Technology SIG
Submitted by Sheryl Burgstahler (Co-Chair)
It was enlightening to bring together attendees at the AHEAD annual conference to share challenges and successes with respect to ensuring full access to technology for postsecondary students with disabilities. Sheryl Burgstahler and Lyla Crawford (filling in for co-chair Terrill Thompson) hosted the meeting. About half of the ten attendees were members of the Technology SIG online discussion forum. The rest expressed interest in joining and encouraging others to join the forum. Any AHEAD member can join the group by signing onto the AHEAD website (ahead.org), selecting the “communities” button at the top of screen, choosing “Using AHEAD Communities,” and locating instructions to join the Technology SIG.
The roles of attendees at our conference meeting varied. It was most common for an attendee to report to the disability services unit or the central IT unit on their campus. We had a lively discussion about challenges and promising practices for addressing technology-related issues for students with disabilities on our campuses. Some of the challenges to promoting the procurement, development, and use of accessible IT on their campuses included getting stakeholder groups to effectively work together, getting attention and support from the administration, securing adequate numbers of staff members, and increasing awareness of the importance of and strategies for ensuring the accessibility of IT.
Attendees shared a variety of promising practices, that include:
- Getting high-level buy in to work top-down
- Assigning or finding volunteer “liaisons” to promote accessibility within campus units
- Securing funds to freely caption high impact videos campus-wide
- Developing an accessible IT policy and guidelines and increasing awareness
- Clearly defining roles and responsibilities of stakeholders
- Forming strong partnerships between central IT and disability units
- Licensing assistive technology so it can be used campus-wide (e.g., Jaws)
- Licensing software to check for accessibility (e.g., Site Improve, Ally)
- Licensing software so that students with disabilities can convert inaccessible to reasonably accessible documents (e.g., SensusAccess, Ally)
- Securing a contract for captioning videos
- Licensing software that benefits all students (e.g., Read and Write software)
Lively discussions at the SIG meeting and throughout the conference made it clear that all of our campuses face challenges in ensuring that students with disabilities have full access to technology on our campuses and that we can all benefit from hearing about the experiences of other schools.
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Community College SIG
Submitted by Teressa Eastman (Co-Chair)
The Community College Special Interest Group sponsored a Preconference Workshop at the 2018 AHEAD Conference in Albuquerque. The session, entitled, “Two-Year Campus Toolkit” presented issues that are unique to two-year campuses. Topics included open enrollment, campus partnerships, students with mental help conditions, Title IX and code of conduct, case management, learning outcomes, and faculty and student outreach and training. The session was presented by Jennifer Radt, M.S.W, University of Cincinnati Clermont; Teressa Eastman, M.B.A., Butler Community College; and Michelle Mitchell, M. Ed., Lehigh Carbon Community College. The Community College SIG also met during the conference in Albuquerque and discussed the need for further representation by community colleges in AHEAD programming. Ideas for a series of webinars or a community college track at the annual conference was discussed.
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The Nutrition and Dietary Accommodations SIG
Submitted by S. Varshikov
The Nutrition & Dietary Accommodations SIG has entered its second year!
The Nutrition & Dietary Accommodations SIG is the newest group in the AHEAD family. We officially formed in early 2017, and just had our second meeting at the conference in Albuquerque!
Requests for dietary accommodations are becoming more prevalent everywhere. Many institutions rely on their Dining Services team to handle these requests, but they typically do require some administrative oversight by Disability Services. We have been tracking trends in hopes of assembling a collection of best practices for implementing food-related accommodations.
Our group would gladly serve as a resource and assist folks however possible. If you have ideas to share or have questions about the requests you are receiving at your institution, please reach out and let us know! Feel free to contact SIG Chair S Varshikov directly at svarshikov@ucdavis.edu. We welcome your feedback and participation in the SIG Community on the AHEAD website. All members are welcome to join by following the instructions at https://www.ahead.org/communities/ahead-faq73#joincommunity.
