The HHD Heroes Award

The Inaugural HHD Heroes Award was presented to Mike Paciello, Chief Accessibility Officer, Audio Eye; Founder, V.P., Director, Mentor, on November 8, 2024, at a luncheon event held at Castaway Restaurant in Burbank California. 

The Award was presented by Dean Mechelle Best in the presence of Department Chairs, and distinguished guests from on and off campus, including colleagues from CSUN and friends of Mike Paciello.

Mike also taught for the Assistive Technology Studies and Human Services (ATHS) Master’s Degree program (offered in conjunction with Tseng College), among his many accomplishments. Mike says he owes his career to the influences and inspiration he got from CSUN, beginning over thirty years ago with an invitation to attend the CSUN Assistive Technology Conference. 

“I want to ensure that every individual with a disability has access to the information and technology they need to increase their amazing contributions to society.” - Mike Paciello

Watch the video to hear Mike's story:

With connections to the CSUN Master of Science program in Assistive Technology Studies and Human Services (ATHS) that date back to its early days, Mike Paciello established his relationship to CSUN in the early 1990s. That was when he was invited to the CSUN Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, also known as the CSUN Conference, by then-director of the CSUN Center on Disabilities, Harry Murphy, Ed.D. Mike told us he was, “like a kid in a candy shop running all over,” as he began to realize the increased potential for some of the projects he was already working on to assist greater numbers of people with disabilities.

Right there at that first conference, he began working on an international initiative to develop standards for electronic, accessible documentation.

Throughout his career, for more than three decades, he has been a pioneer and influential figure in the accessibility industry. He wrote the first book on web accessibility and usability, Web Accessibility for People with Disabilities, and has since achieved many notable milestones. He is Chief Accessibility Officer for Audio Eye; founder of The Paciello Group (TPG) and WebABLE.Com, and co-founder of WebABLE.TV and Open Access Technologies (OAT).

Mike served as co-chair of the United States Federal Access Board’s Telecommunications and Electronic and Information Technology Advisory Committee (TEITAC). He co-founded the International Committee for Accessible Document Design (ICADD), and was recognized by President Bill Clinton for his contribution to the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). He was the recipient of the 2016 Knowbility Lifetime Achievement and the 2020 ICT Accessibility Testing Symposium Social Impact awards. Mike is active as a public speaker, mentor and contributor in the accessibility industry.

Vicky Jaque, Ph.D. (Kinesiology , and Academic Director of the CSUN ATHS MS Program, offered by HHD through Tseng College) nominated Mike for this award. In her nomination, she emphasized the ways he values, “the importance of human-centered (user-first) exposure to disabilities, which he considers critical for developing technology for those with disabilities. His emphasis remains on the user’s importance in the design and development of Assistive Technology; he often describes how the industry must value human capital in the design process. He also has emphasized the importance of designing in a way that fosters trust in those with disabilities.”

About the Award:
The CSUN Health and Human Development Heroes Award honors and recognizes a community member who has gone above and beyond in their profession, who has overcome barriers, and who has made a significant impact through extraordinary work to improve and/or save the lives of others.

Since the 1970s, the College of Health and Human Development* (HHD) at CSUN has prided itself on being one of the region’s leading educators of professionals in this field. Our footprint is large in this region, and it touches every health and human services industry from allied health care, such as nursing, physical therapy and speech-language pathology to recreation, hospitality and tourism, environmental health, apparel merchandising and interior design, nutrition and assistive technology services.

With the inception of the HHD Heroes Award, we recognize the success and accomplishments of a professional in this field and bestow this award.

While there are many heroes in the HHD professions, every other year, the College, in partnership with the HHD Dean’s Circle, will select an individual and bestow upon them a Health and Human Development Heroes Award to celebrate their achievements.  The heroes we seek are role models for our students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community. 

The Criteria:

• The candidate has a track record of excellence in their profession, contributing to society and overcoming obstacles to achieve success.
• The candidate shall exhibit a high degree of character and integrity.
• The candidate agrees to attend the award event (date to be determined) on the CSUN campus.
• The candidate can be CSUN or Non-CSUN affiliated.

About our Benefactors, Christine and Owen Smith

The HHD Heroes Award is made possible by an endowment created by the generous bequest of Christine and Owen Smith. Both were faculty at CSUN, and Christine served as a founding member of the HHD Dean’s Circle. The Smiths loved and were very dedicated to students and the development of HHD.

Since 1958, HHD students, faculty, staff, and community have worked to make life better for others. The College serves to enhance, enrich, and empower the human experience. Our alumni and partners are in professions that improve health and well-being, fitness and activity, and living environments for individuals, families, and communities.

Deirdre M. Larkin-Tingstrom, M.S., R.D., is Trustee of the Owen and Christine H. Smith Endowment.  Dee retired from CSUN in 2007, after 18 years as Lecturer and Instructional Support Staff for the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. She and her husband Edwin are supporters of CSUN in a variety of ways, including support to the Soraya and the Marilyn Magaram Center for Food Science, Nutrition and Dietetics.

A dear friend of the Smiths, Dee was a close colleague with Christine for many years. They shared a deep appreciation for care in every detail of their work, setting high standards for students to live up to. They also shared a catchy easy laughter and simpatico.

*As the College and University grew and developed, HHD was known by various titles such as the School of Fine Arts and Professional Studies; the School of Communication and Professional Studies; the School of Communication, Health and Human Services; and ultimately, the College of Health and Human Development.