Gwen Hawkins, she/her/hers
Accessibility Associate
Gwen is one of the accommodation consultants who meets with students to go through the interactive process to receive accommodations to have equal access during their time at Cortland. She works with Sue and Jeremy to problem solve accommodations in academics, housing, dining, and more. Gwen collaborates with the whole Disability Resources team to ensure the campus community is welcoming and inclusive to all disabled students.
Gwen grew up in the Binghamton, NY area and attended both SUNY Broome Community College and Binghamton University. She has a M.S. in Student Affairs Administration and a B.S. in Human Development from Binghamton University, and an Associate’s degree in Individual Studies from SUNY Broome. Through exploring her own disabled identity, she found the field of disability justice and then higher education, finding a passion to support disabled college students as a way to give back after the amazing mentors she had that supported her throughout her academics. During her time at Binghamton University, she served as an e-board member for the Disabled Student Union and a student representative for campus wide accessibility committees. As someone who was a first generation, non-traditional, transfer student who received accommodations herself, she is passionate about supporting students holistically with all intersecting identities. She identifies as disabled and neurodivergent.
Gwen is a co-author of a published article in the Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability and received the Reframing Disability Award at Binghamton University for demonstrating an exceptional commitment to reframing the disability narrative. Gwen also served as a fellow in the national leadership program with the national non-profit Disability Belongs.
During her free time, she enjoys playing video games, doing arts and crafts, reading, and spending time with her partner and two cats. While she’s working on tasks, you’ll often find her listening to video game music lo-fi, a tried-and-true strategy that got her through her academics. Gwen is an avid unicorn collector after a life-long obsession with the film The Last Unicorn.