Presentation at the Minnesota Symposium on Disability Studies July 2012

1. Fulfilling the Promise of Universal Design in Higher Education: Preparing Future Faculty and Student Development Professionals Presentation at the Minnesota Symposium on Disability Studies July 2012

2. Presenter Contact Information Ashley M. Horton, Graduate Student, hort0110@umn.edu Jeanne L. Higbee, Professor, higbe002@umn.edu Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning, University of Minnesota 206 Burton Hall, 178 Pillsbury Drive SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455

3. Agenda • A note about PowerPoint • Brief introduction to UD & UID • The perspective of a recent education undergraduate now beginning graduate school • The perspective of a faculty member near the end of her career • Discussion: How do we enact change?

4. A Note About PowerPoint These slides are designed to be readable, rather than “pretty.” Guidelines include: • Sans-serif font, preferably 32-point, but minimum 28-point • Absence of artwork that distracts the reader and does not add to content • Description of any photos, artwork, visuals, charts, graphs, etc., that cannot be read by a screen reader For another resource: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/powerpoint-help/creating-accessible-presentations-HA001166768.aspx

5. Definition of Universal Design (UD) “Universal Design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design” Source: The Center for Universal Design, North Carolina State University (1997)

6. Not just “one size fits all . . .” Applied to higher education, the primary goal of Universal Design is to create inclusive, flexible, customizable products, courses, programs, activities, and environments.

7. Consider all the potential users of / participants in: • A space • A course or curriculum • A program (e.g., performance, speaker) • An activity (e.g., community service, a social event) Consider that modifications to accommodate people with disabilities benefit many others as well

8. Description of Visual The next slide is a photograph of a street corner with yellow painted curbs and white striped crosswalks. At the crosswalks the sidewalk and curbs are modified so that their height descends to street level and that area is unpainted.

9. Curb-Cuts

10. Description of Visual On the next slide a line with an arrow at each end depicts a continuum. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is placed toward the left end of the continuum, which represents the provision of individual accommodations. The right end of the continuum represents universally-designed spaces and experiences where fewer individual accommodations are needed.

11. Universal Design Continuum Americans with Disabilities Act Accommodating individuals one at a time Universal Design: Barrier-free, fewer individual accommodations needed

12. Universal Instructional Design(UID) UID involves the highly intentional and reflective practice of considering the multiple and intersecting social identities of all students who might potentially pursue an academic program, enroll in a class, or use a learning support service (e.g., learning center) when designing the program, course, or service

13. The Graduate Student / Recent Education Undergraduate Perspective • I am a recent graduate of Winona State University and majored in Special Education for students with Learning Disabilities and Developmental Disabilities. • I am very familiar with accommodating students with disabilities and making modifications to meet their needs.

14. Graduate Student Perspective • Because of my familiarity with accommodations and modifications of curriculum, materials, teaching methods, study habits, etc., I am able to meet my students’ unique and individual needs. • Every student, regardless of disability, has unique and individual needs. All students should have the right to accommodations and modifications.

15. Being Fair Isn’t Always Equal • Accommodations are made for everyone all the time! Yes, they take time, effort, and creativity, but it is 100% worth it. • UID gives students options and makes the material accessible. Students, regardless of their language, disability, gender, social, or economic situation, should be able to have a unique learning plan that fits their needs.

16. UID Benefits All • Accommodations: • Large print – less eye strain and easier for students to see with vision problems • Night classes – able to work during the day or for the night owls • Day care at work – for students with children and for students who want to work with children. • Teaching modalities– for students who have a preference between traditional and virtual classes or who are not able to be physically present in class

17. Being Fair Isn’t Always Equal • Should we give a pair of glasses to a student who has 20/20 vision or not give glasses to a student who cannot read the board because it isn’t equal? • If one student has glasses who needs them and one student doesn’t have glasses because he/she doesn’t need them, it IS fair but not equal.

18. Special Education? Or Good Teaching? • It is FAIR for all students to have the opportunity to learn via the way they learn best. • It is good teaching to accommodate and modify curricula so all students have the same opportunities and their learning needs are being met.

19. Personal Experience • All of my special education professors at Winona State were accommodating and understanding of unique learning styles and situations, except one. • She was a new professor who was teaching her first night class. She was a high school special education teacher for students with developmental disabilities.

20. Personal Experience • I was student teaching in District 196 for the fall and spring semesters (Eagan-Apple Valley-Rosemount area) and was living in Eagan. I was spending at least 50-60 hours each week teaching, planning, learning, and completing paperwork. • I had one special education course left, a methods course for students with developmental disabilities. Methods courses were suggested to be taken with student teaching and were scheduled at night.

21. Personal Experience • Every Monday, a classmate who was also student teaching in District 196, and I would have to leave at 1:00pm to be able to make it from Eagan to Winona in time for our evening class. We would get back around 10:00pm. This arrangement was time consuming, expensive, and exhausting.

