How are you ensuring accessibility to your classroom/program? ...with Dahlia Shaewitz

Join the discussion!! Share! Ask questions! 

Some of you had the distinct pleasure of participating in the recent LINCS PD CoP group's live Zoom event on January 25, 2022, with Dahlia Shaewitz, LINCS Trainer titled: Inclusion for All Adult Learners: Ensuring Accessibility for Adult Education Training and Materials. This engaging and interactive session used Jamboard to brainstorm 1) where AE classrooms and programs are doing inclusion well and where they can improve, and 2) strategies on how to address disability inclusion in classrooms and programs.

Below are four categories of accessibility that you can use as a frame to consider how to improve inclusion for your adult learners and your staff with disabilities. 

  • Physical accessibility refers to the extent to which facilities are designed, constructed, or altered so that they are accessible and usable by people with disabilities. 
  • Communications accessibility refers to the extent to which staff and educators are able to communicate with people with disabilities as effectively as with others. 
  • Programmatic accessibility refers to the extent to which people with disabilities have access to the full range of services available to all learners regardless of disability.
  • Information accessibility refers to the extent to which people with disabilities are aware of adult education programs and the the services they offer to all learners.

Questions:

a) If you attended the session, what steps have you taken to improve disability inclusion in your classroom or program?  

b) If you did not attend the session, consider the categories of accessibility above--where can you make changes or improvements in accessibility?

See below for some ideas for changes that you might make in each of these four categories. Consider these and other ideas that would support your learners and colleagues with disabilities. 

What ideas do you have to improve physical accessibility in your classroom or program?

  • Ensure all entryways are accessible
  • Ensure bathrooms are accessible and that there is an accessible bathroom on every floor
  • Identify public transportation services so people can reach the program
  • Organize the room to allow for pathways for someone with a wheelchair or other assistive device

What ideas do you have to improve communications accessibility in your classroom or program?

  • When learners approach the program, are materials offered in braille?
  • Digital options for visually impaired, with staff trained on how to use it
  • Video relay options for communicating with hearing impaired
  • Training for staff on how to communicate with people with different communications-related disabilities

What ideas do you have to improve programmatic accessibility in your classroom or program?

  • Introduce accessible options including assistive technology at intake, orientation, and first few classes so all learners are aware of how to request accommodations
  • Create accessibility checklist, disseminate to staff
  • Train staff on how to create accessible materials for the classroom and prepare tips sheets for ongoing reference
  • Create an ongoing community of practice among teachers and PD experts to continue to improve accessibility
  • Identify a list of partners who can support accessibility in the program or classroom (e.g., WIOA partners, state AT office, etc.)
  • Create and share accessibility policies for staff to know and follow

What ideas do you have to improve information accessibility in your classroom or program?

  • Conduct targeted outreach to the disability community to share information about adult education programs
  • Highlight learners with disabilities; show images of adult learners with disabilities in materials
  • Share success data and stories relevant to disability and/or accessibility with all stakeholders
  • Share information about accessibility resources
  • Connect with WIOA partners, particularly vocational rehabilitation, to do outreach and cross-referrals

 

Comments

Hi all:

Those of you who joined the webinar in January will remember this Jamboard link: https://jamboard.google.com/d/1ytbKqp2PekiDd7qaP8yF_kyHf_AtBif5txkP8SeHbNQ/viewer?f=0

Here the group brainstormed possible ideas for creating greater inclusion for students with disabilities and also generated possible ideas for creating classroom content/curriculum that is inclusive. 

I'd like to learn whether folks have made steps in the direction of creating inclusive content, increasing accessibility, and whether there were barriers to making change?

Look foward to your responses and more questions about how we can create greater inclusion in adult education.

Best, Dahlia 

Good day to the PD community!  We haven't had conversation but hopefully there have been views among the group on this post with a reminder to spend time assessing the accessibility of adult education programs, classrooms, and curricula.

In wrapping up this week's note, I would like to share a message that I received offline. Someone asked about checklists or handouts to support the use of inclusive language in working with adult learners.

In response, I shared that there are “disability etiquette” guides that you can search for online. Jan.org and EARN.org would likely have resources like this as well. You can also reach out to the ADA regional center in your region to ask for something like that.  The ADA Centers also offer training and some of that is online training.  Also, the state Vocational Rehabilitation office would be another resource you could connect with. 

And as you know from the previous post, you can use online collaboration tools like Jamboard to brainstorm ways in which the entire group could address inclusion in their work.

I hope that you will continue the work of building inclusive places and spaces for people with disabilities in your programs. I look forward to learning from you about the progress you will make on this and I hope you will share learnings and new resources with the Community.

Best, Dahlia 

We know everyone is busy, however, those who were able to attend January's session know that  Dahlia is an expert resource to the LINCS communities in the areas of inclusion and disabilities. We thank her for hosting a follow-up discussion board and would like to remind everyone that free resources on the subject are also available in LINCS resources and courses.