Education Commons^™

Supporting Ksu English Instructors In Meeting The Access Needs Of Deaf And Hard And Hearing Students, Kris Roberson

Master's Projects

The lack of instructors prepared to work with deaf and hard of hearing (DHOH) students in higher education causes course accessibility barriers (Palmer et al., 2019; National Deaf Center [NDC] of Postsecondary Outcomes, n.d) and increased stress for students and instructors (Valle-Flórez et al., 2021; Salko, 2023). These obstacles inhibit DHOH student graduation rates and workforce entry (Garberoglio, 2019). Instructors require more training to effectively support DHOH students with best practices beyond basic accommodations. This qualitative research study presents phenomenological data from six interviews conducted with participants from one large, southeastern, R2 public university (Kennesaw State University, [KSU]) and one …

Accessible Autonomy: Exploring Inclusive Autonomous Vehicle Design And Interaction For People Who Are Blind And Visually Impaired, Paul D. S. Fink

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Autonomous vehicles are poised to revolutionize independent travel for millions of people experiencing transportation-limiting visual impairments worldwide. However, the current trajectory of automotive technology is rife with roadblocks to accessible interaction and inclusion for this demographic. Inaccessible (visually dependent) interfaces and lack of information access throughout the trip are surmountable, yet nevertheless critical barriers to this potentially lifechanging technology. To address these challenges, the programmatic dissertation research presented here includes ten studies, three published papers, and three submitted papers in high impact outlets that together address accessibility across the complete trip of transportation. The first paper began with a thorough …

Physical Accessibility And Historic Preservation In Historic House Museums Of The Southeast, Abby Milonas

All Theses

Museums are a public good, as they provide educational recreation and preserve cultural history, and so it is crucial that they are physically accessible to as many visitors as possible. The aim of this study was to understand what architectural features of historic house museums are the least accessible and what has been done to ameliorate these challenges. The survey used in the study was developed using the guidelines for making historic buildings accessible as described in the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards. It was distributed by email to representatives of 220 historic sites, of …

Increasing Access And Success In Online Education For Students With Disabilities, William H. Snow, Karen M. Roller, Wendy Wade, Jared W. Snow

Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision

Counselor educators are legally and ethically required to support individuals with disabilities in their courses. While this presentation focuses on visual and auditory impairments, all students benefit when accommodations and adaptations support a wide range of learning styles. The authors provide web accessibility principles and guidelines and operationalize practical suggestions for coursework. Off-the-shelf assistive technologies are readily available to support learners. Educators are encouraged to test course materials using assistive technologies to better understand how students with disabilities experience their courses.

Accessibility Of Blended Learning For Special Needs Students In Higher Education, Reem Yaseen Al-Sulaimani

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigated the experiences of visually impaired students and their faculty members with blended learning at University X. Qualitative research methods were employed to gather data through interviews with six visually impaired students and six professors. The study analyzed the data using two frameworks, Universal Design of Learning (UDL) and Community of Inquiry (CoI). The findings indicate that the course design, personalization of accessibility, social inclusion and classroom dynamics, university support and resources, and technology accessibility and digital literacy have an impact on the experiences of visually impaired students and their professors. The study provides recommendations for improving the …

Collaboration Between Occupational Therapists And Architects To Incorporate Universal Design To Increase Accessibility, Michelle C. L. Hoff, Susan Macdermott

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

The design of the built environment plays a key role in occupational participation. When the built environment is poorly designed, it severely limits accessibility for an individual with a disability. In contrast, when the built environment is well designed, it can support the occupational performance of individuals of all ages and abilities. Interprofessional collaboration between occupational therapists and architects can improve environmental barriers to occupational participation within home and community settings. Interprofessional collaboration between occupational therapists and architects has involved direct input through consultations, interprofessional education experiences, and the formation of interprofessional organizations. However, barriers to interprofessional collaboration have included …

Promoting Skills In Children And Teens With Autism Spectrum Disorder Through Play And Steam, Meaghan Mcleod Mozingo, Krzysztof J. Rechowicz

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a low employment rate. This is caused by a lack of support from employment resources and the negative stigma associated with common characteristics associated with ASD. With limited career-building activities and events, it is difficult for individuals with ASD to identify their skills, strengths, and career opportunities. Parental support is crucial when seeking employment opportunities for their children. Through the use of play, children with ASD engaged and explored their skills with science, technology, engineering, arts, and math-centered activities. This paper highlights the events and shows the proposed redesign for an additional workshop.

