Alyssa M. Ryan (she/her) is a Ph.D. student in the College of Information at the University of Maryland. Her research is at the intersection of video games and digital accessibility exploring how video games can be made more accessible for disabled players. Part of this research explores embodiment, play, and identity formation in virtual spaces. She also studies the long term implications of artificial intelligence (A.I.) tools and technology on the disabled community. 

Outside of her academic work, she is an Associate Editor with Including Disability. She is also the Program Director of Academic Program Operations with the Artificial Intelligence Interdisciplinary Institute at Maryland (AIM) at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Personally, she is a huge gamer. She plays various types of games but the main genres in her library are first-person shooter games and massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). Alyssa also plays Magic: The Gathering (MTG) and mainly builds Gruul, Golgari, and mono-Black (🖤 rats and other vermin) decks.