Creating a Committee for Institutional Accessibility Policy Creation

Speaker(s)

• Jennifer Pedersen, Course and Program Manager for eCampus, University of Alaska Fairbanks
• Alasha Brito, Advancement Programs Manager, Kenai Peninsula College

Session Details

• Length of Session: 1-hr
• Format: Lecture
• Expertise Level: Beginner
• Type of session: General Conference

Summary

Creating a culture of accessibility started a journey for an institution-wide accessibility policy committee. We will discuss discoveries made when setting policy for KPC that lead to the idea of an overarching accessibility committee that covers 16 campuses. We will explain collaboration benefits and framework theory behind the collaboration.

Abstract

In the journey to create a culture of accessibility at Kenai Peninsula College (KPC), the KPC accessibility committee learned the importance of having clear accessibility guidelines and standardized tools. Over time, the committee encountered institutional barriers that could be addressed through the creation of an overarching University of Alaska Accessibility Policy Committee. This committee could drive increased collaboration, innovation, and empower all employees across all University of Alaska institutions to take ownership of the need to incorporate accessibility standards into daily workflow. The first step in that process was creating a committee that spanned 16 campuses with a charge to develop concise accessibility guidelines and identify ways to coordinate the selection of accessible tools that are available to all. This session will include the process that was used to identify key members and create a framework to move toward an institution wide accessibility policy.

Keypoints

1. Policy drives institutional/ campus change.
2. Clear tools and framework assist in the smooth creation of accessible education materials.
3. Having the right decision makers and stakeholders on board is key to the creation of policy.

Disability Areas

All Areas

Topic Areas

Accessible Educational Materials, Administrative/Campus Policy, Uncategorized

Speaker Bio(s)

Jennifer Pedersen

Dr. Jennifer Pedersen is an Educational Psychologist with more than 15 years in higher education. She has extensive training and experience in all aspects of face-to-face and online course design and delivery. Dr. Pedersen has a passion for student success; she specializes in helping faculty incorporate Universal Design principles when developing course material and delivering content in multiple modalities in a manner that attracts all learning styles. In her current position, Dr. Pedersen works strategically with academic departments to develop high quality, fully-online degree programs that are inclusive and accessible so that all students can achieve their educational dreams.

Alasha Brito

Alasha Brito is the Advancement Programs Manager, and co-chair of the Accessibility Committee at Kenai Peninsula College, in Soldotna Alaska. She completed undergraduate research on technology use in Indigenous Language Revitalization and is passionate about technologies role in accessible higher education. In her current position, Brito worked on the team that developed Kenai Peninsula Colleges current accessibility practices. She teaches accessibility workshops to all employees and works to maintain accessibility standards in KPC’s online presence.