Engaging Faculty in a Model of Proactive Accessibility Grey Reavis, U IT Accessibility Coordinator Why? The biggest gain in IT at the university over the last ten years. Goal established in collaboration with the ITAWG.

Disability in Higher Ed

Be Proactive Most faculty encounter students with disabilities through accommodations, but accessibility focuses on proactive design

Challenge: Technical Guidelines The challenge with accessibility is that it can be detailed and technical, and just like pedagogy and any other design skills, faculty usually do not come to the role with these

Challenge: Legal Mandates Often associated with legal suits or college mandates, intimidating

Goals Increase Faculty Knowledge of Accessible Design Create Allies

Guiding Questions What motivates faculty? What do faculty really need to know? How do we assess success?

What Motivates Faculty? Working with faculty and faculty experience, survey

Student Success Student success

Introductory Lesson Introduces Disability at the University Demonstrates Common Barriers, including stigma Connects Faculty to Real Students Provides Evidence of Impact for All Students

Incentives

Certificate of Accomplishment Provides Item for CV Advancement in Teaching

What Do Faculty Need to Know?

Choose a Set of Core Topics Simple Ways to Design Accessible Content Accessible Documents Accessible Multimedia

How Do We Assess Success?

Accessibility Action Plan Analyze Current Curriculum, Areas of Revision, and High Impact Items Identify One Main Accessibility Principle to Focus on Choose 2-5 Specific Actions to Achieve Before Next Semester

Example

Conclusions Connect to faculty motivation Focus on practical design strategies Encourage manageable goals

Next Steps Continued Research on Faculty Motivations Program Evaluation Using Kirkpatrick’s Model