Scheduled at 2:00 PM in Colorado G-H on Wednesday, November 18.
#43285Speaker(s)
- Wink Harner, Assistive Technology Consultant, The Foreign Type
- Shannon Lavey, Digital Accessibility Coordinator, Jefferson County, Colorado
Session Details
- Length of Session: 2-hr
- Format: Lecture
- Expertise Level: Beginner
- Type of session: General Conference
Summary
This workshop explores adaptive technologies & accommodations in college music (performance, theory, composition) for students with a variety of disabilities. Despite increasing campus-wide percentage of students receiving accommodations, music programs lag in support; addresses barriers (awareness, access & pedagogy) and demonstrates tools—screen readers, MIDI, braille notation, adaptive instruments & assistive apps—to enable accessible learning, analysis & performance.
Abstract
This workshop examines adaptive technologies and accommodations in college music programs, including performance, applied music, theory, and composition, for students with disabilities such as learning disabilities, dyslexia in music (dysmusia), deafness or hard of hearing, blindness or low vision, and physical disabilities. While 21–25% of undergraduates receive accommodations, fewer than 7% of music students do, and supports often remain limited to extended testing time or enlarged print.
This gap stems from limited awareness of available tools, minimal prior accommodations in K–12 settings, and pedagogical barriers, including lack of instructor training and recognition of disability. As a result, many students do not request or receive effective supports.
The workshop will demonstrate how disability resource offices and faculty can evaluate and implement accessible and adaptive technologies across music learning contexts. Topics include tools for reading, writing, performing, and listening; use of screen readers, MIDI controllers, braille music software (e.g., Dancing Dots, Sao Mai, Free Dot), and eye-tracking systems; and development of accessible workflows using notation software (e.g., MuseScore, Sibelius) and digital audio workstations (DAWs).
Participants will also explore strategies for accessible music analysis and listening, including transcription tools, tempo-adjustment software, and auditory scanning apps, as well as visual sound tools for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The session concludes with approaches to designing inclusive performance assessments and integrating adaptive hardware, such as alternative controllers and switches, to support diverse physical, sensory, and cognitive needs.
Keypoints
- Evaluate & implement AT for students in music performance, composition & theory classes
- Learn how notation software allows students to produce, edit, & analyze composition & theory independently.
- Identify tools to optimize music listening & analysis; learn to create customized performance accommodations.
Disability Areas
Cognitive/Learning, Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Mobility, Vision
Topic Areas
Alternate Format, Assistive Technology, Faculty Development & Support, Teaching about Accessibility in Curriculum
Speaker Bio(s)
Wink Harner
Wink Harner. BA, ABD - Has been an active member of ATHEN for 25 years and served for nearly a decade on the ATHEN Executive Board as Member-At-Large. Wink was invited as the keynote speaker for the 2019 Texas AHEAD conference and has been a keynote speaker at AZTAP in Arizona. She is the former director of disability services at Mesa Community College in Arizona, the Adaptive Technology Specialist for the DR office at Southern Oregon University. She currently works in freelance adaptive technology consulting and provides specialized alternative text conversions in math, sciences and foreign languages. She has been a professor of multiple languages for more than 25 years having completed her doctoral studies in Spanish, Portuguese, & French. Since August 2016, Wink developed and taught the adaptive technology in higher education core course for CUNY's Masters of Science in Disability Studies Program. In 2023 she developed a course in professional development for AHEAD in adaptive technology in higher education. She has presented at adaptive technology conferences for decades. For fun, Wink plays trombone in a wind symphony and a jazz band, as well as performing as a professional storyteller with the Portland Storytellers Guild.
Shannon Lavey
Shannon Lavey is an Occupational Therapist and Assistive Technology Professional dedicated to promoting inclusion, equity, and accessibility. She currently serves as the Digital Accessibility Coordinator for Jefferson County, Colorado, a role she has held for the past two years. Prior to this, she worked at the Assistive Technology Resource Center at Colorado State University for 13 years.
Outside of work, Shannon enjoys performing music with local ensembles in Northern Colorado and exploring the outdoors with family, friends, and her pup.