CADSPPE Focus Group Outcome

1. CADSPPE Focus Group Outcome Access to Information for Students With Print Disabilities Gladys Loewen, November 2004

2. Goal of Focus Group • To establish a clear picture of the issues facing disability service providers in supporting students with print disabilities • To identify strategies to guide CADSPPE in promoting full access to print information

3. Participants = 22 • CADSPPE members who provide direct support to students with print disabilities in higher education • Members of the NEADS Steering Committee on Access to Information • 1 student • Producers of alternate format

4. Vision Statement • “To ensure equal and timely access to academic information in post-secondary educational environments.”

5. Discussion Topics • Identify signs of success in the provision of alternate format materials in campus learning environments • In other words: “I will know that we have been successful in achieving our vision of offering alternate format materials in all campus environments when…”

6. Topics Cont. • Identify barriers to achieving the signs of successes in the provision of alternate format materials in learning environments • Identify goals/tasks that can be implemented in moving CADSPPE towards the vision statement

7. Topics Cont. • Identify strategies for achieving the goals previously identified • Determine who should be responsible • Identify key recommendations for CADSPPE

8. Signs of Success • Students have information at the right time and place • Students can purchase or receive resources in the appropriate format at the same price in the same place at the same time • When Disability Service Centres and self identification are no longer necessary

9. Signs of Success Cont. • Courses are not offered unless UD is practiced and course delivery is flexible • When Universal Design (UD) principles are infused in post-secondary environments • When everyone is happy (student satisfaction)

10. Barriers to Achieving the Signs of Success • Attitudes within and around the post-sec environment (faculty, administration, publishers, etc) • Systemic barriers that we cannot control, yet we are subjected to and affected by them (legal, institutional, federal, etc)

11. Barriers cont. • Students who have to produce their own materials lose critical study time • Priority of time , funding and resources for production, retro-fitting, and sharing nationally

12. Goals That Can Be Implemented • Downloading responsibility to students to produce their alternate format is not acceptable. Students are there to learn, not to produce • Develop universal standards for production across institutions so materials can be shared

13. Goals Cont. • Use existing networks and services (national databases, library loans, etc) • Require publishers to provide an accessible electronic file for all textbooks sold in post-secondary bookstores • Train CADSPPE members to take responsibility for sharing, maintaining standards

14. Goals Cont. • Expect CADSPPE members to shift to the paradigm of UD as their philosophical framework • Offer training for faculty on inclusive teaching strategies

15. Recommendations to Achieve Goals • Use national library system; work to make it better and usable for post-secondary i.e. AMICUS, CWIP (Canadian works in progress) • CADSPPE to develop a plan for action (5 year plan) to promote action • Establish a listserv to share transcription ideas, successes, experiences

16. Recommendations Cont. • Develop a national best practice guide • Promote UD to CADSPPE members to change the approach to service delivery. • Showcase successes and initiatives • Create national guide of resources and procedures for production, sharing, accessing resources

17. Who Is Responsible? • CADSPPE Board • NEADS • CAER • Individual students and disability service providers

18. Responsibility Cont. • Institutional Administrators, faculty • Publishers • Legal environment • Federal Government • Library and Archives Canada • Council on Access to Information for Print Disabled Canadians

19. Key Recommendations for CADSPPE • Establish action plan as part of a 5 year plan • Implement the actions • Explore how UD can make a difference in the way disability service providers approach their jobs • Focus on changes to the environment, not individual accommodations

20. Next Steps • Circulate the proceedings of the Focus Group • Provide NEADS with copy of proceedings for its Access to Information Project • CADSPPE Board of Directors and members will discuss and establish future actions

21. We are embracing a systemic change and plan to continue promoting universal access.