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Graduate and Professional Students SIG
Submitted by Joanna Boval (Co-Chair)
As co-chair of the GAP SIG, I would like to thank those of you who joined us at AHEAD for our discussions of the challenges and promising practices in working with students in graduate and professional programs. Our focus is to assist service providers who are working with students earning advanced degrees in Business, Law, Social Work, Education, and other academic programs, whether they are on-campus or on-line. Continued areas of discussion include recruitment and retention, high stakes exams, lab and clinical experiences, funding, classroom and lab accommodations, web access, and modifications to work as a teaching or research assistant.
To continue the conversation, please consider joining the GAP SIG Community and connecting with us via telephone conference calls, which will be held on the fourth Wednesday of every other month (September 26, November 28, January 23, March 27, and May 22) from 10 am – 11 am (California time).
We look forward to hearing from you!
Joanna Boval, Director, Office for Students with Disabilities, UC San Diego
Timothy Montgomery, Director, Services for Students with Disabilities, UC San Francisco
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Veterans SIG
Submitted by Dan Standage (Chair)
The Veterans SIG meeting began with introductions by 11 attendees and brief discussions of what each attendee hopes to learn. One of the concerns expressed was the need to increase career services for veterans and encourage veterans to use existing career resources on campus.
It was noted that 60% of college is about networking, meaning the single greatest predictor for student success is making meaningful connections. It’s important that student veterans don’t become insulated in the Veterans Center. They need to get out into the college community, develop important networking skills, and build their own personal network. These skills will break down social barriers between their non-veteran peers and contribute to their professional growth.
Disability Cultural Centers (DCC) are appearing on campuses. DCCs are intended to add depth to the culture beyond impairment and accessibility. While many view disabilities through a deficit lens, DCCs are aimed to celebrate the value that the people bring to society. Some benefits of DCCs include: activities such as speakers, meetings, and highlighting disability pride/culture (arts, music, etc.) to disability community and rest of campus; informal space to meet, learn, connect, find/experience different perspectives of disability; intersectional identities; a way for people to find others (similar to heritage centers); make connections with role models, faculty, and allies; increase retention, graduation, and employment; dissolve stigma; create space for leadership opportunities; expand existing Disability Resource Center model to fulfill that role; create an alumni that resembles a fraternal order instead of a graduation afterthought. The Disability Studies SIG will have more information in the coming months if your campus is interested in creating a DCC.
There is a resource which many Disability Resource Centers are unaware of, called a Disability Services Liaison or DSL for short. A DSL is a student veteran with a disability who works with your DRC to mentor other veterans and encourage the use of disability resources and academic accommodations. The DSL can be paid via a VA work-study position, meaning there is no cost to your campus. Students under the VA work-study program can only serve veterans.
Additionally, a DSL Toolkit is available, along with more details at disability.studentveterans.org. The DSL makes warm introductions between student veterans and DRC staff. It’s a peer-based solution that addresses the help-seeking behavior head-on. While some DRCs have prior-military staff, there’s added value when the information and introduction comes from another student veteran; DRC support is highly encouraged. Online training modules are currently in development to provide initial training for DSLs. A total of five modules are planned with a delivery date anticipated for January 2019. Once available, the modules will be posted to the Veterans’ SIG community. Fifty-two campuses are currently in the process of implementing this position.
DRC staff are encouraged, when working with veterans, to change verbiage in order to reach more veterans utilizing services. Many veterans do not consider themselves as “disabled,” in need of, or qualified for DRC services. Instead, DRC staff are encouraged to inquire whether the veteran has a “VA disability rating.” Additionally, inquire whether the veteran “has submitted a VA claim” or is “awaiting a determination on a claim or appeal.” This language promotes a clearer awareness of veterans that they may be eligible for DRC services and accommodations.
