Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is celebrated around the world annually on the third Thursday of May. The event aspires to raise awareness of the importance and impact of accessibility, share our progress, and renew our commitment to cultivating inclusion.
This year, the University of Minnesota held its first systemwide Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) event on May 19, 2022. More than 370 people registered from all 5 system campuses. The event engaged participants in conversation and sparked thinking and learning about access and inclusion at the University.
Program and Video Recordings
Welcome and Panel Discussion: “UMN Systemwide Perspectives on Accessibility”
The GAAD event began with a series of brief videos from some of the University's senior leaders about the importance of accessibility and inclusion.
- Michael Goh, Vice President, Office of Equity and Diversity
- Rachel Croson, Executive Vice President and Provost
- Bernard Gulachek, Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, Office of Information Technology
- Donna Johnson, Director, Disability Resource Center
- Lisa German, University Librarian and Dean of Libraries
These messages were followed by a brief welcome by Scott Marshall of the Disability Resource Center. The event program began with a systemwide panel who were invited to share their perspectives on the variety of ways the University is working towards inclusive access and accessibility. The panel was moderated by Associate Professor Tammy Berberi from the University of Minnesota - Morris, and Khaled Musa, Academic Technologist with Academic Technology Support Services, OIT. The panel included
- Dr. Liz Anh Thomson, University of Minnesota - Morris;
- Jessica Horvath-Williams, Ph.D., University of Minnesota - Twin Cities;
- Julie M. Slowiak, Ph.D., University of Minnesota - Duluth; and
- Molly Ubbesen, University of Minnesota - Rochester.
Key takeaways from this panel include:
The panelists presented a unified message towards inclusive access and highlighted what initiatives are happening on each campus. Their remarks focused on the accessibility work that has been done personally and strategically up to this point and what is yet to come in the future. They addressed the accessibility topics with these 2 questions in mind:
- Describe your campus goals and programming related to fostering accessibility on campus and in classrooms.
- Share one or two examples of a campus or classroom success in advancing accessibility, including describing the impact of these changes on faculty, staff, and students.
Watch the recording: UMN systemwide perspectives on accessibility (1:01:04)
Accessible Course and Syllabus Design (Academic Accessibility Track)
During this interactive GAAD session, Dr. Angela Carter, Pedagogy Specialist, Minnesota Transforms, presented an overview of accessible pedagogy and outlined practical strategies for creating more equitable educational experiences for all.
Key takeaways from this presentation include:
- Nuanced understanding of access and accessibility
- Steps for incorporating accessibility into your course design
- Concrete examples of accessible teaching strategies
Watch the recording: Accessible Course and Syllabus Design (43:41)
Accessible Hybrid Meetings (General Accessibility Track)
This session covered tips for conducting hybrid meetings successfully. Presenters Annette McNamara from Academic Technology Support Services and Noah Holm from the Office of Classroom Management took a deep dive into ways to plan, prepare, be strategic, and get help. The presentation included actionable tips that you can use in the classroom as well as in other meeting settings.
Key takeaways from this presentation include:
- What does it mean for content to be available to all, in equally effective ways, at the same time?
- Inclusive and Accessible: Anticipate a variety of needs, and use accessible practices to meet those needs.
- Plan ahead! Create an inclusive meeting action plan, have technology ready, share material in advance, and other things to consider.
Watch the recording: Accessible Hybrid Meetings (50:20)
Course Pacing Strategies: Universal Online Teaching - Beyond Quizzes & Videos in STEM (Academic Accessibility Track)
Presenters Jessie Barnett and Kristin Osiecki presented an overview of basic pacing strategies for online courses (and included references on slides for further self-perusal). They led interactive activities and offered tips for getting started.
Goals:
- Pace an online course using scaffolding assignments and chunking modules. Review the syllabus to identify energy levels throughout the course.
- Practice pacing in a familiar course by mapping energy levels for an assignment, a weekly module, and the entire course.
- Pacing an online course benefits both students and faculty by outlining an entire course prior to the semester, and setting expectations for the energy required throughout the course.
Key takeaways from this presentation include:
- Start with one small step with pacing, whether it be reviewing your syllabus, creating a scaffolded assignment, or determining how your course can be organized with modules based on periods of time.
- Think of pacing like a rollercoaster ride at an amusement park with ramping up toward an objective (problems sets), then going down a fast incline requiring tremendous energy (studying and taking a midterm exam), leveling out to adjust to smaller twists and turns (final project).
- Remember that students take an average of four classes a semester which oftentimes have the same pacing, especially with STEM courses (problem sets, exams, midterm, final). Think about ways to minimize very high peaks and low valleys of energy to ensure students have energy to invest in your materials.
- Pacing a course and sharing your pacing with students can increase transparency, allow students to tune their learning habits repeating pacing cycles, and ultimately increase accessibility over time.
Watch the recording: Course Pacing Strategies: University Online Teaching - Beyond Quizzes & Videos in STEM (44:47)
Digital Accessibility: 7 Core Skills and Accessible Web Content
Presenters Christina Goodland and Jen Neveau covered the Digital Accessibility 7 core skills, demonstrating how they can be applied in everyone’s daily work in digital spaces, including emails, documents, and web pages.
Key takeaway from this presentation:
- Equal access where everyone can independently navigate, communicate, and interact in an ever-growing and essential digital environment requires that everyone, with intention, create digital assets and technologies which are accessible and inclusive.
Watch the recording: 7 Core Skills and Accessible Web Content (47:23)
Learn more about digital accessibility
There are several ways to expand your familiarity with digital accessibility and inclusion. Learn about accessibility best practices by joining groups, like the Accessibility Ambassadors, participate in the Digital Accessibility Badging Program, and join the University’s #accessibility Slack channel for peer support.
Gratitudes
The GAAD event committee would like to thank senior leaders Michael Goh, Rachel Croson, Bernard Gulachek, Lisa German, and Donna Johnson for their support of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access. Thank you for helping us promote Global Accessibility Awareness Day!
We would also like to thank our presenters. We so appreciate your time and commitment to cultivating inclusion at the University of Minnesota.
A special thanks to the Office of Information Technology’s Video and Conferencing Services for providing technical support and to the Disability Resource Center’s access consultants and captioners.
Thanks also to my colleagues on the GAAD event planning committee. We did it!
- Ilene Dawn Alexander, Center for Educational Innovation
- Tammy Berberi University of Minnesota - Morris
- Angela Carter, College of Liberal Arts
- Amy Drayer, University of Minnesota Libraries
- Eric Eklund, Academic Support Resources
- Kellie Greaves, Office of Information Technology
- Matthew Hoekstra, University of Minnesota - Morris
- Emma Larson, Office of Information Technology
- Khaled Musa, Office of Information Technology
- Scott Marshall, Disability Resource Center
- Meredith Schneider, University of Minnesota - Duluth