Penny Peterson, Coordinator of Disabled Student Services' High Tech Center at CSU Long Beach, passed away on June 13, 2008. Her professional life focused on providing advocacy for and adaptive technology support to students with disabilities.

Penny was a long-standing and active member of the CATS community. Since the first CATS conference in 1998, Penny presented on accessibility issues and grant-writing techniques. She also assumed leadership roles and most recently served on the CATS Executive Council. Her dedication, humor, and spirit will be greatly missed.

Community members have been sharing their memories and feelings about Penny. If you would like to add comments, please send them to the CATS Program Manager.

"Yes, sad news for us and of course, her family, friends, and co-workers. I met Penny at the CATS conference at Montery Bay. It was good to put a real person together with the helpful and knowledgeable email-er. I will miss her postings."
–Margaret Scheffelin, Sacramento State

"Penny helped me out so many times. I could call her for advice on ADA matters. She was just down the street from me. She even did a workshop at Dominguez, 2 hrs., and wouldn't let us even reimburse her for gas. We caught her on tape. She will be greatly missed."
–Roberta Ambrosino, EdD University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (formerly of CSU Dominguez Hills)

"To all who knew and cherished Penny, who shared and benefited from her passion for her work, her colleagues, and loved ones, please accept my heartfelt condolences."
–Carol Redding, San Diego State University

"Words are difficult to express the profound sense of loss that I'm feeling right now. Although I did not know Penny well, I feel her presence was always strong in the CATS community. She had been a true leader in helping all of us understand the challenges and benefits of ensuring that we address and meet the needs of students with disabilities. She will be deeply missed beyond the CATS community, for her work and her life had touched the entire CSU."
–Corey Gin, San Jose State University

"It is really difficult to wrap the mind around Penny [having passed], since she always was so full of life and energy...I remember tightening my seat belt in her little Audi Sports Coup when she drove me to the Santa Rosa airport, weaving in and out of traffic and flooring it in the open spaces in the fast lane, occasionally tossing out an attempt at reassurance to the effect that she had taken race car lessons and passed with flying colors....She was instrumental in convincing Elluminate to up their ante in the ADA compliance game especially in the closed captioning post-production piece...hopefully they will honor that commitment soon as a lasting memorial of her dedication to her beloved disabled clients."
–Randal Cummings, CSU Northridge

"Penny Peterson was one of the first CATS I met back in 2000.  I had the pleasure of working with her on a TIGERS grant for the E-TEXT initiative and appreciated her willingness to succeed when others were prepared to fail.  Penny is and always will be an inspiration to me to keep dreaming big, to expect the impossible—because it just might show up, and to just be a kind person to all whom I should meet.  I am fortunate to have been touched by Penny’s life intersecting with mine own and know that I am blessed to have another Guardian Angel on my team!  Blessed, be, Penny!"
–Jeniffer Wellington, CSU East Bay

"I will certainly miss Penny as will many more here at CSULB. She was a force and a very loyal friend. I first met her when I discovered there was a real gap in our educational technology MA curriculum concerning assistive and accessible technology. As I talked to folks in our college, the advice was unanimous…”You need to meet Penny Peterson.” Well, I contacted her and she immediately brought me “into the fold” and unselfishly mentored and supported me through the years to a level of expertise where I could comfortably collaborate and commiserate with her as a colleague and friend. She supported me in the development an accessible technology course for our students and volunteered to stay late one night last Fall to welcome the inaugural class to the High Tech Center to give them some hands-on experience and valuable advice. She didn’t leave until all of their questions were answered and then passed out her business cards so they could follow-up with her if needed. Our conversations on a personal level typically centered around our puppies, especially Max and Ricky, and we shared stories and photos regularly. (Max was such a delight for her and I am sure he is missing her so much.) Although Penny gave so much to her students, her family was never far from her mind and she spoke of them with such love and concern as well. I will miss her –her patience, her dogged determination, her dedication, her sense of humor and her kindness."
–Jennifer Lamkins, CSU Long Beach

"I'm struggling with words that don't adequately express what Penny has done for me. Her diligent and generous work on behalf of her 'kids' who came to the High Tech Center of the CSULB Disabled Students Services was nothing less than astonishing.  I will be forever grateful for the gift she gave me in the form of years of patient teaching by example and with copious tutorials. I am proud to carry on as one of the legion of Penny's disciples, incorporating accessibility into the documents and media I produce here on the Long Beach campus.

Penny's influence now includes the whole State of CA and continues to spread across the country. I'm reminded of that bumper sticker we've all seen that reads, If you can read this, thank a teacher. From now on, the unspoken addition to that slogan is If you can see this, feel this, hear this or in any way you are aware of what is writen here, in spite of some disability you might have, thank Penny Peterson."
–Walter Gajewski, CSU Long Beach