A Survey Of Universal Design At Museums: Current Industry Practice And Perceptions, Jennifer K. Fortuna, Kayleigh Thomas, Jenna Asper, Laura Matney, Kyra Chase, Stephanie Ogren, Julia Vandermolen

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Museums are key educational and cultural resources in the community, yet many are not accessible to visitors with disabilities. Universal design promotes products and environments usable to the greatest extent possible by all people, regardless of ability. This study explores current industry practice and perceptions of accessibility and universal design in a small sample of American museums. Suggestions for how occupational therapists can help museums go above and beyond ADA guidelines are provided.

Method: An 17-item cross-sectional survey was used to collect data. Twenty-five museum associations assisted with recruitment. A descriptive numerical summary and qualitative analysis were …

Cause For Complaint: A Case Study Exploring Office For Civil Rights Complaints And Resolutions Related To Digital Accessibility At Public Colleges And Universities, Helen Gema Muñiz Bermudez

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

As the number of students with disabilities pursuing postsecondary opportunities continues to grow, along with an increase in digital educational content and technology, the issue of digital accessibility becomes increasingly urgent - both as a matter of equity and access for disabled students and as a matter of social and fiscal responsibility for postsecondary institutions. When postsecondary institutions fail to meet the requirements of disability legislation, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is the federal entity responsible for enforcement and complaint investigations, handling hundreds of complaints related to digital accessibility at postsecondary institutions since 2013. There …

Instructional Designers' Perceptions Of The Practice Of Instructional Design In A Post-Pandemic Workplace, Donna Petherbridge, Michelle Bartlett, Jessica White, Diane Chapman

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

This article explores instructional designers’ perceptions of changes to instructional design practice in a post-pandemic workplace. A thematic analysis of interviews conducted with 33 instructional designers revealed that instructional designers believe that the profession is profoundly altered post-pandemic. Findings around post-pandemic instructional design practice include adopting agile instructional design practices, increasing collaborations with others within a context of empathy, recognizing the importance of accessibility, and increasing reliance on technology to deliver both instruction and training within the context of an expanded portfolio of how instruction will be delivered in the future.

Designing For Accessibility In Online Learning: A Design Case, Mohan Yang, Victoria Lowell, Yishi Long, Tadd Farmer

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Despite laws in the United States (e.g., Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and its 2008 Amendments), students with various disabilities continue to experience access barriers to instructional content and inclusion in course activities. Online learning environments can present especially challenging circumstances for disabled students despite the advantages they could potentially bring. In this article, we present the design and development of three self-paced e-learning modules following a three-phased design process to prepare instructional design students to create accessible online learning content. The instructional design planning and development process can provide …

Accessible Learning Resources And Guidelines Handbook, Accessible Learning, Centre For Equity And Inclusion

Resources

This document for faculty of Sheridan contains copies of the Academic Accommodation procedures and policies, answers frequently asked questions, and provides examples of common academic accommodations. Resources such as memory aid sheet examples are included.

Let All Voices Be Heard: Creating An Engaging And Inclusive Asynchronous Qr Classroom, Ruby A. Daniels, Kathryn Appenzeller Knowles

Numeracy

With the shift to remote teaching, many instructors used Zoom for synchronous work. However, this presented issues (fatigue, turning cameras off, inequitable technical hurdles) that motivated quantitative reasoning (QR) instructors to look for asynchronous alternatives. A common technique has been text-based online discussions, which can be difficult for students to find engaging. This mixed method study (N = 41) describes an inclusive video alternative, specifically for teaching QR and quantitative fluency skills, which was piloted in two asynchronous sections and one hybrid section of the same course. Students posted their video responses, watched their classmates’ videos, and wrote short …

Coronavirus Disability Survey: Assessing The Impact Of Covid-19 On Young Adults With Disabilities, Hena Rashid

Student Research Submissions

This paper seeks to inform individuals of the importance of digital inclusivity, diminish the digital divide, and accessibility to technological services of college students who experience a form of disability. The United States has conducted minimal research on the digital disability rhetoric, promoted minimal disability-inclusive measures to protect the rights and well-being of college students, and minimal assistance to mitigate Coronavirus (COVID-19) impacts to this population subgroup. This subject can have a big impact on individuals who suffer from disability stigma, low accessibility issues, and who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Furthermore, this subject will benefit college students …

