The Pac Rim Scholarship Committee is proud to announce the award of twelve full scholarships for the annual Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability.
Get to know the recipients: Ashmita Singh, Dominique Anders, Gale Hann, Karla Mariana Escobar, Miranda Hooper, Nicholas Casias, Reinalyn May Ong, Sandra Yellowhorse, Sarah Kalawe, Tanesha Weid, Ton Thi Tan, and Yu-Ru Jin. Please read on to learn more about their work and contributions to this year’s conference theme: Unbreakable Threads: Communities of Resilience and Continuity.
Ashmita Singh is an anthropologist and a public health researcher dedicated to advancing community-driven solutions and improving equity in health systems. Her work spans Canada, India, and East Africa, where she has collaborated with communities and researchers to ensure that real-world experiences meaningfully shape health programs and policy. At the University of Alberta’s Rehabilitation Robotics Lab, Ashmita coordinates interdisciplinary projects focused on farmers’ mental health and telerehabilitation for equity-deserving communities. She brings a strengths-based, participatory approach to research and enjoys translating complex insights into accessible tools and designs that support community resilience. Ashmita recently completed her Master of Public Health, where she earned the University of Alberta’s Dean’s Gold Medal for her work throughout the program.
Presentations at Pac Rim 2026:
- Lived Experience as Expertise: Reframing Rural Mental Health Through Co-Creation (Poster, Inclusive Health and Movement: Innovations in Adapted Physical Activity and Community Well-Being)
- Immersive Virtual Reality for Peer Support in Spinal Cord Injury: A Qualitative Pilot Study (Talk, Inclusive Health and Movement: Innovations in Adapted Physical Activity and Community Well-Being)
Dominique Anders is a former TV Producer, Director and Writer turned Video & Marketing Strategist. She helps small businesses and entrepreneurs show up confidently on camera and turn their expertise into engaging video content. With a sharp eye for storytelling and a deep understanding of audience connection, she guides clients from concept to camera – ready with strategies that feel authentic and effortless.
Known for her “lead from behind” approach, Dom creates space for others to shine while quietly ensuring every detail — from framing to delivery — elevates the message. She’s passionate about making content creation accessible, inclusive, and impactful.
When she’s not creating content or working with clients, she’s likely at the beach with her family or diving into research on new therapies and special education to better support her daughter with a disability.
Gale Hann, MPH, CPH (they/them/Mx.) is a public health researcher and autistic disability advocate. Gale is an alumnus of the Oklahoma Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (OKLEND) program and serves as the Emerging Leader Representative of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) board. They are the co-creator of Autistic Teens Learning About Sexuality (ATLAS), a sexual health video game for autistic youth and young adults. Gale is featured in the 2025 documentary, Surviving the Spectrum, a film that explores the intersections of autism and suicidality. Gale is a PhD student in the Department of Educational Psychology, Zarrow Institute on Transition and Self-Determination at the University of Oklahoma (OU).
Presentation at Pac Rim 2026:
- Emergency Preparedness for All: Building Systems to Support Safety and Well-Being in Our Communities (Talk, Inclusive Health and Movement: Innovations in Adapted Physical Activity and Community Well-Being)
Karla Mariana Escobar is a transnational scholar, consultant, and disability advocate, raised in Mexico and currently living in San Antonio, Texas. She is convinced that labels do not define capacity; rather, they must open the opportunity to have inclusive experiences in education. As a PhD student at UT San Antonio, she researches accessibility in neurodivergent educational experiences and how cultural stigma about disability can be transformed through decolonizing critical disability approaches. She has a bilingual project, INCLURAMA, focused on transnational disability advocacy in education. Her goal is to support individuals and organizations in creating more inclusive environments.
Presentation at Pac Rim 2026:
- Opening the Conversation: The Power of Plática Methodology to Dismantle Ableism and Recognize the Neurodivergent Cultural-Capital in HigherEd (Recorded, Inclusive Higher Education at a Crossroads: 15 Years of Growth, Innovation, and the Challenges Ahead)
Miranda Hooper brings both professional expertise and personal insight to her work. In addition to her lived experience as a parent of a young adult with autism and epilepsy, Miranda holds a BA with an emphasis in Organizational Leadership and brings over 10 years of professional experience in the field of disability. She is the Community Education Coordinator at the Center for Learning and Leadership, Oklahoma’s UCEDD, and the Data Coordinator for both the UCEDD and OK LEND programs. In her roles, Miranda connects with communities across the state sharing information, building capacity, and advocating for systems that honor individual voice, choice, and dignity. Her work is grounded in a deep understanding of both the progress made and the challenges that remain for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities.
Presentations at Pac Rim 2026:
- Emergency Preparedness for All: Building Systems to Support Safety and Well-Being in Our Communities (Talk, Inclusive Health and Movement: Innovations in Adapted Physical Activity and Community Well-Being)
Dr. Nicholas Casias serves as Associate Professor and Coordinator in the Orientation and Mobility Specialist Training Program in the Division of Special Education & Counseling at Cal State LA. Dr. Casias is a certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist and holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of La Verne. His dissertation, “The Roles and Responsibilities of Paraprofessionals Who Work with Students with Visual Impairments in Public Schools,” has served as a framework for professional development for O&M practitioners in school settings and as pre-service training for university personnel preparation. He serves as the Board President of the California Association of Orientation and Mobility Specialists and is actively engaged with local, regional, and national issues in the O&M field.
