Scheduled at 11:30 am in Denver 1-3 on Friday, November 15.
#39783Speaker(s)
- Stephen Polacek, Director of IT Accessibility Policy & Programs, Maryland Department of Disabilities
- Kennedy Zimnik, Nonvisual Access Technology Specialist, National Federation of the Blind
Session Details
- Length of Session: 1-hr
- Format: Lecture
- Expertise Level: Beginner
- Type of session: General Conference
Summary
We hear a lot about incorporating people with disabilities into testing and development processes. Advocacy organizations are a great place to start; many are thrilled to be able to provide guidance on what works and what doesn’t for their disability. Learn how the State of Maryland partners with the National Federation of the Blind to improve accessibility through collaborative effort and how universities may adopt some of these practices.
Abstract
Governments and universities are often approached by advocacy organizations in order to address an existing problem. These tend to generate a distrustful relationship where the agency is wary of contact and the advocacy organization is frustrated. However, there is a lot of potential in a more collaborative relationship that can improve accessibility without causing contention. The Maryland Department of Disabilities Assistive Technology Program (MDTAP) has partnered with the National Federation of the Blind’s Center of Excellence in Nonvisual Accessibility (CENA) to implement new strategies in implementing accessibility. This includes the creation of new resources for learning about accessibility, offering training and support for a select cohort of higher education faculty to make classrooms accessible, and support efforts for making improvements to state initiatives to include accessibility. Some of this work includes teaching faculty about classroom accessibility and organizing events with local universities. While this particular partnership works through a grant, the model is flexible enough that other states, organizations, or universities could do something similar. The goal would be to find ways these advocacy groups could help your efforts and understand their needs as changes to policies and development or acquisition of technologies occur. By doing so, you can build trust with these populations that your organization is making the effort to be accessible and inclusive.
Keypoints
- Partnering with advocacy organizations builds trust and offers new avenues of addressing accessibility.
- Start with assisting with presentations and then move into providing new resources and collaborative projects.
- The key goal is to establish a collaborative relationship to promote accessibility.
Disability Areas
Cognitive/Learning, Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Vision
Topic Areas
Faculty Development & Support, Other, Teaching about Accessibility in Curriculum, Uncategorized
Speaker Bio(s)
Stephen Polacek
Stephen Polacek is the current Director of IT Accessibility Policies & Programs at the IT Accessibility Initiative of MDOD. He became involved in accessibility by working with a blindness skills training program in Maryland. He originally had started his career working in television and theatre with a focus on audio production; he then moved into digital communication and website management. These skills have aided him in developing accessible media by combining his education with the training provided by the blind instructors. During his time as an accessibility specialist at the MDOD, Stephen has earned his Section 508 Trusted Tester Certification and performed numerous website and software accessibility evaluations and training sessions in multiple areas of digital accessibility. He is committed to making Maryland a leading example in becoming accessible.
Kennedy Zimnik
Kennedy Zimnik has been a nonvisual access technology specialist at the National Federation of the Blind since 2019, after receiving an Information Systems degree from Towson University, and serves as the low-vision access technology expert on the Center of Excellence in Nonvisual Accessibility (CENA) team. He works with anything related to blindness and low-vision technology, from hardware like desktop magnifiers and braille displays, to software like screen readers and screen magnification. He uses screen reader and low vision accessibility skills to test a variety of public and private websites and systems against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). He also helps the CENA develop and present monthly accessibility boutiques that cover various accessibility topics ranging from creating accessible documents to accessible smart-home devices and how they can be accessibly integrated into everyday life. He also has experience in designing and creating tactile graphics, embossing braille, and PDF remediation.