David L. Jaffe, MS
Lathrop Library Classroom 282
Tuesdays & Thursdays from 4:30 to 5:50pm PT

Tuesday, January 20th

Perspectives of Stanford Students with a Disability Lance A. Keneley, Heloise Hoffman, Sydney Elise Barta & Emily Madison Ocasio

Abstract: In this panel discussion, several Stanford students and an employee with disabilities will discuss their disabilities, the challenges they have faced, why they chose to attend Stanford, their academic and career goals, the resources Stanford provides them, and the assistive technology they employ to be successful students.

2026 Confirmed Panelists:

Lance A. Keneley Lance Keneley is a mechanical engineering coterminal student concentrating in biomechanical engineering. He played on the football team at Stanford for 4 years as well as one additional year at the University of Arizona. For his senior capstone, he worked on a team in partnership with Kyaro Assistive Technologies that designed a postural support seat for children with cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus in Tanzania. Lance is interested in continuing research in assistive technologies particularly for people with fine motor skill impairment. Outside of class, he describes himself as an adventurer. Lance values new and fun experiences that challenge his perceptions about people and the world. He also freedives, skis, and cooks. Heloise Hoffman Heloise Hoffmann is a senior in bioengineering on the pre-MD / PhD path. She is passionate about translational research for rare neuromuscular disorders, specifically focusing on FSH muscular dystrophy (FSHD), with which she is personally affected. Her current research in the Stanley Qi Lab focuses on developing a novel therapeutic approach for this condition. Heloise feels inspired by the intersection of patient advocacy and scientific progress, and she strives to use her voice to raise awareness about the experiences of patients living with FSHD and other rare (and often invisible) degenerative conditions. Outside the lab, Heloise plays guitar in the student band Denim in Distress and loves to explore the outdoors! Sydney Elise Barta Sydney Barta is a Team USA Paralympian specializing in the T64 sprints. She won gold in the 200 m at the 2023 Parapan American Games in Santiago, where she set the Games record. She is the Americas Record holder in the 200 m T64 and one of only four women with a running blade ever to break 27 seconds in the event. She most recently represented the United States at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi, earning a bronze medal in the 200 m T64. Sydney is currently training toward the next Paralympic cycle while pursuing research in biomechanics and musculoskeletal innovation. Emily Madison Ocasio Emily Ocasio is a junior studying data science. On campus, she is the ASSU’s director of disability advocacy, the executive representative for the Vaden Student Health Advisory Committee, a co-founder of the DisGo Student Advocacy Group and a consultant for SMG. Outside of school, you can find her playing with her 14 year old rabbit, eating her family’s Puerto Rican food, or making handmade merch. Emily has multiple chronic illnesses.

Lecture Material:

Slides - 2.91 Mb pdf file

Photos - 55.2 Kb pdf file

Social Model Animation- 1:27

Links:

Office of Accessible Education

Disabled at Stanford - 1982

LuMind Foundation

Stanford Pursues Accessibility but Overlooks Basic Solutions by Malia Mendez

2012 Stanford Daily article - Panel reflects on life at Stanford with a Disability

2014 Stanford Daily article - An Overlooked Minority by Aubrie Lee

Power2ACT seeks community center for students with disabilities by Edan Armas

Brickelle Bro finds her niche at Stanford by Kit Ramgopal

The fight for disability community at Stanford: Reflections and aspirations by Tilly Griffiths

‘It makes you a little proud to be a human’ about Eric Sibley

Updated 01/23/2026