Expanding accessible tech across campus – why collaboration is the watchword for 2024

Presented at 9:15am in Colorado G-H on Thursday, November 9, 2023.

#38353

Speaker(s)

  • Paddy Heaton, Customer Marketing Manager, Glean
  • Scott Lomax, Senior Sales Development Representative, Glean

Session Details

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

Summary

This year, more students than ever will register with your office with a very specific set of challenges:

-More complex support needs -Increased need for mental health support -Need for study skills training

These challenges lead to increased pressure on your office. How can tech used by disability services effectively help students to tackle these issues, whether they self-advocate or not?

In this session we will discuss collaborating across campus to bring accessible tech to more students.

Abstract

Pressure. It’s the word that best defines 2023 for Disability Services. Facing a range of crises, from funding to student mental health, the community has been forced to adapt its methods. So how have services been affected by pressure? And what does the future of support look like?

This session will draw on our survey of over 150 disability support professionals across the US to bring you a blueprint for the department’s future.

With support becoming more complex, a mental health crisis in full swing, and an existing gap in support affecting students institution-wide, how are departments imagining a more equitable future? It begins with collaboration. Disability Services offices don’t work in a vacuum. For students with disabilities to be an integral part of campus life, other departments need to be involved too, and accessible tech needs to be part of the fabric of campus life . As one professional puts it:

“The more inclusive the college community, the more connected and supported students will feel”

So how are inclusive college communities built? By focusing on the student experience as a whole, and working with other departments to improve the proliferation of accessible tech.

Along the way, we will discuss: - Why cross-campus collaboration on tech is on the agenda right now - How departments are closing the “support gap” - What the mental health crisis means for services - A clear plan for future-proofing support

Plus, we’ll hear from departments who are collaborating with other departments by using AT outside of disability services, and hear from students about their experience using Glean.

Keypoints

  1. The main pressures facing disability services departments in 2023
  2. How collaborating on campus and using AT beyond disability services can benefit all students
  3. A new blueprint for a more collaborative office, based on feedback from over 150 professionals

Disability Areas

Cognitive/Learning, Deaf/Hard of Hearing

Topic Areas

Assistive Technology, Captioning/Transcription, Uncategorized, Universal Design for Learning

Speaker Bio(s)

Paddy Heaton

Josh has been with Glean for over two and a half years, and has a wealth of experience when it comes to supporting institutions getting the most out from their note taking tool. In his first role as Senior Customer Success Manager, he worked closely with customers offering day to day support. From training all the way through to planning strategies to help students take Glean in their stride.

Now in his current role as Site-Wide Partnership Manager, his focus is to help institutions put Glean in the hands of all students. Supporting the new majority of learners and making sure every student has the opportunity to feel confident whilst learning.

Scott Lomax