WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.685 We are committed to the notion that everyone should have an opportunity to participate in higher education, 00:00:05.785 --> 00:00:10.700 whether it be from the learning perspective, or the research perspective, or an opportunity to work here 00:00:10.700 --> 00:00:17.202 at this institution. We benefit from that because we get to enjoy the talents and the 00:00:17.202 --> 00:00:21.801 skills of those people who come in, and also their perspective, which in many cases will 00:00:21.801 --> 00:00:25.152 be different from the perspective of others on campus. 00:00:25.152 --> 00:00:27.887 So accessibility becomes a very important value at the university. 00:00:43.733 --> 00:00:47.909 We're a leading university globally. We want the best talent in the world 00:00:47.909 --> 00:00:50.961 for our students, our staff, and our faculty. And we want to be sure if that talent has 00:00:50.961 --> 00:00:57.348 a disability that they know that we are a welcoming community. 00:00:57.348 --> 00:01:02.549 We're competing with other prestigious and highly accomplished institutions. 00:01:02.549 --> 00:01:08.345 We want to make sure that we can target the right candidates to join our community 00:01:08.345 --> 00:01:11.761 regardless of their disability status. 00:01:11.761 --> 00:01:20.028 We want to do everything we can to insure that they have the same access to smart faculty, to fellow students, and 00:01:20.028 --> 00:01:22.195 to the resources at UC Davis. 00:01:22.195 --> 00:01:30.579 In fact, we genuinely believe that excellence is achieved through diversity and that a commitment to equity and inclusion 00:01:30.579 --> 00:01:33.895 really enriches each of our lives. 00:01:33.895 --> 00:01:43.462 It would be inconceivable not to have a social conscience, at least, and be completely committed to 00:01:43.462 --> 00:01:48.894 making our resources at Barry University accessible to all students. 00:01:48.894 --> 00:01:53.360 We believe that the use of technology can be very powerful. 00:01:53.360 --> 00:01:58.996 It connects people to each other, but it also enhances their learning capabilities; 00:01:58.996 --> 00:02:05.023 it increases what they can do through their research and creative work; 00:02:05.023 --> 00:02:13.773 it really makes it possible for them to have a more powerful impact in the world and that's basically what we're all about. 00:02:13.773 --> 00:02:16.941 And we want that to be true for every member of our community 00:02:16.941 --> 00:02:25.406 regardless of limitations of physical, spacial, time or other dimension. 00:02:25.406 --> 00:02:33.821 As an IT professional, sometimes some of us concentrate in the technical side of the house only 00:02:33.821 --> 00:02:38.155 and we forget that finally the technology is to serve the people. 00:02:38.155 --> 00:02:42.520 What the university offers and makes available has to be offered to everybody. 00:02:42.520 --> 00:02:48.186 We can’t afford to waste the talents or the brilliance or the minds of anybody 00:02:48.186 --> 00:02:53.111 and making things accessible allows everybody to engage in the university. 00:02:53.111 --> 00:02:57.795 Equal opportunity is a part of our value system, but it’s also required by law. 00:02:57.795 --> 00:03:05.777 Compliance is extremely important. And compliance is the law. But that isn't the motivator for most of us at universities. 00:03:05.777 --> 00:03:13.361 Our motivation has always been to provide easily accessible tools, excellent experiences 00:03:13.361 --> 00:03:18.144 for our students and really to give them the sense that this is a place they want to be, 00:03:18.144 --> 00:03:21.362 a place they want to learn, a place where they can thrive. 00:03:31.070 --> 00:03:33.395 Universal design is a very powerful concept because what it means is 00:03:33.395 --> 00:03:39.111 we look at the issue of accessibility at the outset rather than buying something or engaging 00:03:39.111 --> 00:03:42.822 something, or developing something that we have to retrofit. Which not only makes it 00:03:42.822 --> 00:03:48.654 cheaper and more efficient, it likely makes it much better in terms of both the quality 00:03:48.654 --> 00:03:53.287 of the product and the accessibility to those – all the people that we want to be able to use it. 00:03:53.287 --> 00:03:58.021 I think the other direction that colleges and universities could and should take 00:03:58.021 --> 00:04:05.273 is to think about accommodation as really the beginning of the conversation about disability. 00:04:05.273 --> 00:04:11.842 It was the appropriate measure that was taken in the Americans with Disabilities Act that was passed in 1990 00:04:11.842 --> 00:04:14.843 and that's well over a generation ago. 00:04:14.843 --> 00:04:22.808 I think now we really have to think less about how we're going to measure specifically this accommodation or that accommodation 00:04:22.808 --> 00:04:29.759 and recognize that we can make accessibility open and available so that individual staff, faculty or students 00:04:29.759 --> 00:04:32.842 do not have to go to get an accommodation. 