PSU - Visually Impaired Learner and Orientation & Mobility Programs

So proud of our colleague and friend, Dr. Julie Esparza Brown!

🎉 Huge congratulations to Professor Julie Esparza Brown, who has received Portland State’s highest honor for senior faculty: the 2026 Presidential Career Research Award!

A visionary leader for multilingual equity, Julie has spent over four decades ensuring that a student’s heritage language is viewed as an asset rather than a deficit. Her pioneering work at the intersection of multilingualism and disability—including the development of the PLUSS Framework—has fundamentally changed how educators support diverse learners and prevent the over-identification of students in special education.

We are so proud to celebrate her lifelong commitment to creating more inclusive classrooms!

All PSU Research Award winners will be celebrated on campus on May 8.

🔗 Learn more about Julie’s transformative research: https://www.pdx.edu/education/news/two-college-education-faculty-honored-transformative-research

Transportation Innovations- Partnerships Leading to Improvements in Wayfinding!

Join us on February 26th for the 9th annual Mobility Matters conference. This year we’re hosting a number of panels including Transportation Innovations- Partnerships leading to Improvements in Wayfinding, a panel hosted by the Port of Portland’s Walter Marchbanks, Trimet’s Michael Corrente and Sound Transit’s Kathy Maloney.

Alt Text: A black flyer. Text at the top reads "Transportation Innovations- Partnerships leading to Improvements in Wayfinding”. Below is another text block listing the names of the panelists: “Michael Corrente, Walter Marchbanks, Kathy Maloney”. Beside the text is a green frame with three photos. A black and white photo of Michael Corrente outdoors in the snow, smiling at the camera in a hoodie and beanie. A photo of Walter Marchbanks outside wearing a dark green sweater over a dress shirt. Kathy Maloney is wearing a colorful blouse and a black blazer, her dark hair is cut in a short bob. The center of the poster is a photo of someone reading a set of tactile maps, their hands on a braille key. Below the photos is text reading “9th annual Mobility Matters Summit. Charting New Paths: Self-Determination, Disability-Driven Access, and Mobility.
At the bottom of the flyer is a link to the google site and the logo for Portland State University’s Special Education department. https://sites.google.com/pdx.edu/mobility-matters-2026/home