Student Veterans of America (SVA) is underway with a mapping project with their 1,500+ SVA Chapters across the nation. The project creates a directory for every SVA chapter, includes DRC point-of-contact info, and DSL contact information (where available). Additionally, SVA conducts an annual census between October and December, with the processes and data available in February. It includes a snapshot of SVA veterans with disabilities for that fall, including the VA disability rating. The majority have a 50% or higher VA rating. It also includes social information, such as how disability impacts various parts of the individual’s life. Eighty percent reported that school is a stressor, specifically due to the disability. A survey started in the spring, called the Services Utilization Survey, is gathering information from student veterans about how they utilize campus resources. The survey seeks to understand why certain services are underutilized by this population. Results will be made available in late Fall and posted to the SIG’s online community.
It is important the DRC staff do NOT replicate the VA medical model. The VA’s disability ratings system is for actuary purposes only to create levels related to associated benefits. These percentages, or levels, are often conflated with disability identity and residual ability—this is misinformation unknowingly passed on from one to another. The 2018 SVA conference will include topics on DRC to help promote veterans utilizing the services. The SVA conference (NatCon) is January 3-5, 2019 in DisneyWorld Orlando. Veterans and DRC staff are encouraged to attend; consider bringing a student veteran. Of note, Richard Allegra posted an Inside Higher Ed article that mentioned 70% of faculty/staff/administrators in higher education do not know how to work with student veterans. Ninety-six sessions across several tracks may be of interest to those who want to learn more about this unique population. Cost for early-bird registration is $175 for student veterans and $290 for general attendees. This cost includes food throughout, with a plated meal at the banquet on the last night. The exhibit hall, also known as the SVA Campus, is setup to resemble a student union, with food served there to promote interaction between attendees and exhibitors. Schools interested in exhibiting in the Higher Ed pavilion can find more information at conference.studentveterans.org. SVA’s partners help offset the cost for student veterans to attend, such as providing registration discounts and lodging assistance. A former VA voc rehab (VAVR) counselor at the SIG meeting mentioned that VAVR could potentially offset the costs to attend if the veteran participates in the career fair, professional development, and career track programming (clarifying info on this will be provided in the SIG’s online community). SVA Chapter grants are also available. Registration will open sometime in mid-August.
Suicide awareness and prevention are very hot topics related to veterans. According to a recent report from the VA Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, an estimated 20 veterans complete suicide per day. However, it is very important to note that most of the veterans who complete suicide are primarily older veterans. When one considers the data on veterans between the ages of 18-34, the rate is significantly lower (about 2). The VA data does not currently track which veterans are enrolled in school when a suicide is completed. This is important to acknowledge, as this is the age group that is most likely to be enrolled in postsecondary education. However, should a veteran on campus seek help, it is important to try to get on-campus help if possible. Indeed, the VA recognizes that in many cases, the wait to get assistance at the VA can exceed thirty days. As a result, policymakers are working on implementing the Choice Act, which allows veterans to seek services outside of the VA healthcare system. There is the potential for institutions to receive payment for providing services for veterans and ensure that the veterans receive quality mental health services on campus. Before propagating information about suicide statistics, reference the national veteran suicide data first and consider supporting students using your campus resources. Licensed professionals on campus have the same credentials as those at the VA healthcare system and elsewhere. Clinicians that feel unqualified can always assist in referring veterans to more appropriate services as necessary.
The Veterans SIG is asking members to suggest additional ideas for what the SIG can do, specifically for the AHEAD 2019 conference in Boston. Please send ideas to Dan Standage dan.standage@studentveterans.org or post your ideas in the SIG’s online community. One idea suggested was to host the “War Paint” art show at the conference. Other ideas included highlighting SVA data referenced earlier and spotlighting successful practices at specific institutions (especially if what they are doing is easily replicated). Sandi Patton (SIG Co-Chair) will contact AHEAD to see if further attention might be directed towards veterans and active duty military by starting the AHEAD conference annually with a Color Guard. Sandi will follow through with AHEAD on this question. Another suggestion was to present a formulized student veteran panel where the student veterans would share the accommodations used and which worked as opposed to which did not, and why. This panel might also include some graduated and employed veterans who share how they acquired work accommodations. The panel might be accomplished by creating a video through SVA that highlights veterans from around the country.
