Accessibility Commons^™

65 - Evaluating Drone-Based Stem Camps For Enhanced Engagement And Sel Development, David Morgan

Undergraduate Research Symposium

STEM camps are programs designed to promote exposure to learning associated with science, technology, engineering, and math educational outcomes. However, there is a significant gap in participation for Black and Brown individuals in STEM careers. This study seeks to understand how STEM programs during out-of-school time may support students from underrepresented communities and foster future interest in STEM-related careers. This study employs a retrospective qualitative research design investigating program participation in a week-long STEM camp in Hampton, Virginia. Thirty middle and high school students participated in the curriculum, technical drone skills, emphasizing emotional intelligence, self-regulation, and social awareness. These findings …

Analysing Nontraditional Students' Chatgpt Interaction, Engagement, Self-Efficacy And Performance: A Mixed-Methods Approach, Mohan Yang, Shiyan Jiang, Belle Li, Kristin Herman, Tian Luo, Shanan Chappell Moots, Nolan Lovett

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Generative artificial intelligence brings opportunities and unique challenges to nontraditional higher education students, stemming, in part, from the experience of the digital divide. Providing access and practice is critical to bridge this divide and equip students with needed digital competencies. This mixed-methods study investigated how nontraditional higher education students interact with ChatGPT in multiple courses and examined relationships between ChatGPT interactions, engagement, self-efficacy and performance. Data were collected from 73 undergraduate and graduate students through chat logs, course reflections and artefacts, surveys and interviews. ChatGPT interactions were analysed using four metrics: prompt number, depth of knowledge (DoK), prompt relevance and …

Development Of A Personalized Conversational Health Agent To Enhance Physical Activity For Blind And Low-Vision Individuals, Soyoung Choi, Jooyoung Seo, Ashwath Krishnan, Sanchita Kamath, Justin Haegele

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Background: With the advancements in mobile health (mHealth) technologies, sighted individuals can benefit from mobile apps and wearable devices to more easily manage their physical activity (PA) and wellness data through intuitive touch gestures and effective data visualizations. However, for blind and low-vision (BLV) individuals, these conventional interaction methods are often challenging, not only limiting their ability to use these technologies but also potentially diminishing their motivation to adopt them to support health-promoting behaviors. We aimed to develop a health monitoring application called Personalized and Conversational Health Agent (PCHA) that supports BLV individuals with self-monitoring and management of their PA …

A Global Comparison Of Communication Intervention Strategies For Justice-Involved Youth, Sophia Janeiro Martinez

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

Purpose: This paper explores the intricate relationship between communication disorders and delinquent youth behavior. It will explore the detrimental impact of zero-tolerance policies and their contribution to the school-to-prison pipeline. It will introduce issues, such as complex Miranda warning diction, and the benefits of including speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to aid in youth comprehension. Additionally, it will propose the integration of SLPs within the juvenile justice system to assist in communication between justice-involved youth (JIY) and justice professionals during conversations, questioning, and trials or hearings. Furthermore, this paper examines the roles of SLPs within juvenile justice systems abroad, including Canada, …

Chapter 10: Increasing Accessibility In Educational Simulations, Meaghan Mcleod

Instructional Message Design, Volume 3

Simulations are an important aspect of education and training. They provide the learner with situations that mirror real life situations or provide access to unobservable phenomena. The simulations provide the learner with a unique opportunity to master skills through the use of and practice in a safe environment. However, many simulations are not designed with accessibility and accommodations in mind. This chapter provides a general overview of simulations and provides suggestions on how to increase accessibility and enhance the learning experience for all learners.

