Congratulations to Sonya Panagaden on receiving the 2025 Alan Shepard Employee Award!
Sonya Panangaden is the alternate format technician at TMU Libraries, where she works to ensure students and faculty with disabilities can fully access library resources and course materials.
Since joining TMU in 2009, she has transformed her role into a vital accessibility service that removes barriers to learning and research. Each semester, she oversees the creation of hundreds of accessible books, videos and course readings, enabling students across dozens of courses to engage fully with their studies.
Beyond producing accessible materials, Panangaden has helped shape inclusive library practices, providing training to staff on accessibility, contributing to accessible research guides and helping develop detailed floor maps that identify features such as lighting, sound levels, adaptive furniture and gender-inclusive washrooms.
“Throughout my career, my primary motivation has been to mitigate systemic barriers, advocate for students, and to ensure that they have the course and research materials they need in order to achieve their academic goals. I’m so honoured to receive the Alan Shepard EDI Employee Award, and hope that this award serves to highlight the amazing services and resources that TMU Libraries provides to the wider community,” said Panangaden.
Read the about all the 2025 Alan Shepard Award recipients