Scheduled at 9:00am in Penrose 2 on Tuesday, November 12.
#39620Speaker(s)
- Mary-Colleen Jenkins, Instruction Accessibility Specialist, University of Washington - Seattle - Seattle, WA
- Terrill Thompson, Manager, IT Accessibility Team, University of Washington
- Mary Mulvihill, Director, Digital Accessibility, University of Washington
Session Details
- Length of Session: 3-hr
- Format: Interactive/Discussion
- Expertise Level: All Levels
- Type of session: Pre-conference
Summary
The DOJ’s new ADA rules offer a unique opportunity to think creatively about long-term faculty engagement with accessibility. Expanding from a foundation in tech support and remediation, we can build an outreach ecosystem that offers variety in how we engage with faculty, teach them practical skills, and create partnerships as we work toward increasingly accessible campuses.
Abstract
In the rush to meet DOJ deadlines associated with new ADA rules on the accessibility of web content and mobile apps, we can't miss this unique opportunity to broaden and diversify faculty development efforts for the long term. In the short term we'll rely on robust technical support and documentation to remediate content as efficiently as possible. However, in the long-term, relying solely on technical support to remediate inaccessible course content is not going to be enough.
The reality is that many, if not most, faculty aren't going to seek out accessibility resources until they have a problem. This is not because they don't want to do the right thing, but because they lack awareness, accessibility skills, and time. If we want to shift away from a reliance on reactive accessibility fixes, we have to help faculty learn how to create accessible content.
Creating an outreach ecosystem is a both/and proposition. In addition to existing technical support and remediation, we build multiple types of learning opportunities. We partner with faculty, acknowledge constraints, and create flexible options. We go to the faculty rather than asking them to come to us. Learning skills and applying tools "sticks" when there's guidance and a supportive environment to try new skills, make mistakes, and ask questions.
In this interactive workshop, participants will learn about lessons learned from a year of accessibility outreach at the University of Washington and how those lessons led to an ecosystem approach for faculty engagement. There will be plenty of discussion and idea sharing, and participants will leave with new ideas and shared resources to try at their own campuses.
Agenda:
Part 1: Observations and Lessons Learned from a Year of Faculty Outreach Part 2: The Long Game: Creating "Multiple Means" for Engagement (risking trial and error) Part 3: The Path Forward: Outlining an Outreach Ecosystem
Keypoints
- The DOJ rules offer an opportunity to broaden and diversify faculty development efforts for the long term.
- Two key barriers that prevent faculty from creating accessible content are lack of time and lack of skills.
- If we want faculty to partner with us, we need an ecosystem of options for them to learn accessibility skills.
Disability Areas
All Areas
Topic Areas
Accessible Course Design, Faculty Development & Support, Teaching about Accessibility in Curriculum, Uncategorized
Speaker Bio(s)
Mary-Colleen Jenkins
Mary-Colleen Jenkins is an Instruction Accessibility Specialist on the UW-IT Accessible Technologies Team (ATS). Her area of focus is outreach and faculty development. In this role Mary-Colleen supports faculty in making their course materials, especially digital content, accessible to students with disabilities. The philosophy she shares with faculty who are working to strengthen accessibility of their courses is “Progress over Perfection.” Each step forward is an important step forward.
Terrill Thompson
Terrill Thompson is manager of the IT Accessibility Team at the University of Washington, a role in which he and his team work to promote IT accessibility by building community, developing resources, delivering lectures and workshops, conducting accessibility evaluations, and providing consultation and support to a wide variety of constituents.
Mary Mulvihill
Mary Mulvihill is the Director of Digital Accessibility / Accessible Technology Services at the University of Washington, where she oversees the DO-IT Center (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking & Technology) and IT Accessible Technologies teams. She focuses on ensuring the continued success of the DO-IT Programs and on providing an accessible digital experience for all students, faculty, staff and visitors to the UW.