Introduction
The DUX Team in collaboration with the Accessibility Standing Group and NW Heat are excited to present this strong roster of accessibility-centered content for our summer program event.
See this document for links mentioned during sessions. A chat transcript available on request.
Recordings
July 26 Sessions
Beyond Accessibility: Ramping Up to Disability Justice – Jess Schomberg from Minnesota State University, Mankato
Recordings: Non-Captioned; Captioned
Taking a disability justice approach means we have made a choice; we can’t hide behind the idea of neutrality. But what is disability justice? How does it differ from accessibility or disability rights? Who is affected by it and what does it mean for library services and spaces?
The Intersection between Cognitive Disabilities and the User Experience – Patrick Patterson from University of Oregon
Recordings: Non-Captioned; Captioned (there was a error in the rendering which cut off part of the slides in the Captioned recording, please refer to the Slides document below to supplement this recording)
Having an understanding of both cognitive disabilities and the user experience will help you to develop virtual content that is both accessible and easy to use. When it comes to accessibility, cognitive disabilities are often overlooked and hard to address because of the challenges of creating content that address the needs of people with them. Addressing them will also make it easier for everyone to read and use content in the online environment.
Fix My Files! How to Improve PDFs for Accessibility – the Accessibility Standing Group: Andy Andrews (UW), Erin Bledsoe (WWU), Gloria Doherty (GFU), Emily Pearson (Whitman), and Jennifer Wells (OSU)
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The DUX Accessibility Standing Group will present our checklist to help with remediating PDFs and other digital materials created by libraries. For ILLs, book scans, e-reserves, and potentially controlled digital lending, this checklist guides users through the key areas they need to pay attention to when ensuring document accessibility. ASG will walk through the document and present use cases for how we see students and other library workers engaging with the checklist. Towards the end of the session, we will work through example documents and showcase how to take the actions enumerated in the checklist.
Accessibility in Library Physical Spaces – Going from Requirements to Inclusivity – Holly Gabriel and Kate Jones from Southern Oregon University
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Libraries as Inclusive Spaces Document
Drawing on existing evaluation tools and our own assessment checklist, we will discuss library physical spaces through the lens of equity and inclusion. We will share our checklist and examine how the library spaces serve populations with visual, auditory, cognitive, and/or mobility disabilities. We will discuss how universal design improves accessibility for all and creates a more inclusive and welcoming environment. The session will include time for sharing ideas and accessibility best practices in physical library spaces across the Alliance.
July 27 Sessions
Disability Justice and Inclusion in Academic Libraries: How are Institutions Approaching this Work and How Can Smaller Schools Keep Up? – Sarah Nuxoll from University of Portland
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Conversations about disability are gaining momentum within academic libraries. No longer are we speaking only in terms of accessibility, but also about equitable outcomes, enhancing sense of belonging, dismantling embedded ableism, and more. These initiatives require time, training, and resources. Curious how other libraries are handling these increased demands? This presentation will summarize findings from interviews with academic library professionals from around the country, and provide recommendations for smaller institutions on how to best deploy limited staff and funds to keep pace.
Facilitated Discussion – Collaborating to Build an Accessibility Knowledge Base – Gloria Doherty (GFU) and the Kelly Omodt (UI)
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NWHeat is a collaboration between Orbis Cascade Alliance and NorthWest Academic Computing Consortium (NWACC) to improve digital accessibility on our campuses by sharing best practices, knowledge and resources. One of the most frequently requested collaborative activities is an online knowledge base of policies and best practices. Join this facilitated discussion to help define the creation of our shared knowledge base.
OCR for Canvas: Library Leadership on Campus – Peggy Burge, Nick Triggs, and Jada Pelger from University of Puget Sound
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In this presentation, members of the “OCR for Canvas” team at Collins Library at the University of Puget Sound will share how, by embracing the spirit of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), they designed and implemented a new large-scale service to make course materials more accessible to all students. When COVID-19 pushed all of the University of Puget Sound’s courses online in the spring of 2020, faculty and departmental administrative assistants raced to scan copies of print materials and post them to Canvas. Meanwhile, Collins Library staff initiated a pilot digitization request process to help our users access content in our print collections, within the limits of copyright. Over the next several months, it became clear that students with print disabilities, whether documented or not, were being disadvantaged by the lack of OCR-ed texts, and the small office of Student Accessibility and Accommodation struggled to keep up with the demand. Library staff used their experience with the pilot digitization service to propose a partnership with SAA, faculty, and departmental administrative assistants to meet this need. Launched in the summer of 2021, OCR for Canvas has made thousands of pages of text accessible to students enrolled in over a third of all academic courses being offered. We will share information on the workflow we designed, course-corrections we needed to make, and what we have learned thus far by offering this successful new service.