For employment of graduating student veterans, it was suggested that DRC and/or Career Center include tips for those who are seeking employment, such as researching the company that the veteran is interested in working prior to the interview, so as to be well-informed about the company, its mission, and purposes. This could provide veteran job applicants valuable information to support them in the interview process. The topic of transitions was also addressed. In general, the transition points to, through, and beyond higher ed are very difficult for many veterans. A student veteran is coping with multiple transitions: transition from military to civilian life; transition from civilian to student, and in some cases, transition from not having a disability to now having one. If possible, it is important to support the veteran and help him/her actualize how the disability is now a part of who that veteran is. Although some veterans never disclose the disability, disclosure opens the veteran to moving on with his/her life and accepting himself/herself as he/she now is.
In closing, it was noted that it is important that DRC offices send the message to veterans that the services and accommodations that are provided to them do not take away services from others and that they simply level the playing field. The military conducts a health screening of all recruits before they are allowed to serve. This means that all veterans acquire their disabilities and they likely have had no experience with Special Education or understand the requirements of disclosure following high school. Many veterans do not participate in freshman orientation, because they often transfer in and are considered non-traditional students. Be mindful about not assuming they understand the process of registering with the DRC, what accommodations are, or using them effectively. Stress self-advocacy and be intentional about showing them what that is supposed to look like. The culture of veterans is about serving others, so some helpful tips on how to be more successful will go a long way. Use the AHEAD online communities to stay connected by contributing content and questions.
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Online and Distance Learning SIG
Submitted by Kelly Hermann (Chair)
This year’s conference featured a small but mighty audience for the Online and Distance Learning SIG. It is so hard to choose from all of the events that happen during the lunch breaks at the conference and we knew we had some great competition. But no worries – that’s why we have our new online communities through the AHEAD website and we are looking forward to continuing the conversations.
As you sit down to think about and plan for your next academic year, we hope that you will join us online to share ideas, ask questions, and help us build resources. There are several questions that I am asked a lot by other AHEAD members but this one comes up most frequently: “Is there a quick and easy checklist that we can follow to ensure that our online courses are accessible?”
As with most things, there are several answers to that question and it often depends on the audience receiving the answer. As an institution, it is advisable that you gather relevant stakeholders and decide on an accessibility standard to adopt. If you follow any of the updates from the Department of Justice and the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Education, you likely have seen references to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 AA specification. This is a good place to start and will likely help you address many accessibility issues that will arise.
But referring faculty and instructional designers to the WCAG 2.0 AA principles is likely going to be overwhelming and won’t lead to more accessible content in your courses. We have focused our guidance to faculty to address these five items:
- When sharing a hyperlink, make sure that it is descriptive. Long URLs are not pleasant to read, and they are even worse to listen to as a screen reader user. Likewise, “click here” doesn’t tell the screen reader user where they are going. But if I format the text to tell you that I would like you to check out the Online and Distance Learning SIG Community, you not only can click on the link and get there but you also know where you’re going.
- Provide transcripts for all audio content. I think this one is somewhat self-explanatory, but we remind faculty that they must provide a text alternative for anything that is communicated only via sound so that our students who cannot hear will be able to access the content.
- Likewise, videos need captions and transcripts. Captions are fairly well known and it’s easy to understand why they are necessary. But faculty don’t always understand why they also need to post a transcript, so we explain that a transcript allows the user to bypass the video if needed, which could be important for someone who cannot see or hear.
- All images and graphics need to have alternative text. This is often a forgotten step for the faculty and staff that I work with. We remind them that decorative images do not need to have alternative text but any image that is relevant to the content being shared must be described so that someone who cannot see understands what the image is and why it is there.
- Finally, we require accessible PDF documents in all our courses. This is usually one where we have to offer more support and help faculty and staff use our document conversion service to transform scanned PDF documents into documents with actual text. But once we do the work, it allows students to not only read these documents out loud but also to highlight and annotate as well.