00:04:32.842 --> 00:04:38.410 It will be automatically available in the webpage that they visit, in the device that they use. 00:04:38.410 --> 00:04:45.827 We envision a campus that has a concept of universal design in all aspects of information technology, 00:04:45.827 --> 00:04:51.726 that a student is not impeded in any way, but in fact, that technology is utilized not only directly by 00:04:51.726 --> 00:04:57.159 those who benefit because of certain challenges they may have, but also is illustrative to 00:04:57.159 --> 00:05:03.427 the broader student body and to the faculty and to alums 00:05:03.427 --> 00:05:05.993 about what an inclusive learning environment is. 00:05:05.993 --> 00:05:10.008 We have some things we have to learn in order to move into accessibility space, 00:05:10.008 --> 00:05:14.592 but the basic goals and the basic values are things we already know and love. 00:05:14.592 --> 00:05:21.143 Then we bring in things like universal design: the notion that if we design things well right from the start, 00:05:21.143 --> 00:05:23.926 they actually aren't more expensive. 00:05:23.926 --> 00:05:28.226 This is something that we can fit into even our very, very tight budgets. 00:05:38.503 --> 00:05:43.120 We make a great effort in our graduate and our undergraduate counsel 00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:52.070 to make sure that faculty and deans are aware that in program design, in offering a new major, 00:05:52.070 --> 00:05:57.552 that they take into account that they might have to have specialized software available, 00:05:57.552 --> 00:06:05.569 and they have to build that into their program development. And then to certainly just be aware 00:06:05.569 --> 00:06:12.702 of all the different ways that students can learn, to help faculty and deans understand 00:06:12.702 --> 00:06:15.521 the concept of universal design. 00:06:15.521 --> 00:06:23.719 The first step really needs to be an assessment of where we are, so we can then inform our planning process, 00:06:23.719 --> 00:06:30.087 develop plans, implement a project, and then really assess the results of it. 00:06:30.087 --> 00:06:35.132 Key to our approach to making sure that our campus and our technology is 00:06:35.132 --> 00:06:40.032 accessible to people with disabilities, is to ensure we do this by design. 00:06:40.032 --> 00:06:45.365 This is not an afterthought that we do after we have implemented a new classroom. 00:06:45.365 --> 00:06:51.216 Instead, this is something that we do from the initial conception of new project or idea. 00:06:51.216 --> 00:06:56.816 The same we would do this for privacy and security, we do this for accessibility. 00:06:56.816 --> 00:07:04.616 It is less costly, in the long run, to be thinking through the issues of accessibility comprehensively. 00:07:04.616 --> 00:07:08.549 Therefore, having a plan for accessibility insures that 00:07:08.549 --> 00:07:14.849 from the beginning we think through our issues with regard to the delivery of our services. 00:07:14.849 --> 00:07:21.799 Doing so in a strategic way means that we can hold down costs over the long haul and 00:07:21.799 --> 00:07:26.333 actually deliver better services in the bargain. 00:07:26.333 --> 00:07:34.382 It is very important that a university follows a policy and a process that is a can-do kind of process. 00:07:34.382 --> 00:07:38.015 It assumes that we are going to undertake the investments that we need, 00:07:38.015 --> 00:07:43.782 we're going to demonstrate the values that we need - that not only address the needs of students who may be challenged 00:07:43.782 --> 00:07:51.083 with vision or hearing or other disabilities, but also draw on the technology that is not 00:07:51.083 --> 00:07:55.466 only exciting for those people who are developing the technology, it's intellectually exciting, 00:07:55.466 --> 00:08:00.449 it provides new jobs for that matter and it stimulates learning in so many parts of the 00:08:00.449 --> 00:08:08.316 university. So that attitude of the university administration, as well as faculty and staff and students, 00:08:08.316 --> 00:08:13.549 becomes very, very important because everyone gains from this. It's a win-win situation. 00:08:13.549 --> 00:08:19.649 A policy really is an important way to go, because it will focus everyone’s attention. 00:08:19.649 --> 00:08:25.482 It's also probably the way that you have to go now that there are legal pressures on higher education in this area. 00:08:25.482 --> 00:08:31.365 The second thing I would say about policy is there are really two types in general. 00:08:31.365 --> 00:08:34.782 One is a policy that you have because you have a law, 00:08:34.782 --> 00:08:39.182 for example, the Family Education Rights Privacy Act Policy, 00:08:39.182 --> 00:08:43.865 so you want to be clear and sure that you're going to have compliance on your campus. 00:08:43.865 --> 00:08:51.532 There's another kind of policy that I would call aspirational policy and maybe accessibility fits a little bit in both 00:08:51.532 --> 00:08:55.566 but you most certainly can err on the aspirational side. 00:08:55.566 --> 00:09:03.016 An aspirational policy is something you establish for your institution as a path moving towards something, moving forward. 00:09:03.016 --> 00:09:10.200 It does not have to have one hundred percent compliance because it's really a direction that you're setting strategically for your institution. 00:09:10.200 --> 00:09:17.932 I’d say another critical aspect around our strategy is a shared governance strategy. 00:09:17.932 --> 00:09:29.683 Because education is a shared responsibility across faculty, staff, students, vendors, 00:09:29.683 --> 00:09:35.921 all of us working together have to share in that responsibility. 