Lunch & Learn: Building Accessibility Into Our Research

IHDD Lunch and Learn – Building Accessibility Into Our Research

Date: Thursday, October 9, 2025
Time: 8:45 AM – 2:00 PM
Location: South Campus Center Room 316, University of Washington

The event will feature presentations, a panel discussion, and opportunities for networking over coffee and lunch.

People with disabilities are often excluded from research either through specific exclusion criteria or through unintentionally inaccessible procedures. When people with disabilities cannot participate in a research study, it may affect the study’s generalizability. Building accessibility into research procedures requires attention to access in the early planning stages. In this Lunch and Learn session, we will provide an overview of accessibility in research and discuss an accessibility research toolkit designed to support researchers in using accessible research procedures. We will conclude with a panel discussion on the challenges and opportunities of using accessible research practices.

Event Agenda

• 8:45–9:00 AM – Arrival and Check-in – Coffee and pastries available
• 9:00–9:10 AM – Welcome & Introductions – Mark Harniss, PhD and Sunny Juul, MD, PhD
• 9:10–9:20 AM – Presentation: Washington State’s Diversity in Clinical Trials Initiative – Juliana Garcia, PhD and Charlie Gregor, MPH
• 9:20–10:00 AM – Presentation: “Building Accessibility Into Our Research: Why and How?” – Mark Harniss, PhD
• 10:00–10:30 AM – Networking Break
• 10:30–11:15 AM – Presentation: “C.A.R.E – Creating Accessible Research Environments: Pioneering an
  Accessibility Toolkit to Improve HIV Study Participation” – David Katz, PhD, MPH and Jakar Delacruz
• 11:15–11:30 AM – Networking Break
• 11:30–12:30 PM – Panel Discussion moderated by Julia Tang Mattson, MD,PhD and Mark Harniss, PhD:
  • • Annette Estes, PhD
    • Ben Moore
    • Carrie Heike, MD, MS
    • Jakar Delacruz
    • John Wennberg
    • Megha Santhosh, MS
• 12:30–2:00 PM – Lunch & Networking

Co-Sponsors