Scheduled at 10:15 am in Independence on Friday, November 21.
#42262Speaker(s)
- Jim Stachowiak, Accessible Technology Strategy and Operations Lead, Northwestern University
- Emily Baker, Senior Digital Accessibility Specialist, University of Chicago
Session Details
- Length of Session: 1-hr
- Format: Lecture
- Expertise Level: All Levels
- Type of session: General Conference
Summary
As similar institutions in Chicago, Northwestern and the University of Chicago have formed a collaborative partnership to help each institution address the April 2024 Title II rules. This presentation will address how they share successful strategies for improving digital accessibility, how the partnership has made both more agile in addressing digital accessibility, and each will share data on their accessibility journeys, while laying out a roadmap to successful collaboration for others.
Abstract
The April 2024 updates to the Department of Justice digital accessibility regulations mandate that all public institutions comply with WCAG 2.1AA standards by April 2026. This has prompted universities to find swift and effective ways to ensure all their digital materials meet these standards. For many institutions, this is a daunting task that is challenging to tackle alone.
Although these updated regulations do not yet apply to private institutions such as Northwestern University and the University of Chicago, they are anticipated in the future. Both universities aim to be well-prepared when the regulations take effect. As similar institutions located in the Chicago area, Northwestern and the University of Chicago have formed a collaborative partnership to share successful strategies for improving digital accessibility on their campuses.
This presentation will explore the approaches, tools, and outcomes related to ensuring the accessibility of Canvas course sites and documents at both institutions. Both institutions will share data on their accessibility journey. The presentation will discuss how the collaboration came about, what it entails, and how it makes both institutions more agile in how they approach digital accessibility. Each institution will speak to what they've learned from the other and how they've benefited from the paths the other institution has taken. It will also highlight how their collaboration has made both more agile in how they facilitated the implementation of effective accessibility solutions. By the end of the session, the presenters will lay out a road map for others to follow to successfully collaborate in a meaningful way with another institution.
Keypoints
- Addessing digital accessibility in course sites is a big lift, collaborating can increase efficiencies for all
- Structured collaboration between institutions help both implement successful digital accessibility strategies.
- Having multiple testing grounds for digital accessibility strategies help both places find success quicker.
Disability Areas
All Areas
Topic Areas
Accessibility and Accommodation in the Current Political/Legal Environment, Accessible Course Design, Alternate Format, Faculty Development & Support, Uncategorized
Speaker Bio(s)
Jim Stachowiak
As Director of Assistive Technology and Assistant Director of AccessibleNU, Jim assists students with determining, using, and troubleshooting assistive technology (AT) solutions for reading, writing, computer access, note taking, organization, and other academic needs. He enjoys keeping up to date on the latest AT tools and figuring out how to best implement them in education settings. Jim has also played a key role in Northwestern's digital accessibility initiative, developing the digital accessibility liaisons program and helping develop Northwestern's digital accessibility policy. Prior to Northwestern, Jim was the Associate Director of the Iowa Center for Assistive Technology Education and Research (ICATER) at the University of Iowa where he taught classes on AT and worked to prepare teacher education students to work with AT in their classrooms.
Jim holds a Bachelor's of Science in Engineering degree in Industrial and Operations Engineering and a Master's of Science in Engineering degree in Biomedical Engineering, both from the University of Michigan. He is also a RESNA certified Assistive Technology Professional (ATP).
Emily Baker
Emily joined the CDA in January 2020 after 31 years at the University, 28 in IT Services. She pursued her interest in digital accessibility over time in various roles, including Manager of Computing Clusters and Classrooms, Director of Learning Environments, and Acting Director of IT Communications. In addition to the CPACC, Emily holds ATACP (Assistive Technology Applications Certificate Program) certification from CSUN (California State University, Northridge).