Noon – 1:30 Block V7 (3 concurrent sessions)
V7.1: A Guiding Framework for Decision Making: A Three-Step Process for Simple to Complex Situations
Emily Helft, Landmark College
Paul Harwell, Dartmouth College
This presentation covers a three-step framework to decision making that is applicable to all DS professionals, from seasoned to new-to-the-field. It is designed to aid in a consistent process around request outcomes, whether the answer is a “yes” or a “no,” and whether the scenarios are simple or complex. It will include an overview of the foundations behind the approach, important angles to consider prior to use, description of the framework, and a brief overview of a values/goals matrix to further guide decision outcomes. While DS work is likely never to be fully black-and-white, this approach is designed to support DS professionals that prefer consistent and structured approaches to their work around accommodation decisions. Time will be reserved at the end for an attendee-provided scenario.
V7.2: New Challenges and Solutions for Math Success Focusing on Student with SLD, ADHD. TBI, PTS, LI, ID, and Autism: Learning
Paul Nolting, State College of Florida, Hillsborough Community College
Aimee Stubbs, Broward College
Disability Resource Offices are being challenged more than ever to improve math success. This is especially true for student groups with Autism, Intellectual Disabilities and Language Impairments. These new groups are now being added to the existing students with SLD, ADHD, TBI and PTS who can have difficulty learning math. Research indicates that math and poor strategic learning skills are the two major reasons students are unsuccessful, but that appropriate educational and testing accommodations can improve success. Offices can help students improve their success with a combination of math learning strategies, educational accommodations, test memory aids and strategies for course substitutions. Participants will learn new learning apps, math study skills, note-taking, anxiety reductions, test-taking skills, processing deficits effects on math learning, new testing accommodations, and substitution strategies. Participants will also learn how to conduct student workshops, strategies to help students in co-requisite courses and developing individual math success plans. Group discussions and demonstrations will occur during the presentation and a Q&A period will conclude the presentation.
V7.3: Doing the Work: Building Explicit Anti-Racism into the Practices of Your Disability Services Office
Jen Dugger Spalding, Portland State University
Stacie Taniguchi, Portland State University
The nationwide reckoning with white supremacy and racism in this country, brought about by the pandemic and murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmad Arbery has altered the course of many colleges and universities. However, we in Disability Services must reassess whether and how we have evolved to meet this ever-present need, integrating anti-racist practices into our work and centering the experiences of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) students with disabilities. The presenters will focus on the process that the Disability Resource Center at our university has gone through to begin and the specific work that has been done thus far. As James Baldwin was famously quoted, “Not everything that is faced can be changed but nothing can be changed until it is faced” and it is (beyond) the time that we in Disability Services face our ethical responsibilities to the wellbeing and retention of our students of color.
1:30 – 2:00 Break
2:00 – 3:00 Block V8 (3 concurrent sessions)
V8.1: An Introduction to Digital Access for Disability Resource Professionals
Melanie Thornton, University of Arkansas
Jessica Stone, University of North Texas
Disability Resource Professionals advocate for access across the campus—encouraging faculty and others on campus to create accessible environments. One of the best ways to influence change is to model good practices. This session will introduce key concepts you need to advocate for accessible digital environments and teach a few basic skills you can use to begin to model accessibility with your own materials.
V8.2: Applying a Curricular Lens to Disability Services
Bonnie Huckaby, Purdue University
Paul Harwell, Dartmouth College
Jackie Heymann, University of Michigan
Hunter Duncan, Clemson University
In disability services, it is easy to focus on the everyday issues that are brought to our attention, but how do we start to track patterns in these interactions? Are there things we could be doing to make our practice more effective? How can we be more proactive in addressing the issues that our students face? This presentation will apply the curricular mindset--frequently used in housing operations--to our work in disability services. The curricular approach helps us to better align our daily practice with student learning, assessment, and department goals and helps us to make long-term plans for our departments. This framework can be used to hone departmental communication, tell the story of the services and resources we provide to students, and illustrate the need for funding and resources. It can also help our campus partners to better understand the work that we do. In this presentation we will: Discuss the benefits of applying a curricular approach, review campus mission statements, pull actionable goals from mission statements, create objectives for our practice, develop learning outcomes, create strategies that address learning outcomes, and brainstorm assessment ideas.
V8.3: Shifting from Compliance to a Culture of Inclusion: A Four-Step AP Approach to Disability Inclusion
Charnessa Warren, University of Chicago
Disability is the largest minoritized group in the United States, so why is it the least talked about group in diversity and inclusion efforts in higher education? How might we make disability inclusion more salient at our institutions? This session will introduce a three-step approach to systemically include disability and accessibility in higher education. The presenters will share a customizable approach that disability service providers may utilize in partnership with other campus partners to begin the shift from disability compliance to a more inclusive culture. Attendees will be able to share best practices throughout the session.
3:00 – 3:30 Break
3:30 – 5:00 Block V9 (3 concurrent sessions)
V9.1: Developing a Common, Shareable Accessibility Rubric for Educational Technology
Kelly Hermann, University of Phoenix
Andrea Deau, IMS Global Learning Consortium
This session introduces a collaboratively developed Accessibility Rubric to guide institutional leaders with entry-level vetting of your digital teaching and learning tools. To provide a toolkit for keeping up with the influx of new learning products, stakeholders across K-12, higher education, and edtech suppliers came together—leveraging expertise within the community that is often hidden or might not exist at their organizations. Get a better understanding of the expectations you should have when procuring tools for your digital ecosystem. We will share the outcomes of a pilot happening in Q1 2022 and discuss the potential for the rubric to influence the edtech market.
V9.2: Leave of Absence Practices & Policies: Promoting Parity & Positive Mental Health
Courtney Joly-Lowdermilk, Boston University
As the global pandemic surged in 2020, so did the number of college students considering and taking leaves of absence from higher education. In the last year there was a marked decline in the rate of first-year persistence, a significant indicator of completion. Boston University’s Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, in partnership with the Ruderman Family Foundation, responded with the release of two first-of-their-kind Leave of Absence Guides. A practical resource for students and campus leadership, these innovative guides provide helpful frameworks and invite critical conversations about supporting meaningful, health-promoting leaves of absence, successful returns to school, and equitable, student-centered practices and policies for all that uphold the values of justice, access, and parity across all types of leaves. Presenters, co-authors of the guides, will describe the guides’ content, background, and the principles underlying them and review key recommendations for campus administrators, staff, & faculty. Attendees will receive copies of both guides as well as workshop opportunities for campus or organizational implementation and utilization.
V9.3: From Words to Action: A Mentoring Program Geared Toward Black, Neurodivergent College Students
Adam Lalor, Landmark College
Kelly O'Ryan, Landmark College
Marc Thurman, Landmark College
In recent years, greater attention has been paid to understanding the experiences of disabled students with a variety of intersecting identities. Although discussion is important, action must be taken to enhance opportunities for success and belonging for these diverse students. Unfortunately, research indicates that students of color and neurodivergent students (i.e., those with learning disabilities, ADHD, and/or autism) both have lower persistence rates placing Black neurodivergent students at even greater risk for dropping out of college. This session will explore some of the unique barriers facing this underexplored cohort of students and introduce an innovative program geared at improving transition and sense of belonging for Black neurodivergent students. Join us for a discussion of this novel program and learn how you can develop a similar program on your campus.
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