Paul M.A. Baker Ph.D., Director of Research Center for Advanced Communications Policy (CACP)

1. Accessible Higher Education:Perspectives and Approaches prepared for the2010 Alternative Media Services Conference Paul M.A. Baker Ph.D., Director of Research Center for Advanced Communications Policy (CACP) Robert L. Todd, SrResearch Scientist, Director AEI Lab CATEA (Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access)

2. Educational/Disciplinary Perspectives“The Narrative” Introduction: who are these guys? The educational/disciplinary perspective (intro) Issues and opportunities and barriers (broadly) Specific partnerships (who to go to on Campus) Materials, best practices, technology (background) Exemplar Case (STEM Education) Summary and close

3. Setting the Context - “not my job?” The context – fast paced environment with a variety of stakeholders – teaching one of many responsibilities of faculty The Problem: competing priorities and objectives – teaching/ideas vs. learning The “Students” (aka “class”) vs. Learning One size fits all (production model) and appropriate techniques Costs, time, technology and substance

4. Issues and Opportunities Policy - ADA (1990) and Sec. 504 of Rehabilitation Act of 1973, deal with disability Students with disabilities underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) courses, majors and employment Data show that the discrepancy widens as the level of education increases

5. Approaches – Now What? So, a student walks into a class … Awareness, Documentation, and Accommodations “Suitable accommodations create equal opportunity to education […] so long as it does not require a major change in the essential element of the curriculum…” Examples include extended time on exams, interpreters, and adaptation in the manner in which the class is conducted Specific partnerships (who to go to on Campus)

6. Who to talk to ADAPTS – Disability Services Program for Students ADAPTS offers evaluation of students with disabilities, referral, adaptive technology, information on accommodations, interpreter services for students, and testing facilities http://www.adapts.gatech.edu/index.php But in practice, what can we do?

7. Issues and Opportunities Students with disabilities underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) courses, majors and employment Data show that the discrepancy widens as the level of education increases

8. NSF Division of Science Resources Statistics SOURCES: Population and U.S. workforce—U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2005; Students 6-17—U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, 2008; Undergraduate and graduate students—U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, 2008; STEM doctorate recipients, NSF/SRS, Survey of Earned Doctorates 2008, Workforce and doctoral faculty—National Science Foundation, SESTAT data system, and Survey of Doctorate Recipients, 2006.

9. The educational/disciplinary perspective There are many ways to provide accommodations. Two categories often considered: Targeted accommodations Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

10. Learning Disabilities • Emphasize all students are welcome by providing an access statement on you syllabus. • Encourage students to disclose a disability • Remain open and nonjudgmental • Provide time and space for discussing disabilities with students

11. Learning Disabilities • Tell students to be proactive • Offer support and encouragement • Recommend available resources • Focus on student learning rather than instruction • Increase flexibility and reward effort

12. Autism • Alter tasks and environments as needed • Post classroom rules, schedules and syllabus • Encourage students to stay organized • Help students with scheduling and directions

13. Autism • Be clear about alternate class locations • Break down large assignments into smaller units • Recommend tutoring when necessary • Avoid pressuring students who don’t answer questions

14. ADHD • Post course expectations • Encourage students to stay organized over the course of a semester. • Ask students to think out loud.

15. ADHD • Be understanding of mistakes. • Automate when possible, and be available to answer technology-related questions. • Establish good relationships with students, especially in large lecture classes

16. ADHD • Provide an outline • Avoid tangents and sidetracks. Focus on a single topic • Take advantage of multimedia • Take short breaks • Provide assistive listening devices to help eliminate background noise

17. ADHD • Seat ADHD students nearest where you will be standing when giving instruction • Avoid seating students near distractions such as windows or doorways • Maintain clear control of the entire classroom • Consider using student teams or pairs

18. Deafness and Hardness of Hearing • Avoid backlighting • Do not cover your mouth • Do not exaggerate • Encourage a quiet classroom

19. Deafness and Hardness of Hearing • Repeat information when asked • Help your student improve their speech reading skills • Provide written documents

20. Deafness and Hardness of Hearing • Captions are a very simple way of making audio information more accessible for everyone.

21. Low Vision and Blindness • Select course materials early • Keep electronic copies of all print materials • Use editable text and avoid PDFs when possible

22. Low Vision and Blindness • Avoid scanned notes • Maintain a library of audio lectures that can be copied for students who require them

23. Low Vision and Blindness • Large print keyboards are useful for low-vision users as well as students who are less adept at typing skills.

24. Low Vision and Blindness Audible graphs can allow students to experience a change over time without requiring visual acuity.

25. Universal Design • Benefits all students, not just those with disabilities. • Often can be accomplished by the same accommodations.

26. Tying it Together • Last minute efforts generally are problematic • Information/approaches are available but faculty may need to research to find solutions • Technology has value, but is not a “fix” • While required by law, effective accessible education is a collaborative effort bringing together practice, awareness, technology and subject matter to enable learning

27. Faculty (and other) Partnerships SciTrain: Science and Math for All Funded by National Science Foundation, Research in Disabilities Education www.catea.gatech.edu/scitrain/

28. SciTrain Partners: CATEA CEISMC GT Sonification Lab Cobb County School System

29. Primary Goal Perform research and development of online resources to enhance the capacities of high school science and mathematics teachers to educate students with disabilities.

30. Development Develops asynchronous courses to train teachers to generate their own ideas and solutions for accommodations, including adapted curricula and laboratory activities, as well as appropriate uses of assistive technologies (AT).

31. Development

32. Features www.catea.gatech.edu/scitrain • Online training courses: • Accessible Science Training • Accessible Math Training • Accessible Computer Science Training

33. Features • Accommodations Database • Publications Database

35. Faculty (and other) Partnerships SciTrain U Funded by Department of Education, Office of Post-Secondary Education www.catea.gatech.edu/scitrainu/

36. SciTrain U Partners: CATEA CETL ADAPTS University of Georgia DRC

37. SciTrain U A demonstration project to enhance the capacities of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) faculty and staff in colleges and universities to educate students with disabilities and improve learning for all students through Universal Design practices.

38. SciTrain U Provides training for postsecondary teachers, student services staff, IT personnel and administrators – stakeholders who can work together to create lasting improvements in curricula.

39. SciTrain U STU provides instruction to faculty and staff via a combination of: web-based training modules and in-person workshops

40. SciTrain U Resources demonstrate methods for approaching access problems and train teachers to generate their own ideas and solutions for accommodations.

41. SciTrain U The training materials provide instruction on the creation of adapted curricula and labs, online courses and hybrid courses.

42. SciTrain U Teachers can use the site as a reference tool to answer specific questions, study individual online modules or complete entire sets

43. SciTrain U SciTrain U Online Courses Accessible STEM Teaching 101 Improved Teaching for Large Lecture Classes Improving Online STEM Learning Environments Improving STEM Labs

44. Accessible Version of this Presentation

45. Paul M.A. Baker, Ph.D.,  CACP www.cacp.gatech.edu paul.baker@cacp.gatech.edu Robert L. Todd, CATEA www.catea.gatech.edu robert.todd@coa.gatech.edu