You Don’t Know Me, But I’m Here to Help

The Trials and Tribulations of Integrating an AT Position into a Campus

Presenter: Van CredleThe Catholic University of America

How did Catholic University get an AT position? How do other campuses bring in assistive

technologists? How can I justify the position? Where does the AT person begin?

The Assistive Technology Position on Campus

Create partners for awareness, project implementation and funding

Use your colleagues to spread your name Be an active, outgoing self-promoter Find your friends:◦ IT Department◦ Library◦ Public Affairs◦ Academic Support◦ Faculty

Shaking Hands and Kissing Babies

Find opportunities to hold meetings with potential partners on your campus

Create an open dialogue explaining what you do and learning what your partners really do

Discuss opportunities for collaboration and reasonable timelines

If necessary, clarify responsibilities for access issues Listen for red flags, but address these at the proper

time

A Meeting of Agendas

Remember, your first goal is to serve the students with needs

Design your protocol for addressing needs for students with disabilities◦ How much training will you provide?◦ What software and hardware will you provide?◦ What other materials/resources can you provide them?◦ How do you address single issue access needs around campus?◦ Drop-in office hours

Create protocol of how to help colleagues help students with disabilities

At the Center, Students

Reach out to student organizations Promote universal design through coordination with

clubs Work with other support offices to create workshops

and events inclusive of the whole student body

Around the Center, Students

Address faculty about the benefits of accessible presentations

Provide guides, workshops, and training to faculty on working with technology and students with disabilities

Participate in department meetings and coordinate with deans

Learn what technology is actually being used in the classrooms

Work with online classroom administrators

Into the Classrooms

Find your friends in IT Coordinate reciprocity trainings Develop a technology/software evaluation process for

new purchases Know the law, and be an enforcer of good accessibility

practices Be an asset to advancements on campus, not a barrier

The IT is where it’s AT

Scenario: The Metropolitan College within CUA is launching a full degree program online

Players: The Metropolitan College, outside online course vendor, CPIT, DSS

Notes: Before designing their online course modules, The Metropolitan College and the outside vendor contacted our campus IT and in turn contacted DSS to discuss accessibility issues. Through a series of coordination meetings, DSS has conveyed what is and is not accessible and how this new program should work with students with disabilities.

Application: Online Course Assessment

Scenario: New faculty and TAs attend a basic orientation on campus policies and services

Players: Academic deans, faculty and TAs, academic support services, DSS

Notes: The academic deans and academic support services coordinate faculty orientation every year. For the first time, the AT specialist introduced faculty to accessible learning technologies and accessible presentation practices in their orientation.

Application: AT in Faculty Orientation

Scenario: Academic Support wants to help students through technology awareness

Players: Academic Support, DSS, student body

Notes: Working with the academic support group, DSS can outreach to the greater student body with tools designed for students with disabilities but with applications for everyone, including campus site-licenses for reading/writing software and mobile device apps. Regular workshops are held open to all students in coordination with academic support and student orientation groups.

Application: Outreach to the Student Body

University-wide captioning policyBumps in the Road

◦ Heavy coordination is necessary between CPIT, libraries, academics and DSS◦ Policy must be reviewed and approved by General Counsel

College of Arts and Sciences Technology Task ForceBumps in the Road

◦Overhaul of university academics and role for dean of CAS◦ Scheduling difficulties with department chairs and faculty

Works In Progress