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Mission Possible: Accessible Educational Technology on Campus. Laura Knobel-Piehl (Assistive Technology Specialist) Nancy Aarsvold (Assistant Director of Instructional Technology) St. Olaf College April 27, 2012. Presentation Overview. Introduction: Mission Possible
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Mission Possible: Accessible Educational Technology on Campus Laura Knobel-Piehl (Assistive Technology Specialist) Nancy Aarsvold(Assistant Director of Instructional Technology) St. Olaf College April 27, 2012
Presentation Overview • Introduction: Mission Possible • Beginning of the campus collaboration • Easy first steps toward improving accessibility • Unexpected benefits of collaboration • Evidence of increased awareness • Conclusion: Future plans& group discussion
Introduction: Mission Possible • Directive from OCR • Training by Janie Jarrow: Attended by staff from Student Accessibility Services and from IIT • Identified challenges: • Raising awareness • Bridging gap between SAS and faculty • Next steps: • Letter to the Provost requesting committee of cross-campus representatives to explore and address our vulnerabilities. • Identifying “low-hanging fruit”
Start of Campus Collaboration • IIT and SAS: Continued partnership • Webinar on Accessibility • IIT iPad Learning Community • SAS Round Table on Academic Support • CILA/IIT Tech Showcase
Steps toward improving accessibility • Adding information about accessibility to the Moodle landing page • Creating online how-to documents for faculty • Adding accessibility sections to IIT training • Using JAWS as a tool for assessing website and web tools
Unexpected outcomes of collaboration • Practice leads to greater knowledge/awareness/momentum • Progress is possiblewith what you have • Many hands make light work?
Evidence of increased awareness • TRIO requested Braille materials for blind attendee in advance • Have been approached by other college departments – Bookstore, Print Center, Library, etc. • Web changes are underway to increase accessibility/usability of college site • Name change: From Student Disability Services to Student Accessibility Services
Conclusion: Future plans • Collaboration with Carleton and other colleges • Library Learning Hub: Including Accessibility Services with Writing Help Desk, Study Strategies, Reference, Circulation, IIT Helpdesk, etc. • College-wide policy and an advisory committee for accessibility • Courses for AAAs (MS Office suite, Adobe, etc) to include creating accessible projects in the course
Discussion • What approach have you taken at your institutions to make online educational materials more accessible? • Have you encountered any pitfalls? • Who are your co-collaborators?