Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Barriers To Fanfiction Access: Results From A Usability Inspection Of Fanfiction.Net, Jayne C. Lammers, Nicholas P. Palumbo

Journal of Media Literacy Education

As researchers encourage teachers to bring fanfiction into classrooms, questions remain about whether online fanfiction communities are accessible to all students. This paper presents results from a practitioner-oriented usability inspection of FanFiction.net, investigating challenges students with disabilities might encounter as they participate. Operating this website with screen reader assistive technology reveals navigation, social connection, and reading barriers users may face when trying to engage in typical fanfiction practices. This study offers implications for media literacy educators to consider as they work to bring online media into classrooms without further marginalizing students with disabilities.

Universal Design For Learning: Guiding Principles To Reduce Barriers To Digital & Media Literacy Competence, Elizabeth M. Dalton

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a framework for designing instruction to address the wide range of learner variation in today’s inclusive classrooms, can be applied effectively to broaden access, understanding, and engagement in digital and media literacy learning for ALL. UDL supports constructivist learning principles. UDL strategiesand methods encouragedevelopment of expert learners though personal engagement and motivation. UDL transforms one-size-fits-all instruction into diverse, multiple, and accessible learning opportunities that embrace student variation. UDL principles and guidelines offer a unique way for educators in digital and media literacy fields to ensure that their work will benefit the widest range of learners, …

Alton's Sidewalks, Jenna Flemming

Faculty of Applied Health and Community Studies - Exceptional Student Work, 2017

This reflection and PowerPoint presentation were part of an assignment in the course Policy and Justice in an Aging Society (Year 2, Semester 1) in the Social Service Worker Gerontology program. The purpose of this assignment was to engage in advocacy work on issues and promote change and solutions by raising awareness.

Jenna describes her process for advocating for change "I decided to advocate for change to the lack of accessibility of sidewalks. I chose to focus on this because it is an issue I see everywhere, it effects a lot of people including seniors, people with disabilities or parents …

“On Your Feet!”: Addressing Ableism In Theatre Of The Oppressed Facilitation, Caitlin E. Ray

Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal

Theatre of the Oppressed workshops strive to be inclusive and democratic; however, the facilitation of such workshops may actually limit inclusiveness when facilitators assume a certain level of physical ability in its participants. By considering disability scholarship and Universal Design pedagogy, I introduce specific ways in which facilitators can be more inclusive to the diversity of bodies in our workshops. I also include an example Image Theatre activity that applies my disability-conscious suggestions.

Pedagogy For A Plugged-In Age, Independent Study 2017, Andrew Hladkyj

Publications and Scholarship

This is an independent study for Hladkyj's graduate studies in Strategic Foresight and Innovation (MDes) at OCAD University. The study’s goal is to establish a “lay of the land” informing how technology and pedagogy might be designed in the Web Design Graduate Certificate program Hladkyj spearheaded at Sheridan College.

The research consists of a literature review validated by primary sources, composed of four 30-minute, semi-structured expert interviews with college-level design educators, administrators, and students (both current and former).

A modified, “human-centred” STEEP V (Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental, Political, Values) framework provides context to the findings.The output is actionable and threefold: …

“There Is Nothing Inherently Mysterious About Assistive Technology”: A Qualitative Study About Blind User Experiences In Us Academic Libraries, Adina Mulliken

Publications and Research

Eighteen academic library users who are blind were interviewed about their experiences with academic libraries and the libraries’ websites using an open-ended questionnaire and recorded telephone interviews. The study approaches these topics from a user-centered perspective, with the idea that blind users themselves can provide particularly reliable insights into the issues and potential solutions that are most critical to them. Most participants used reference librarians’ assistance, and most had positive experiences. High-level screen reader users requested help with specific needs. A larger number of participants reported contacting a librarian because of feeling overwhelmed by the library website. In some cases, …