22. Personal Experience • We asked to use Skype as a way for us to be “present” in class. A friend in the classroom would “Skype me in;” through this technology accommodation, we would be able to participate in class and be part of discussions. It benefitted us significantly because we would be able to finish the school day teaching instead of leaving early, save gas money, and save a significant amount of time.

23. Personal Experience • The new professor was very resistant to making accommodations for us. She felt it was necessary for us to be physically present in the classroom for us to learn and benefit from her class. • As a special education teacher, her profession is to realize our unique needs and to accommodate us just like she does her students at her high school. Unfortunately, we were not accommodated.

24. UID Benefits All • In my personal experience, UID would have benefitted me and my classmate significantly. All of the students in the class were student teaching and almost all were exhausted from their days. Many of our classes consisted of videos, classroom discussions, and guest speakers.

25. UID Benefits All • To accommodate us and the other student teachers, this class could have been offered online. This would have given us the freedom to complete the work on the weekends when we had more time. • The classroom discussions could have been posted on a blog; the videos could have been posted online, and guest speakers could have been recorded/video taped to watch online.

26. Are Old Habits/Traditional Teaching Methods Worth It? • Unfortunately, because of the inflexibility of the class, the students in the class often did not participate or share valuable ideas and experiences due to their exhaustion or thinking about tomorrow’s lesson. • The classmate and I were frustrated; we felt like we didn’t matter. These feelings inadvertently affected our education and our experiences in a negative way.

27. Examples • Design a syllabus that incorporates principles of universal design (http://media.umb.edu/syllabustutorial/). It decreases confusion, easy to read, and accessible (print and online) – this gives the students a choice in how to access information • A biology professor began using two projectors in his lectures so he could leave each slide on the screen longer. Also posted graphics on course website for previewing and reviewing. Shaw, R. A. (2011). Employing Universal Design for Instruction. New Directions for Student Services, 21-33

28. Examples • A composition faculty member began taping his class and making the tapes available to students so they could review class discussion and instruction about assignments. • On a rotating schedule, a few students each week are required to post their notes from the lecture on the course website. The variety of note-taking styles is a strong example of the diverse ways in which different students approach the same lecture. Shaw, R. A. (2011). Employing Universal Design for Instruction. New Directions for Student Services, 21-33

29. The Faculty Perspective • The majority of faculty at the University of Minnesota have never heard of UD or UID • Some faculty resist providing disability accommodations because it can be so time consuming • Some faculty consider disability accommodations unfair to students without disabilities

30. Why is UID important to me as a teacher? • To ensure provision of a learning environment that includes everyone • To help me be more effective and efficient at balancing multiple demands of my job—saves time • To help me be a reflective practitioner • To demonstrate that I value difference

31. Why is UID important to me as a director of graduate studies? • To ensure that our graduate programs reflect the social justice perspective my department espouses in its values & mission statements • To help me develop more effective and inclusive courses and curricula • To model implementation in the process of training future professionals

32. EvolvingTheoretical Perspectives • Moral model: Disability as the “result of sin or evil deeds” • Medical model: Disability as deficiency; medical condition to be treated or cured • Functional limitations model: “Problem” still situated with the individual; ignores social context

33. Models (cont.) • Social minority paradigm: People with disabilities as a minority group with common experiences/collective identity • Social construction model: Focus on societal attitudes rather than the individual • Social justice perspective: Focus on eliminating “ableism”

34. Legal Obligation vs. Moral and Ethical Imperative It is imperative that we consider students’ (and colleagues’) diverse and unique identities as we determine both what we do and how we do it. That is, we must ensure inclusion in content, process, and desired outcomes.

35. Barriers to Implementation: The Culture of Higher Ed • Postsecondary faculty do not receive training in how to teach • Many teach as they have been taught • Postsecondary educators (outside of Disability Services and Disability Studies) are not acquainted with UD and UID • Publications do not reach the desired audiences

36. Overcoming Institutional Barriers to Implementation • Value good teaching in the tenure, promotion, and merit processes • Provide resources for learning about UID • Model UID as a time saver rather than a time drain • Use UID as the basis of a framework for multicultural postsecondary teaching • Demonstrate how everyone benefits

37. Discussion • Is UID (or UDI, or UDL) widely known and implemented at your institution? Why or why not? • How can we transform higher education?

38. Pedagogy and Student Services for Institutional Transformation (PASS IT) Focus on developing discipline- and work-scope-specific professional development materials for teaching and student development programs and services http://www.cehd.umn.edu/passit/

39. Resources From PASS IT • Book on implementing UD & UID • Professional development guidebooks for teaching and student services • Videos • Templates for UID implementation & course evaluation • Bibliographies, including for online and legal resources Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, grant # P333A050023 All PASS IT resources are downloadable free of charge

40. Other UID Resources • University of Washington • http://www.washington.edu/doit/Resources/udesign.html • Colorado State University • http://accessproject.colostate.edu/ • University of Connecticut • http://www.facultyware.uconn.edu/home.cfm • University of Maine • http://www.ccids.umain.edu/projects/ee-udl/default.htm • Ohio State University • http://telr.osu.edu/resources/links.htm