Chapter 05: Message Design: How To Communicate Visual Information To Learners Who Are Visually Impaired, Meaghan Mcleod

Instructional Message Design, Volume 3

Message design consists of signs and symbols that play a crucial role in guiding our daily lives. text, images, videos, graphics, and diagrams are essential tools for communication and education. However, individuals with visual impairments are not able to fully access this visual content that plays such a critical part of our daily lives. Therefore, there is a need to create educational material that can be accessed by all learners including those with visual impairments. This chapter explores practical strategies that instructional designers, teachers, professors, and instructors can use to provide an inclusive learning experience for learners with visual impairments. …

Chapter 03: Message Design For Instructional Designers – Audio And Video Best Practices, Shelby Taylor

Instructional Message Design, Volume 3

Instructional message design is the way that information is delivered to users or the learners. Learners have short-term and long-term memory. Cognitive load theory and multimedia learning theory are two theories that can be applied to best practices in audio and video. Audio and video can range from speeches, podcasts, DVDs, and streaming videos. Both can enhance learning but should not drive the instruction. Segmenting video and audio is one of the many best practices as it allows learners to chunk the information and process it in small bits. There are learners who have auditory and visual deficits and instructional …

Go Beyond Compliance: Use Individualized Education Programs To Answer Strategic Questions And Improve Programs, Adrienne D. Woods, Marie C. Ireland, Kimberly Murphy, Hope Spark Lancaster

Speech-Language Pathology Faculty Publications

Purpose: The most significant document to ensure effective and compliant design, implementation, monitoring, and enforcement of a program of special education services in the United States is the Individualized Education Program (IEP). Although IEPs have been used to document procedural compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for individual students, IEPs also provide extensive data that can and should be used by a variety of stakeholders including speech-language pathologists (SLPs), school administrators, and state education agencies to design targeted professional development and collectively improve programs, processes, and outcomes in special education.

Method: We summarize existing literature on the …

You Shall Know A Forum By The Words They Keep: Analyzing Language Use In Accessibility Forums For Blind Users, Nithiya Venkatraman, Anand Aiyer, Yash Prakash, Vikas Ashok

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Discussion forums are one of the favored platforms for knowledge sharing. Given their popularity, copious research exists on understanding linguistic and behavioral characteristics of forum conversations. However, prior investigations have mainly focused on general forums designed primarily for sighted users, and as such the applicability of their findings to the dedicated accessibility discussion forums frequented by blind individuals remains unanswered. To bridge this knowledge gap, and facilitate the development of better-informed assistive technologies for blind people, we investigated language use and identified the key semantic and cognitive characteristics of online accessibility forums. To aid our investigation, we collected a dataset …

The Underrepresentation Of Black Females In Cybersecurity, Makendra Latrice Crosby

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

The significance of cybersecurity methods, strategies, and programs in protecting computers and electronic devices is crucial throughout the technological infrastructure. Despite the considerable growth in the cybersecurity field and its expansive workforce, there exists a notable underrepresentation, specifically among Black/African American females. This study examines the barriers hindering the inclusion of Black women in the cybersecurity workforce such as socioeconomic factors, limited educational access, biases, and workplace culture. The urgency of addressing these challenges calls for solutions such as education programs, mentorship initiatives, creating inclusive workplace environments, and promoting advocacy and increased awareness within the cybersecurity field. Additionally, this paper …

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.

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

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development 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 …

Are Library And Information Science Educators Teaching Accessibility? Content Analysis Of Syllabi, Kevin J. Mallary, Rea N. Simons, Clayton A. Copeland, Jackie Nikiema, Evan J. Dorman

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Library and information science (LIS) graduates are expected to serve patrons from diverse backgrounds, including disabled patrons. While serving patrons with disabilities is a core value of librarianship, graduates often feel unprepared to serve disabled patrons, suggesting that programs inadequately train students to design accessible services. This study’s authors analyzed hundreds of course descriptions and 73 syllabi from 20 North American LIS programs to determine how often accessibility and disability topics are covered and how educators teach accessibility. Findings indicate that accessibility and disability topics are mostly covered in electives, meaning students may never develop accessibility competencies during their programs. …

Where Are Disability And Accessibility In Library And Information Science Curricula?, Clayton Copeland, Rea Simmons, Kevin J. Mallary, Jackie Nikiema, Evan J. Doorman

STEMPS Faculty Publications

While serving all library patrons is a core value of librarianship, patrons with disabilities are often overlooked. A contributing factor to this reality is that many graduates of Library and Information Science (LIS) programs feel ill-equipped to serve disabled patrons. This works-in-progress poster presents preliminary results from an analysis of 241 syllabi from 76 North American LIS programs to determine how often accessibility and disability topics are covered in curricula. The analysis also considers how courses prepare students to effectively advocate for and implement accessibility within their professional practice. Preliminary results indicate that accessibility and disability topics are infrequently covered …

