. This involves initiating the intake process with new students, managing the Accessible Learning Online system, responding to requests and questions, and providing support to the managers, academic consultants, learning strategies and technologists within the ALC.

Background

I completed my Bachelor of Science in 2013 (Cape Breton University), and Bachelor of Education (Laurier) in 2014. Immediately after graduating, I was hired by the Faculty of Education to coordinate their enrichment programming (LEAP and LAUNCH) while also teaching within the WRDSB. As much as I enjoyed teaching, I recognized that I enjoyed working at Laurier more, and made a career-change to begin working full time at the university in 2018.

During my time at Laurier, I have worked with three different faculties, and six different departments! These varied roles have given me access to resources, connections and much needed perspective into the multitude of processes at the university-level. I am happy to be back in a student-focused role, and hope to be of assistance to you if you connect with us at the ALC!