ACCESSIBILITY IN THE OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH PROGRAM KATRINA LYNN STEINSULTZ, RT(R) (M) M.Adm, MPH PROGRAM DIRECTOR, RADIOLOGIC TECHNOLOGY LANSING COMMUNITY COLLEGE

OBJECTIVES Explain history of accessibility. Describe the difference between accessibility and accommodation. Describe accessibility requirements. Outline a process of creating accessibility courses. Understand how to create accessible MS Word, MS PowerPoint and PDF documents. Understand how to utilize captioning software.

PREVALENCE OF DISABILITIES The Pew Research Center estimates that approximately 12.6% of the American population consists of persons with disabilities (2017); the National Center for Education Statistics states that approximately 11% of college students are persons with disabilities (2016). Most common disability reported is a specific learning disability (35%); speech or language impairments are second most common (21%) Approximately 2% of students with disabilities have hearing or visual disabilities

PREVALENCE OF DISABILITIES Only 4% of the labor force has a reported disability 11% of individuals that are unemployed have a reported disability Of the nursing workforce, only 9% of individuals have a reported disability Dental hygienists report that only 2% of their population has a reported disability Diagnostic technologists report that only 3.7% of their population has a disability

WHY ACCESSIBILITY? Universal design More diversity in occupational fields It’s the law!

WHY ACCESSIBILITY? When an instructor (or institution) has been proactive in meeting accessibility through universal design principles, it eliminates a significant amount of stress and work for both the instructor and the disabled student. If course materials are not accessible, then the instructor has to scramble to create an accessible course for the student. This can lead to unintentional errors or omission of information. It also delays the learning process for the student.

WHY ACCESSIBILITY? Often what can happen is that by the time the course materials are accessible, students with disabilities are then compelled to have a hefty workload as they are trying to catch up with other students. Imagine if that did not have to happen. If a course is already accessible, then if the student requires further accommodations, everyone has the time and energy to create an environment that maximizes the student’s success.

SOME HISTORY 1972: Mills vs Board of Education 1975: Education For All Handicapped Children Act 1988: Technology-related Assistance Act for Individuals with Disabilities 1990: Americans with Disabilities Act/Individuals with Disabilities Act 1998: Rehabilitation Act of 1998, Section : Blind vs Target Corporation 2010: 21 ST Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act

ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS Universal Design – “means that, rather than designing for the average student, you design for potential students who have broad ranges with respect to ability, disability, age, reading level, learning style, native language, race, and ethnicity.” 9 – Promote equitable use of course materials

ACCESSIBILITY VS ACCOMODATION Definitions: – ACCESSIBILITY: creating an environment that everyone can use at the same time creating course materials that follow universal design principles that allow everyone to gain the identical information at the same time, regardless of the presence or lack of a disability status they can independently be accessed by all everyone needs to be able to access that identical information. – ACCOMODATION: reasonable adjustments for the individual needs of a student with a declared and verified disability to be able to complete specific tasks and outcomes as required by a course, program, or degree. Accommodations are often spoken of in relation to accessibility. – Not always a physical disability

WHERE TO START Make a plan/timeline—small goals will make the work less daunting – Set a date for completion – Do not underestimate the time this will take! Training – Create a checklist Within a course: – Assess your course standards – Important documents first Follow course in chronological order Or, concentrate on one area at a time – Keep two folders—one with your current course materials and another with completed, accessibility-ready materials – If multiple instructors/sections, decide how to split the work

QUALITY ASSURANCE Create a quality assurance process within the program/division/campus Recruit reviewers Training Checklist Peer reviewers review course and determine if all materials are accessible

QUALITY ASSURANCE Develop a process for continuous quality assurance – Could be within a program – Could become part of faculty review process – Random checks

CREATING ACCESSIBLE MS WORD DOCUMENTS Keep your document consistent! Utilize header functions Font type and size Use of pre-programmed bullets for lists Inserting of hyperlinks

CREATING ACCESSIBLE MS WORD DOCUMENTS Use of tables Use of graphs/charts Use of images and Alt Text command Accessibility checker

CREATING ACCESSIBLE POWERPOINTS Importance of using templates – Use of “outline” view for accessibility Reading order – Selection pan Bullets and numbering

CREATING ACCESSIBLE POWERPOINTS Use of color: rules of contrast – (Contrast Checker: Checker: Charts Alternative text Accessibility checker

CREATING ACCESSIBLE PDF DOCUMENTS Adobe Acrobat Pro Scanning—text vs image “Enhance scan” function – Correcting errors Accessibility checker

Captioning software D2L environment: Kaltura No D2L? Rev.comRev.com Uploading Review Correction of errors Tips

SUMMARY LEGAL REQUIREMENT CREATE A PLAN FIND AND USE RESOURCES Q AND A

REFERENCES 1.United States Census Bureau: Selected Social Characteristics in the United States, 2017 American Community Survey. Retrieved from on United States Census Bureau: Employment Status by Disability Status and Type American Community Survey 3-year estimates. Retrieved from: https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/searchresults.xhtml?refresh=t 3.United States Census Bureau. Disability Employment. Detailed Census Occupation by Disability Status, Sex, Race/Ethnicity, Citizen. Occupation Code: Diagnostic related technologists and technicians. Retrieved from: United States Census Bureau. Disability Employment. Detailed Census Occupation by Disability Status, Sex, Race/Ethnicity, Citizen. Occupation Code: Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aids. Retrieved from United States Census Bureau United States Census Bureau. Disability Employment. Detailed Census Occupation by Disability Status, Sex, Race/Ethnicity, Citizen. Occupation Code: Dental Hygienists. Retrieved from Disability Employment. Detailed Census Occupation by Disability Status, Sex, Race/Ethnicity, Citizen. Occupation Code: Diagnostic related technologists and technicians. Retrieved from on Characteristics and Outcomes of Undergraduates with Disabilities. U.S. Department of Education. December Retrieved from on on Students with Disabilities at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions. U.S. Department of Education; National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved from on on Burgstahler, Sheryl, Ph.D. Equal Access: Universal Design of Instruction. A Checklist for inclusive teaching. The Center for Universal Design in Education. University of Washington Retrieved from Cielo24. A Brief History of Accessibility Law in the U.S. Retrieved from https://cielo24.com/2017/03/a-brief-history-of-accessibility-law-us/