Accessibility of teaching-learning: handbook and workshop for academic staff

1. Accessibility of teaching-learning: handbook and workshop for academic staff Introduction AriellaHellwing Yael Roitman Susie Russak Support Center for Students with Special Needs BeitBerl Academic College, Israel

2. General thoughts that we hear around campus • Theory versus performance. • physical accessibility. • Budget issue. • Time investment. • Legislation. Introduction

3. Our working assumptions • Circle of Life • Implementation process • Awareness • Proper planning Introduction

4. The structure of our talk Introduction

5. Workbook Workbook

6. Presentation of the workbook Workbook

7. The rationale for writing the workbook • Responsibility of the institution to be accessible • Co-operation with the Instructional Development Center • Broad response to different learners including people with disabilities • Workbook model based on modules of instruction and not on disabilities • Presentation of the self assessment tools to professors for their immediate use based on the Spooner model (2007) Workbook

8. principles that guided the writing process • Co-operative writing • With professionals from the field • With students Workbook Implementation goals as integral part of writing process • Accessibility of the workbook • Auditory • visual

9. Table of contents:instruction-learning workbook Workbook

10. Challenges in accessibility that are addressed in the workbook Workbook

11. Accessibility of instruction – the model and assessment table (Spooner et al, 2007) Workbook

12. Instructional modules and recommendations for making them accessible Workbook

13. Workshop Workshop

14. Workshop Workshop

15. Principles for building the workshop • Not talking about it but doing it • use of the principles of the model in building it • Emphasis on components of participation • stimulate dialogue • discussion • relevance • practical experience • Components of interaction during workshop • writing, discussion, sms messaging Workshop

16. Structure of the workshop Workshop

17. Use of surveys through clicker tools Workshop

18. Discussion question: What is the importance of accessible learning and teaching Workshop

19. Example of a case study • A student with a visual disability requests to be accommodated during a test by having open materials • Content overload vs. exam purity and uniformity • Recommended solutions: • Help in making the texts accessible, visual organization, transforming to voice files, enlarged texts • Focusing and targeting on specific course material • Dividing the test materials into two test sections Workshop

20. Components of universal design- the model and assessment table Workshop

21. Components of universal design- Practice through lesson analysis Choose a course that you teach or plan to teach Choose three activities that you use in the course To which field does each activity belong? Check the table to see if these activities promote accessibility Workshop

22. Implementation Implementation

23. Implementation process – from the stage of writing the workbook Implementation Dean of students, lecturers from the special education department, Head of the department for instructional promotion and director of the library Outside consulting, support center staff, students, administrative staff

24. Presenting the workbook as an implementation strategy Implementation On-line distribution

25. Challenges of implementation Implementation • Recruiting veteran lecturers • Implementation of the process and long term consideration of the workshop • Maintaining relevance of the topic over time

26. Thank you for your attention and participation Thank you AriellaHellwinghellwing@bezeqint.net Yael Roitmanyooilr@gmail.com Susie Russaksusie.russak@gmail.com