c Copyright 2011 Katherine Nichole Deibel Understanding and ...

my life. You also helped bring Susie into my life, but our friendship was strong before and I hope it will
continue to be as strong in the future.
To my Mom and Dad. You have encouraged my academic interests from day one, even when my curiosity led
to incidents that were kind of hard to explain. Thank you.
To my brother, Jason. While I have taken my own directions at times, I have always appreciated the path that
you have blazed before me. You may be the first Dr. Deibel, but you are now no longer the only one.
To Jen, Sharon, Grandma, and the rest of my family. Some of you I have known forever, while some of you
have come into my life only recently. Regardless, thank you the ongoing encouragement over the years.
To my therapist, Bryant Vehrs. Our sessions have been about more than my mental health and improving my
quality of life. You have been a guide and friend for me throughout graduate school, and this dissertation
would truly have never been completed without your support. Thank you.
To Tim Wright and Sarah Read. We have collaborated on multidisciplinary research, discussed politics and
philosophies, and shared more than a few pitchers of beer and plates of nachos. You have been two of my
closest colleagues and closest friends in the last few years, and I look forward to the day that the beer and
nachos are a toast for all of us having finished our PhD work.
To Kraig M. I will never forget my time working as your tutor at Literacy Source. I know you had struggled
in school and felt stuck in learning, which is why I worked hard at finding and showing you your learning
strengths. From that first moment you gained traction, you began moving forward and never stopped. Your
drive and passion for learning will always remind me of why I teach.
To the SIGCSE community. I first joined this community as an uncertain graduate student, but I soon found
so many willing to reach out and connect with me. The conversations, advice, friendships, and fun helped
shape my development as a researcher and educator. There are too many of you to list here, but do know
that I thank you and will honor the help you gave me by repeating the kindness to others as a member of
the SIGCSE community.
To Dan Comden, Dyane Haynes, Dennis Lang, Michael Richardson, Jessie Shulman, Charity Ranger, and the
other members of the UW disability community. As faculty, staff, or students, you were all involved in my
ongoing learning about the social aspects of disability and disability advocacy. The broad, nuanced view
of disability in dissertation is thanks to the great conversations we have shared over the years. Thank you.
To Anna Cavender, Shaun Kane, Kristen Shinohara, Jeff Bigham, Susumu Harada, and the other graduate
students who did or are doing assistive technology work. In the last several years, I have seen a large and
active assistive technology research group come into being at the university. Thank you for the community
and the conversations. Continue doing the great work both at UW and wherever you go in life.
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