A Glimmer Of Hope For Tomorrow: Conversations With The 2022 Social Justice Literature Award Winners, Judith M. Dunkerly, Char Moffit

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Against a backdrop of legislation aimed at classroom book bannings and efforts to whitewash curriculum, this article draws from interviews with the winners of the 2022 International Literacy Association's Social Justice Literature Award winners to offer hope and inspiration for literacy teachers, researchers, and most importantly, young readers. Utilizing a World Cafe approach, the authors of this article talk with the award winners about their personal stories, the origins of these social justice books, and their message for students, teachers, and caregivers in these tumultuous times. It concludes with a discussion of the use of social justice texts in the …

Protecting Blind Screen-Reader Users From Deceptive Content, Ash Dobrenen, Vikas Ashok (Mentor)

Computer & Information Science: Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Disinformation Detection and Analytics

Visually impaired people who want to use a computer rely on screen readers to independently do this. This research focuses on beginning to build a chrome extension in order to help users more safely navigate the internet using a screen reader. to begin collecting the data, a screen reader was used to help determine items in the website that might take the user somewhere they did not mean to go since the link or image was not sufficiently able to be described by the screen reader. Next, those items were tagged with ’data-attribute=”deceptive”’. After, those data-attributes were extracted and tagged …

Lessons Learned: What The Covid-19 Global Pandemic Has Taught Us About Teaching, Technology And Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jane Roitsch, Robert L. Moore, Annemarie Horn

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

Purpose. This paper examines the impact of the abrupt transition from attending school face-to-face to participating in online learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as reported by a parent of a student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Design/methodology/approach. A phone interview was conducted with the parent of a child with ASD. The semi-structured interview focused on how the child’s family was impacted when classes shifted to virtual from face-to-face learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Findings. Four themes emerged from the interview. Three of these included adjustments to changes in 1) routines and roles, 2) …

Library Programming For Autistic Children And Teens, Amelia Anderson

STEMPS Faculty Books

This second edition provides key information, updated program ideas, and practical tips that will help library workers feel more prepared to serve members of this prevalent population.

Since the first edition of this landmark guide was published, there has been increased interest in services for library patrons on the autism spectrum; indeed, more people of all ages now self-identify as autistic. Those who understand the unique characteristics of autistic young people know that ordinary library programming guides are not up to the task of effectively serving these library users. Well qualified to speak to this need, Anderson is an …

Inequalities In Girls’ Learning Opportunities Via Edtech: Addressing The Challenge Of Covid-19, Helen Crompton, Agnes Chigona, Katy Jordan, Christina Myers

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic prompted school closures, which affected nearly 1.5 billion learners globally. Girls are likely to have experienced learning losses during the pandemic to a greater extent, as there are multiple barriers that influence gender disparities in accessing and benefiting from EdTech, including social inequalities or norms and technological constraints. Equity needs to be foregrounded when EdTech interventions are implemented, by considering disparities emerging from digital access, freedom, literacy, pedagogies, and design:

Digital access: Potential gender disparities in digital access, including at home, should be considered when EdTech interventions are designed.

Digital freedom: Social norms, as …

Building Collaborative Partnerships To Increase Postsecondary Education Opportunities For Students With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Annemarie L. Horn, Kimberly M. Bean, Selena J. Layden, Judith E. Terpstra, Karen C. Holloway

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

Transitioning from high school to the next phase of life can be especially challenging for youth with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (IDD). Federal mandates are in place to provide individualized transition services to students with disabilities up to age 22; however, there is variability in the location of service delivery. A growing number of school districts have partnered with institutions of higher education (IHE) in an effort to enhance postsecondary education (PSE) opportunities for individuals with IDD who are between the ages of 18-21. While there are some differences in PSE programs, the core foundational component is constant across …

Knowledge Of Assistive Technology And Services Available To Students With Disabilities, Mary J. Addison

Master's Level Papers/Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the knowledge of students and faculty regarding the assistive technology and services available to students with disabilities at a university in the southeastern United States. This study consists of 300 participants who were asked to respond to 8 questions which were designed to collect data aligned with the three research objectives. The findings may be used to determine if further education or communication is needed in order to better inform students, staff, and faculty of assistive technology and services available on campus.