00:09:36.383 --> 00:09:48.370 Now, a shared governance process means if you are responsible in delivering the service, then you have an opportunity to share in governing how we’re going to 00:09:48.416 --> 00:09:50.988 manage the implementation of these services. 00:09:51.018 --> 00:09:56.606 The administrators of the university must reflect the values that demonstrate the importance of this to the learning environment 00:09:56.606 --> 00:09:59.990 and it has to be built in then to every aspect of what we do. 00:09:59.990 --> 00:10:03.755 Right now we have a number of projects and initiatives underway at the UW 00:10:03.755 --> 00:10:06.823 in which we're testing new technologies. 00:10:06.823 --> 00:10:10.189 Accessibility is an important consideration in these evaluations. 00:10:10.189 --> 00:10:15.439 Many of the vendors we work with have completed Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates or VPATs, 00:10:15.439 --> 00:10:22.273 which offer a checklist of accessibility criteria and vendors' self-assessment as to how well they meet those criteria. 00:10:22.273 --> 00:10:26.606 It's a good starting point, but we go beyond that to ask a vendor specific questions 00:10:26.606 --> 00:10:30.206 and to test their products with respect to accessibility. 00:10:30.206 --> 00:10:40.523 We begin with our vendors saying (a) this is not only important, that this is required for working with the CSU. 00:10:40.523 --> 00:10:48.006 Every student who comes into our institution, we have to provide equally effective access to 00:10:48.006 --> 00:10:53.155 those services and you are a partner in delivering those services to us. 00:10:53.155 --> 00:11:02.740 So we will tell you what we need and then we will help you inform your staff, educate your staff, provide them 00:11:02.740 --> 00:11:07.190 some consultation and guidance in partnership with us, 00:11:07.190 --> 00:11:10.923 so you can deliver the successful service for us. 00:11:10.923 --> 00:11:16.773 So we work with our vendors to try to put pressure on them to make things accessible. 00:11:16.773 --> 00:11:24.156 We actually have a purchasing process where we work through and ask the issues about accessibility 00:11:24.156 --> 00:11:28.706 for software and hardware that we buy as well. 00:11:28.706 --> 00:11:33.006 Individual efforts really need to be able to scale well. 00:11:33.006 --> 00:11:38.339 If we go about things in an ad hoc approach, one by one, we're not likely to get the same results 00:11:38.339 --> 00:11:42.856 as if we work together as a community in higher education, 00:11:42.856 --> 00:11:46.772 to work with vendors to improve accessibility for everyone 00:11:46.772 --> 00:11:49.173 with regard to the products that are offered. 00:11:49.173 --> 00:11:55.273 That's a much more pragmatic approach rather than institution by institution. 00:11:55.273 --> 00:12:04.557 Making accessibility a priority in their development roadmap is going to be driven by the market demand. 00:12:04.557 --> 00:12:12.240 And if an institution never says a word, the vendor isn’t going to do anything about it. 00:12:12.240 --> 00:12:16.106 So if we begin to communicate our demands collectively, 00:12:16.106 --> 00:12:20.406 then the vendor will recognize the market value of accessibility. 00:12:20.406 --> 00:12:25.590 As we acquire IT resources, we have to embed accessibility in our contracts. 00:12:25.590 --> 00:12:30.057 As we develop resources, we have to employ universal design in our thinking about how 00:12:30.057 --> 00:12:35.006 to make these resources available and we have to continue to monitor students to see if 00:12:35.006 --> 00:12:39.096 we're really delivering to them the resources in a form that they can actually use. 00:12:49.435 --> 00:12:53.348 Accessibility requires effort on the part of everyone in the higher education community - 00:12:53.348 --> 00:12:59.481 faculty, staff, technology vendors. If we all do our part, our institutions can provide everyone with 00:12:59.481 --> 00:13:05.181 an equal opportunity to participate. And we all benefit from the perspectives of a diverse group. 00:13:05.181 --> 00:13:12.298 Having that peace of mind that we are doing all we can to provide an accessible campus is -- gives us a lot of pride 00:13:12.298 --> 00:13:16.865 and we feel very happy about what, what we do. 00:13:16.865 --> 00:13:21.198 Why wouldn't we make our campus accessible to students with disabilities and 00:13:21.198 --> 00:13:26.731 why wouldn't we do everything we could to see the technology is accessible to our students? 00:13:26.731 --> 00:13:32.832 The spirit of what has made higher education the jewel in the crown of American society 00:13:32.832 --> 00:13:36.332 is part and parcel of the message of accessibility. 00:13:36.332 --> 00:13:43.181 Every way in which we touch the lives of others, whether it's in the classroom, the laboratory, 00:13:43.181 --> 00:13:48.215 through live performances, through events on campus, 00:13:48.215 --> 00:13:55.249 we want everyone who comes here and creates those experiences to be as fully engaged 00:13:55.249 --> 00:14:01.798 and as fully benefited by the activity as possible. 00:14:01.798 --> 00:14:09.416 And that simply can't be done if people have artificial challenges or barriers to try to overcome. 00:14:09.416 --> 00:14:15.181 I would say to those out there who are just getting started or maybe struggling 00:14:15.181 --> 00:14:21.648 to figure out how to use technology to advance accessibility on their campuses that 00:14:21.648 --> 00:14:24.681 there's no such thing as a bad time to start.