Presentations at Pac Rim 2026:
- AI Technology Integration into Orientation and Mobility Instruction: Practitioner Perspectives (Talk, Inclusive Health and Movement: Innovations in Adapted Physical Activity and Community Well-Being)
- Cane Quest at the LA Zoo and Beyond (Talk, Inclusive Health and Movement: Innovations in Adapted Physical Activity and Community Well-Being)
Reinalyn May Ong is an Exceptional Needs Specialist, National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) in Special Education serving rural New Mexico, where she leads high-impact Life Skills programs and provides specialized instruction for students with diverse learning needs. As a committed educator and mentor, Rein supports fellow teachers pursuing National Board Certification and serves as a Professional Learning Facilitator with the New Mexico NBCT Network. She also contributes to statewide educational improvement as a member of the NMPED Teacher Leader Network and Advisory Committee.
Rein’s leadership has been recognized through multiple honors, including a nomination for the Golden Apple Award, one of New Mexico’s most prestigious distinctions for teaching excellence. Rein was also selected for the NBCT Ambassador’s Program, reflecting her dedication to elevating the teaching profession and supporting educator development across the state. In addition, Rein is a graduate of the Partners in Policymaking Program, where she strengthened her advocacy expertise to support individuals with disabilities and engage in policy development at the local and state levels. With a strong focus on equity, disability advocacy, and teacher development, Rein continues to advance inclusive practices and improve educational outcomes for diverse learners in New Mexico.
Sandra Yellowhorse is Kinyaa’aanii (Towering House People) born for the French of the Diné Nation (Navajo). She is a mother and auntie to powerful Kinyaa’aani people who are her life’s joy and are her greatest teachers. Sandra is a Critical Indigenous Disability Studies scholar and community-based researcher. She works across international Indigenous communities from Turtle Island to Aotearoa to advance Indigenous family and first-person narratives of love to reframe understandings of disability and autism.
As an educator, she is working to create knowledge-sharing connections for Indigenous schools to nurture Indigenous diverse learners and build the new field of ‘Indigenous Inclusive Education’. Committed to diverse forms of storytelling, Sandra upholds personal and community narratives, ancestral stories, and land-based knowledge to examine the nature of being, identity, belonging, and wellbeing for all our relations.
Presentations at Pac Rim 2026:
- Indigenous Worldbuilding and Care Work: Interventions into Disability Studies (Talk, Disability Studies in Education)
Sarah Kalawe is an educator from Hawaiʻi who is dedicated to supporting students with diverse learning needs and creating inclusive, culturally grounded learning environments. As a Filipino educator living with lupus, she has navigated personal challenges related to health, access, and representation – experiences that fuel her commitment to equity and disability awareness. Sarah’s work focuses on empowering students to build skills and confidence. She is honored to join the Pac Rim community and looks forward to learning alongside others who advocate for inclusion and justice.
Tanesha Waid, MS Ed. is the Assistant Director of Student Disability Support Services at Morgan State University where she completes intake appointments, time management sessions, assistive technology consults, and more to assist students with disabilities and create a more inclusive campus. She also participates on the board of Maryland AHEAD (Association on Higher Education and Disability) collaborating with Disability Support Professionals across the state of Maryland.
Tanesha earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Arcadia University in English. She graduated from Johns Hopkins with a Master’s Degree in Secondary Education with a concentration in Special Education. She began her career as a Special Educator for Baltimore City Public Schools where she worked for 7 years. She taught in Anne Arundel County for another 2 years before joining the team at Morgan State University. She also worked in a part-time capacity with Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business Disability Support Office. Tanesha is passionate about urban education, accessibility, and inclusion for all. She centers this in her work each day.
Presentations at Pac Rim 2026:
- Breaking Bread & Breaking Barriers: Disability, Food Justice, and Campus Collaboration (Talk, Inclusive Health and Movement: Innovations in Adapted Physical Activity and Community Well-Being)
Ton Thi Tam holds a Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Management from the Queensland University of Technology (Australia) and a Master of Arts in Teaching Vietnamese from the Hanoi National University of Education (Vietnam). With more than 25 years of experience in the education sector, she has worked as a teacher, researcher, government expert, and international development specialist. Tam is currently the Regional Education Advisor for ChildFund Australia, based in Vietnam, following her previous role as Education Specialist at ChildFund Vietnam. In her current position, she provides technical leadership for education initiatives across Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar. She brings extensive experience in research, program design, technical support, and monitoring and evaluation, and is committed to promoting equitable, inclusive, and quality learning opportunities for all children.
Presentation at Pac Rim 2026:
- Inclusive Education for Children with Disabilities in Ethnic Minority Communities in Vietnam: Evidence and lessons from ChildFund’s Program (Recorded, Disability Studies in Education)
Yu-Ru Jin , OTR/L, is a Ph.D. student at National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan. Her research employs mixed methods to explore parental empowerment within early intervention systems. At this conference, she presents the MSE-PEACE intervention, a novel model transforming Multi-Sensory Environments into collaborative spaces that actively engage both parents and children. Beyond her academic work, Yu-Ru founded En-Lumos, a community platform empowering families of children with developmental disabilities. As a recipient of the 2026 Pac Rim conference’s scholarship, she is dedicated to advancing evidence-based, family-centered care and sharing her findings on developing support systems for diverse family needs.
Presentation at Pac Rim 2026:
- Efficacy of the Family-Centered Multi-Sensory Environment Intervention on Parent’s Empowerment and Children’s Engagement (MSE-PEACE) in Children with Developmental Disabilities and Their Parents (Talk, Disability Studies in Education)