An Asynchronous Course/Laboratory Development For Automation Controls, Cheng Y. Lin, Mileta Tomovic, Vukica M. Jovanovic

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

The development of asynchronous courses is to help students who are restricted by work requirements, family responsibilities, geographical distance, disabilities, and combination of these factors. It also provides flexibilities to on-campus students. In this paper, the framework structure of an asynchronous course and laboratory development for an automation control is presented. The challenge in this development is to implement the hands-on laboratory experience to those distance learning students who may not be able to access the real equipment. Results of the implementation including opinion feedbacks and grade distributions show that students welcome the format of this development.

Underlying Dimensions Of The "Physical Educators' Judgments About Inclusion" Instrument: Brazilian-Version, Samuel R. Hodge, Paulo José Barbosa Gutierres Filho, Justin A. Haegele, Francis M. Kozub

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Background/Objective: The available information pertaining to the attitudes of Brazilian physical education teachers about teaching students with disabilities is limited in the extant literature base. Rationally, however, scholars argue that determining, analyzing, and theorizing about the attitudes of physical education teachers is important in the preparation and professional development of these teachers. It is therefore important to extend the research base using valid and reliable measures regarding teachers’ attitudes about inclusion and teaching students with various disabilities. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the underlying dimensions of the Physical Educators’ Judgments about Inclusion (PEJI) scale following translation …

The Learningweb Revolution And The Transformation Of The School By Leonard J. Waks, Helen Crompton

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

On examination of the book’s cover, I believed the images and title would be leading me into reading surface level facts about how technology can be used to support education. I was very wrong. This book was designed to deliver a strong message to all stakeholders in education. Leonard Waks has written this book to present a new type of educational organization as an alternative to the high school system that is in place in the North America today. He clearly states that his ideas do not attempt to fix the broken model, but he strongly advocates for a completely …

Impediments To Serving Students With Learning Disabilities In A Rural Community College Setting: The Administrative Perspective, Seth Gent

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study examined the challenges rural southern Appalachian community colleges officials face when serving students with learning disabilities. Upon entering community college, learning disabled students are often unfamiliar with many of the expectations that may be necessary to ensure their academic success such as self-disclosing to ensure they are provided adequate services, becoming self-advocates, and navigating requirements of post-secondary education. This study consisted of 15 interviews from five different community colleges across the rural southern Appalachian region in which senior level, mid-level, and front line community college officials dealing with students with learning disabilities were interviewed. A document review …

Lack Of Communication Even When Using Alternative And Augmentative Communication Devices: Are We Forgetting About The Three Components Of Language, Gianluca De Leo, Margaret Lubas, Jennifer R. Mitchell

VMASC Publications

[First paragraph] Starting in the early 90s, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices were introduced in special education classrooms. These devices were intended to replace the picture-based communication approaches, such as PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System).

"Dreams Hanging In The Air Like Smoke": A Personal Reflection Of Factors Influencing Enrollment And Persistence In Higher Education, Kaavonia Hinton-Johnson

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Ssci, Academic Freedom, And Tenured Professors, Shaomin Li

Management Faculty Publications

In some emerging countries such as China, in order to improve their academic standing, the government specifies an officially recognized list of academic journals for academics to publish their works, such as the SSIC (Social Sciences Citation Index). The author points out the shortcomings of using such an officially sanctioned list, and argues that academic freedom and the tenure system that protects it are key to the development of ideas and knowledge. The inability to establish a tenure system in China may hurt its chance to create world-class universities.

The Emergence Of Inclusion For Students With Disabilities In Ukraine, Sharon A. Raver

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

Since independence in 1991, Ukraine has struggled with restructuring its Soviet style educational system. The process has been sluggish and fraught with tension, resistance, and set backs, mirroring Ukraine's efforts to revamp its economy and regain productivity levels that characterized it prior to independence (Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, 2003). One of the initiatives currently being discussed is integration of students with disabilities with their nondisabled peers in educational and social settings. The debate has prompted heated discussions and caused some to recommend a reexamination of the special education system (Zasenko, 2004). This article discusses some of the initial …