As we work to review our courses, we know that these five items appear often and pose a greater accessibility risk for our students. Your five things might change based on the content you share with students in your courses. It is imperative that DS providers work with the online learning folks on your campus to find out what type of content is being shared with students, so you can give effective advice regarding accessibility concerns. And if you haven’t yet, I always recommend that DS staff take/audit an online course at your institution. There are differences between the demands of an online course and those of a traditional, seated course. We’ll talk more about that later in our online community, so I hope you’ll join us there!
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ADA Coordinators SIG
Submitted by Gabriel Merrell (Co-Chair)
The ADA Coordinators Special Interest Group spent much of the last year planning for a strand of sessions at the 2018 AHEAD Conference in Albuquerque. In trying to provide as much breadth of topics possible, the eight sessions included topics such as handling grievances, understanding role differences between ADA Coordinators and Disability Services offices, getting leaders on board with process/policy changes, event planning, accommodations for employees, community programs, and internships, and physical environment accessibility. In total, around 630 folks, not counting virtual attendees, attended these eight sessions. Some of these sessions were among the highest attendance at the conference.
With the conference strand being such a great success, the ADA Coordinators SIG plans to continue working on providing professional development opportunities for all AHEAD members for the coming year. At the conference during our SIG meeting, we discussed webinar topics to develop for AHEAD members. If folks have any thoughts on what would be most useful to you, please do not hesitate to let us know! We are also interested in learning more about what additional resources would be valuable to have on our ADA Coordinators SIG website.
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LGBTQA SIG
Submitted by Jan Dugger and Teryn Robinson (Co-Chairs)
Every Color in the Crayon Box: Stories from Members of the LGBTQA Special Interest Group
At the 2018 AHEAD Equity and Access Conference, the folks who assembled for the LGBTQA SIG meeting were really excited to share stories. They wanted to share stories not just with the SIG membership but with the larger AHEAD membership around the intersection of LGBTQA and disabled identities. Why? Personal stories unlock a personal connection between people. Storytelling can be transformative for both the storyteller and for the audience. Timothy Gardner (queer, male), who is the Learning Center Director at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, explains why he thought sharing stories beyond the LGBTQA SIG is important:
I was once in a conversation at the [AHEAD] conference where someone did not assume I was queer and said some things that were not supportive of LGBTQ people. I was able to listen, offer feedback and let the person know they were talking to someone who was queer. I find these moments to be empowering and speak to the ability for us to make change and educate people on an individual level with our stories.
Our stories and experiences are as diverse as we are. liz thomson (bisexual/queer, gender non-conforming), a graduate student in Disability Studies and the University of Illinois at Chicago, says:
As someone with multiple and intersecting identities, I see so many parallels and connections between disability, sexual orientation, race, and gender identity. For me, it’s about how diverse bodies [occupy] and [navigate] different spaces. Predominately white spaces. Straight spaces. Spaces intentionally made for 6-foot able bodied males. As a kid, I first grew into my feminist identity[, ] asserting that female bodies can do and be anywhere. Then in college[, as I grew into ] my racial development, understanding the barriers for a dark-skinned, Vietnamese person. Then also, what it means to love someone else of the same gender identity. And now, having access to the world that is typically physically, cognitively, and mentally not inclusive.
Intersectionality is important. It’s a foundational aspect of the work we see ourselves doing with students with disabilities. Jaime Butler (lesbian, female), an External Program Specialist at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, shares what she’s thinking about intersectionality:
I have recently been processing through the concept of intersection and the impact it has on a student/staff/human being who has to juggle different, complicated identities. Complicated in the sense that both come with some significant challenges (how others perceive you, living in a heteronormative, ableist culture, etc). I want to always be cognizant of those impacts and find ways to acknowledge the tensions within each identity so that students can feel wholly supported.
