Soudabeh Shayesteh

Soudabeh (Sudi) Shayesteh started her career at CUNY as a counselor and Learning Disability Specialist for students with disabilities in 1998. She was appointed the director of Office of AccessABILITY at Hunter College in 2005 overseeing the daily operations of the program including, but not limited to, implementation of guidelines, policies and procedures, budgeting, staff supervision, and trainings. Sudi received her MS and Advanced Certification in School Psychology from City College with an honor’s degree in 1997, and since then has been an avid advocate for students with disabilities across the board. Her passion is working with bilingual/bicultural students with disabilities in regards to transitional services. After her graduation, Sudi worked with the Department of Education as a freelance Psycho-Educational Evaluator until 2018. Her background of over twenty years in higher education and disability services has led Sudi to various leadership positions including co-chairing the CUNY Council on Students with Disability Issues. During 2013-15 Sudi chaired a CUNY committee that researched, designed, and published an online faculty guidebook called Reasonable Accommodations to assist faculty and staff in working with students with disabilities. She served as the President of New York State Disability Service Council in Higher Education during 2016-17, and is currently a member of the NYS Disability Service Council's Executive Board and Legislative Committee. Sudi started her position as an adjunct faculty member within the Disability Studies program at the CUNY School of Professional Studies in Fall 2019.  During the Summer of 2020, Sudi developed her first ZTC (Zero Textbook Cost) course. Sudi enjoys watching good movies, doing yoga, and spending time with family and friends whenever she gets a chance.