Designing And Evaluating Accessible E-Learning For Students With Visual Impairments In K-12 Computing Education, Earl W. Huff Jr

All Dissertations

This dissertation explores the pathways for making K-12 computing education more accessible for blind or visually impaired (BVI) learners. As computer science (CS) expands into K-12 education, more concerted efforts are required to ensure all students have equitable access to opportunities to pursue a career in computing. To determine their viability with BVI learners, I conducted three studies to assess current accessibility in CS curricula, materials, and learning environments. Study one was interviews with visually impaired developers; study two was interviews with K-12 teachers of visually impaired students; study three was a remote observation within a computer science course. My …

Accessibility And The University Experience: Where Does Bowling Green State University Stand?, Abigail Mcnichols

Honors Projects

Accessibility is a rather broad term, but this paper focuses specifically on accessibility issues for students with disabilities pursuing higher education. While K-12 institutions have disability legislation like IDEA, higher education is governed by several different acts which work together to create a legal minimum. This paper serves to outline what that legal minimum is, whether Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is in compliance with the minimum, and what BGSU could be doing to go beyond the minimum. Based on an analysis of the ADA, Section 504, the 2008 ADAAA, and expert legal opinion, BGSU does appear to be compliant …

School Improvement Plan: Making School Accessible, Angela Duffy

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This school improvement project details the importance of disability acceptance, accessibility, and inclusion. The project details multiple types of disabilities including physical, learning, speech, and intellectual disabilities. Several studies covering topics such as knowledge and representation of disability, types of disabilities, acceptance and inclusion, and assistive technology were studied for this project. The purpose of this school improvement plan is to educate administration on how to make schools accessible and inclusive for students and staff with disabilities in the future. The project will define the term disability, explain some needs students may have due to those disabilities, and guide educators …

Assessing Awareness And Competence Of Best Practices In Synchronous Online Instruction During The Covid-19 Pandemic For Clemson Cooperative Extension Professionals, Christopher J. Eck, K Dale Layfield, Catherine A. Dibenedetto, Jacqueline K. Jordan, Sarah O. Scott, Weatherly Thomas, Michelle Parisi, Thomas Dobbins

The Journal of Extension

Traditional delivery of Extension programming changed overnight in March 2020, when the COVID-19 outbreak forced switching traditional methods to virtual delivery. Extension professionals across South Carolina quickly adapted to online delivery. Concerns over instructor preparedness to use online tools, including functions to assure accessibility, did arise. Findings from this non-experimental, descriptive research study suggested Extension professionals used online tools (primarily Zoom). The majority were not comfortable using many of the features that would enhance instruction, including polling, file transfer, and live-streaming media platforms. Additionally, Microsoft Word and PowerPoint skills to assure accessibility for clientele were lacking.

Library Study Spaces And Accessibility, Jessica Schomberg, Elizabeth Harsma, Prajita Chauhan, Oscar Gonzalez

Library Services Publications

To understand the library study space needs of students with disabilities by thinking about study spaces through a disability lens and using theory-based interview questions to conduct a qualitative exploration of student needs related to the accessibility of study spaces. Recommendations are provided.

Asking The Right Questions: Accessibility And Library Study Rooms, Jessica Schomberg, Christopher R. Corley

Library Services Publications

This article assists administrators who want to ensure their libraries are inclusive of people with disabilities but don’t know where to start. We argue that organizations should understand not only the basic dimensions of ADA law but also dimensions of disability. They should also become familiar with multiple domains of disability and proactively incorporate reflective questions posed by researchers and advocates into the library space planning process. The article uses examples of common missteps in the development of study rooms with some reflection on how to learn from the experience.

Accessibility As A Foundation For An Equitable Digital Civic Engagement Infrastructure, Allison D. Rank, Rebecca Mushtare

eJournal of Public Affairs

Individuals and organizations in both higher education and civic engagement have become increasingly aware of their obligation to foster a sense of belonging among students and support historically under-represented populations within their work. As part of this effort, we argue the civic engagement infrastructure—a term we use to capture the full range of organizations and associated resources directed toward improving civic engagement within higher education that stem from actors both on and off campus—must pay more attention to digital accessibility. We document this need by establishing the degree higher education institutions rely on off-campus organizations and resources in civic engagement …

Tactile Materials In Practice: Understanding The Experiences Of Teachers Of The Visually Impaired, Mahika Phutane, Julie Wright, Brenda Veronica Castro, Lei Shi, Simone R. Stern, Holly Lawson, Shiri Azenkot

Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Teachers of the visually impaired (TVIs) regularly present tactile materials (tactile graphics, 3D models, and real objects) to students with vision impairments. Researchers have been increasingly interested in designing tools to support the use of tactile materials, but we still lack an in-depth understanding of how tactile materials are created and used in practice today. To address this gap, we conducted interviews with 21 TVIs and a 3-week diary study with eight of them. We found that tactile materials were regularly used for academic as well as non-academic concepts like tactile literacy, motor ability, and spatial awareness. Real objects and …

Editorial: Increasing Accessibility In Academic Publishing And Upcoming Initiatives, Matt Wappett

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

This editorial provides an overview of the current issue, and then several initiatives that DDNJ is working on to increase the accessibility of academic publishing. This editorial introduces our new podcast and our upcoming presentation at the Fall 2021 AUCD Conference.

Signing To Success: Developing Effective Asl Curricula In Secondary Public Education, Claire Sutterer

Undergraduate Research Symposium

This study aims to investigate the history of American Sign Language (ASL) in public schools, analyze where ASL education is today, and provide potential solutions to improving the quantity and quality of ASL classes within public high schools. A significant body of research focusing on preK-2nd grade students and research with primary concentration on students who are Deaf or hard of hearing has already been developed. However, developing effective methods for teaching ASL to hearing people is a relatively new and under researched area. ASL was not officially recognized as a language until the 1950s. It wasn’t until 2011 that …

Creating An Online Concrete Masonry Course For Accessibility, Dolores Herrera

Architectural Engineering: Graduate Reports

An online undergraduate course in masonry design was created for an asynchronous delivery format and to fulfill web accessibility requirements. This report outlines the process of the course creation with Canvas as the host platform. Emphasis is placed on how content including lecture presentations, assignments, and course modules were developed with strong graphic software and communication skills. For accessibility, the content creation was guided by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA Standards. Lastly, the significance of learning masonry design in undergraduate structural engineering curriculum is discussed in addition to the structural engineering industry practices used to complete …

Exploring Tactile Art-Making With Deafblind Students And Their Families: An Opportunity For Creative Play, Alice Rodgers

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The impact of a deafblind diagnosis on an individual’s mental health and the well-being of the family involved can be profound. However, current research and available literature for the mental health treatment and therapy practices of deafblind persons and their families is limited (Kyzar et al., 2016; “WFDB Global Report 2018,” n.d.). This thesis used the Leeds Family Psychology and Therapy Service principles (Leeds FPTS) and the Expressive Therapies Continuum with established deafblind teaching strategies to facilitate an original arts-based community project entitled: “Things We Like.” This project provided an opportunity for deafblind students (ages three to 22) and their …

A Look Into Transition Programs For First Year Students With Disabilities In Higher Education: How To Create A Transition Program To Support Student Success, Gillian R. Lazzarini

Culminating Experience Projects

Students with disabilities face a myriad of challenges to persistence and success in higher education (Weis et al., 2016). This is largely caused by the fact that there are different laws and policies that govern secondary education and higher education, which can result in an adverse impact on transition services for students with disabilities. Therefore, this project analyzes the transition from secondary education to higher education for students with disabilities and looks at transition programs as a tool to support student success. Students with disabilities often have issues building community, navigating support services and accommodations, as well as practicing self-advocacy …

Giudice Helps Creation Of Data Science Teaching Tools For High School Students With Disabilities, Marcus Wolf

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

As the data science field continues to generate more jobs and create new research and economic development opportunities, educators have decided to teach it in high schools. Many of the materials and tools they use, however, are inaccessible and fail to meet the needs of students with disabilities, impeding their access to data science careers.

Studenting And Teaching With Chronic Pain: Accessibility At The Intersection Of Contingency And Disability, Beth Greene

Academic Labor: Research and Artistry

While much attention is given to undergraduate students with disabilities, far less is devoted to graduate students, particularly those who also act as faculty: Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs). This article discusses issues of accessibility encountered by these contingent faculty members, specifically GTAs who have invisible disabilities, and how approaching discussions of contingency and disability with an ethos of transparent vulnerability—a level of transparency that necessarily leads to vulnerability—can help combat the stigma that continues to surround contingency and disability in higher education.

Oer Design: Creating Functional And Attractive Open Textbooks, Judy Schmitt

Library Faculty Works

Presented at the 2021 Missouri A&OER Symposium