Supporting students is what we do. Everyone who has shared their stories in preparation for this article recognizes the importance of affirming students multiple and intersecting identities as we work with them in our disability services context. Chair of the Standing Committee on Diversity in Inclusion, Melanie Thornton (lesbian, female), who is the Coordinator of Access and Equity Outreach at the University of Arkansas Partners for Inclusive Communities, talks about seeing intersecting identities through a social justice lens and how her own experiences contribute to her work:
I think my experiences of oppression and discrimination help me to notice and see ableism more clearly. I see disability identity as an aspect of diversity and inclusion and access as a matter of social justice. It bothers me that disability is often talked about differently than race, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, and other aspects of diversity and I'm motivated to change that. I also think that since I have been on the receiving end of oppression, discrimination and even hatred as a result of my identity, it's very important to me not to contribute to that dynamic when it comes to Disabled people.
Our work with students is influenced by who we are. Debra A. Miller (lesbian, female), who serves as the Director of Northern Illinois University’s services for students with disabilities, agrees:
As a member of several marginalized groups, including LGBTQ, this informs my awareness in the work I do with students and colleagues as my level of sensitivity is heightened and present. The students with whom I work share their stories and struggles through various lenses and in unique ways. Being cognizant of intersecting identities is necessary as any given issue may be informed by this reality for them.
Jen Dugger (queer, cisgender female), Director of the Disability Resource Center at Portland State University and Co-Chair of the LGBTQA SIG, talks about how being conscious of and affirming of multiple intersecting identities is also important for how we work with our disability services staff colleagues:
It is so important to feel comfortable enough to bring your full self to work. I am the supervisor of my disability services team and we're very intentional about creating a culture of inclusion so that everyone feels welcome coming into our space. For us, in relation to connecting with our LGBTQ students, that has included putting up rainbow flags, sending out notifications about queer and trans events happening through our weekly newsletter, and asking all potential employees in their interview how they would define diversity and inclusion and how they would demonstrate their commitment to both while working in our office. We've hired many, many professional and student staff in the time I've worked in the office and all of them are either queer/trans or have a strong ally commitment that I see on a regular basis.
This is truly affirming for those of us who have previously or do currently work at institutions where our LGBTQA identities were not affirmed. Butler notes, “[It’s very] important [to be out at work]. I used to work at an un-affirming, faith-based institution and it was not good for my soul. I was asked to step down as a staff sponsor for a campus club because they suspected I might be homosexual. So, coming to a campus where I can be super-duper gay is wonderful.”
I agree with Butler. Early in my career, I also worked at a faith-based institution for two years. One evening, I found myself saying to the nun charged with leading our diversity committee and campus climate assessment, “It’s hard to be an atheist, pro-choice, queer person with a disability at our school.”
For those of you who need to feel affirmed, perhaps your colleagues’ stories here will help you. When talking about being “out” at work, David Guzman (gay, male), Exam Proctoring Program Coordinator at California State University at Fullerton, says:
When it comes to my LGBTQ identity, I would indeed consider myself 'out' to my colleagues and students on my campus. I wear my identity very transparently in the manner I express myself outwardly and how I interact with others. My self-expression typically will send a clear message to the outsider looking in and usually, with enough interaction, will confirm my identity to them. I consider myself a very colorful individual that doesn't shy away from utilizing every color in the crayon box when it comes to my outward appearance and the way I express my interests and likes in my immediate work area. As a gay Latinx man, I pride myself in the intersectionality of my identity which encompasses the multiple layers that make up who I am: gay, Latinx, male, first-generation college student, and agnostic.
We welcome you to share in the transformative process of telling your own stories as a “colorful individual” with multiple and intersecting identities and experiences. If you would like to take part in future storytelling opportunities with the LGBTQA SIG, or if you would like to know more about the intersections of disability and LGBTQ identities, please contact Teryn Robinson (robinson@mx.lakeforest.edu) or Jen Dugger (jen.dugger@pdx.edu) to get involved!
--written/complied by Teryn J. Robinson (queer, female), Co-Chair of the LGBTQA SIG, Assistant Dean of Faculty for Learning Support at Lake Forest College
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