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You Don’t Know Me, But I’m Here to Help. The Trials and Tribulations of Integrating an AT Position into a Campus Presenter: Van Credle The Catholic University of America. The Assistive Technology Position on Campus. How did Catholic University get an AT position?
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You Don’t Know Me, But I’m Here to Help The Trials and Tribulations of Integrating an AT Position into a Campus Presenter: Van Credle The Catholic University of America
The Assistive Technology Position on Campus • How did Catholic University get an AT position? • How do other campuses bring in assistive technologists? • How can I justify the position? • Where does the AT person begin?
Shaking Hands and Kissing Babies • Create partners for awareness, project implementation and funding • Use your colleagues to spread your name • Be an active, outgoing self-promoter • Find your friends: • IT Department • Library • Public Affairs • Academic Support • Faculty
A Meeting of Agendas • Find opportunities to hold meetings with potential partners on your campus • Create an open dialogue explaining what you do and learning what your partners really do • Discuss opportunities for collaboration and reasonable timelines • If necessary, clarify responsibilities for access issues • Listen for red flags, but address these at the proper time
At the Center, Students • Remember, your first goal is to serve the students with needs • Design your protocol for addressing needs for students with disabilities • How much training will you provide? • What software and hardware will you provide? • What other materials/resources can you provide them? • How do you address single issue access needs around campus? • Drop-in office hours • Create protocol of how to help colleagues help students with disabilities
Around the Center, Students • Reach out to student organizations • Promote universal design through coordination with clubs • Work with other support offices to create workshops and events inclusive of the whole student body
Into the Classrooms • Address faculty about the benefits of accessible presentations • Provide guides, workshops, and training to faculty on working with technology and students with disabilities • Participate in department meetings and coordinate with deans • Learn what technology is actually being used in the classrooms • Work with online classroom administrators
The IT is where it’s AT • Find your friends in IT • Coordinate reciprocity trainings • Develop a technology/software evaluation process for new purchases • Know the law, and be an enforcer of good accessibility practices • Be an asset to advancements on campus, not a barrier
Application: Online Course Assessment • Scenario: The Metropolitan College within CUA is launching a full degree program online • Players: The Metropolitan College, outside online course vendor, CPIT, DSS • Notes: Before designing their online course modules, The Metropolitan College and the outside vendor contacted our campus IT and in turn contacted DSS to discuss accessibility issues. Through a series of coordination meetings, DSS has conveyed what is and is not accessible and how this new program should work with students with disabilities.
Application: AT in Faculty Orientation • Scenario: New faculty and TAs attend a basic orientation on campus policies and services • Players: Academic deans, faculty and TAs, academic support services, DSS • Notes: The academic deans and academic support services coordinate faculty orientation every year. For the first time, the AT specialist introduced faculty to accessible learning technologies and accessible presentation practices in their orientation.
Application: Outreach to the Student Body • Scenario: Academic Support wants to help students through technology awareness • Players: Academic Support, DSS, student body • Notes: Working with the academic support group, DSS can outreach to the greater student body with tools designed for students with disabilities but with applications for everyone, including campus site-licenses for reading/writing software and mobile device apps. Regular workshops are held open to all students in coordination with academic support and student orientation groups.
Works In Progress University-wide captioning policy Bumps in the Road • Heavy coordination is necessary between CPIT, libraries, academics and DSS • Policy must be reviewed and approved by General Counsel College of Arts and Sciences Technology Task Force Bumps in the Road • Overhaul of university academics and role for dean of CAS • Scheduling difficulties with department chairs and faculty