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Don’t make the blind kid play Dodge ball . Who are you? . Angie: Librarian born with a visual impairment Dale: PhD in rehabilitation counseling, MLS and instructor at Emporia State University. Students with disabilities. 99% of public colleges enroll students with disabilities.
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Who are you? • Angie: Librarian born with a visual impairment • Dale: PhD in rehabilitation counseling, MLS and instructor at Emporia State University
Students with disabilities • 99% of public colleges enroll students with disabilities. • Students are under no obligation to disclose disabilities unless they are requesting accommodations. • Disabilities are often hidden….until they are forced into the open.
Why worry about it? • Library Instruction is often about making students comfortable and familiar with the library. A student who is alienated cannot do that. • Paying attention to the needs of students with disabilities also makes it easier to accommodate students with different learning styles. • Think about your elementary/ high school gym experience….
Accommodations with benefits • Curb cuts are used by people with strollers or rolling bags. • People who don’t “need” large print often find it easier to read • Closed captions are used by people who don’t “need” them
We are all TABs • Age, disease and accident will diminish most human’s physical and/or cognitive abilities.
Common problems with library instruction games • Require physical dexterity • Require navigating unfamiliar territory • Require using ADA accessible routes that may not be readily apparent • Require students to use computers without adaptive technology
What to do • Work to include students in the flow of things as much as possible. • Consider whether or not a planned activity could exclude students with disabilities • What accommodations can you make the the activity? • Can you make accommodations on the fly? • The following slides provide examples and solutions.
Online jigsaw puzzle • Requires dexterity and visual acuity • Does not respond to magnification or screen readers • Use only if you know your students do not require accommodations.
Scavenger Hunts • Physically orienting to a new space is difficult for students with visual or mobility impairments. • Navigating new spaces can also present challenges to students on the Autism Spectrum • How accessible is your library?
Making scavenger hunts better • Offer a brief (5 minutes) physical tour of the library • Know the accessible route to all the destinations in the library • Make sure any competition is all in fun and make the prizes minor. • Take a critical look at your signage….could someone with a visual impairment make use of it?
Library’s best beach ball • Catching a thrown object is difficult for students with visual or mobility impairments • To randomize the things students look at try a random list generator like http://www.random.org
Library Quest • Students answer questions using library resources. • Answers are written on large sticky notes and posted in the front of the classroom with the rules being projected on a screen • Be sure to read any rules aloud and have at least one copy that students with visual or print disabilities can hold and read during the game. • Read the answers aloud, don’t just count on one student to mark them.
Youtube Detective • Students watch a youtube video, of their choice, and use it to find both scholarly and popular information about the contents of the video. • Many youtube videos are not captioned and/or images are not of sufficient quality for visually impaired students to use. • Allow students to dissect a meme, Facebook post, e-mail or other lore they are interested in. • Help students find captioned videos.
Comic book storytelling • Students write a script and use an iPad (and ap!) to create a comic book exploring the library. • The ap is not friendly to students with severe visual impairments. Ipads can be very awkward for people with mobility or dexterity issues. • Students can instead be prompted to tell a story about the library in a way that works for them.
1 minute paperExit Pass • Writing on the fly present challenges for people with visual, print and mobility disabilities. • Generally a low risk activity that can be modified by accepting verbal feedback or papers at a later time.
For more information • Angie Brunk abrunk@emporia.edu • Dale Monobe dmonobe@emporia.edu