LibGuides: Resources for Faculty: Accessibility

Resources on Accessible Teaching

Scanning Tips

The KIC book scanners in the library are set up to scan with optical character recognition (OCR), which means they can scan text and make it searchable and readable by screen readers.
If your document is difficult to see, use the settings to adjust the brightness and contrast to make it easier to read.

Accessible Library Resources

Not all library material is published in accessible formats, but if you can, try to find an electronic version of a text
Use permalinks to link from Moodle to full text resources on platforms from EBSCO, Proquest, SAGE, Taylor & Francis, and others. These platforms have built in accessibility features like text-to-speech, text highlight, downloadable mp3s of full text articles, large text and more.
If you need help finding electronic versions, ask a library staff member for help library@ecuad.ca. It’s possible that the resource is only published in print, but we can try to find an alternate format for you.

Modifications to eResource Formats for Accessibility

Different vendors have different contractual obligations. To request that an eResource be modified into an accessible format to meet your students' accessibility needs, please reach out to library@ecuad.ca with these details:

Student ID number
Database/article/book/streaming video/platform name and URL
Type of modification requested (e.g. larger print / a different audio file / described audio / closed captions)
Is the disability documented? Y/N (not all vendors require this, but some do. We do not want to be in breach of contracts.)

Your request will be forwarded to the eResources Librarian, who will then check your request against the licence terms for that particular vendor and take the next steps. Do note that where vendor platforms already have accessibility accommodations, e.g. text-to-speech, your request might take longer to fulfil as we will have to argue that these functions do not sufficiently meet a student's needs.

Accessible Documents

You can make your documents more accessible by using the features found in most word processors:

Use headings and subheadings sequentially (H1, H2, H3, etc.)
Use lists
Use meaningful hyperlinks
Add alternate text to images that convey information
Use tables wisely and include row and column headers.
Understand how to export from one format to another without losing the formatting

Open Text BC: Accessibility Toolkit

Provides guidelines and resources on making content accessible. Includes an accessibility checklist.
W3 Accessibility Fundamentals

Ableism in Academia: Theorizing Experiences of Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses in Higher Education by Edited by Nicole Brown and Jennifer Leigh
Call Number: Electronic Resource

ISBN: 9781787355002

Publication Date: 2020

The aim of the collection is to provide an open engagement with ableism issues that is not confined by and restricted to disciplinary conventions or categories. As such, researchers and students will find the book interesting, as it offers a topic that has yet to be covered in this specific way of theorization and personal experiences.
Designing Disability by Elizabeth Guffey
Call Number: NA2445 .P5 G84 2018

ISBN: 9781350004276

Publication Date: 2017-12-28

Traces the emergence of an idea and an ideal physical access for the disabled through the evolution of the iconic International Symbol of Access (ISA). The book draws on design history, material culture, and recent critical disability studies to examine not only the development of a design icon, but also the cultural history surrounding it.
Inclusive Arts Practice and Research by Alice Fox; Hannah Macpherson
ISBN: 9781138841000

Publication Date: 2015-07-27

"In Inclusive Arts Practice Alice Fox and Hannah Macpherson interview artists, curators and key practitioners in the UK and US. The authors introduce and articulate this new practice, and situate it in relation to associated approaches. Fox and Macpherson candidly describe the tensions and difficulties involved too, and explore how the work sits within contemporary art and critical theory."--provided by publisher
DisCrit by David J. Connor (Editor); Beth A. Ferri (Editor); Subini A. Annamma (Editor); Alfredo J. Artiles (Series edited by); Elizabeth B. Kozleski (Series edited by)
Call Number: Electronic Resource

ISBN: 9780807756676

Publication Date: 2015-12-30

"This groundbreaking volume brings together major figures in Disability Studies in Education (DSE) and Critical Race Theory (CRT) to explore some of today's most important issues in education. Scholars examine the achievement/opportunity gaps from both historical and contemporary perspectives, as well as the overrepresentation of minority students in special education and the school-to-prison pipeline. Chapters also address school reform and the impact on students based on race, class, and dis/ability and the capacity of law and policy to include (and exclude). Readers will discover how some students are included (and excluded) within school and society, why some citizens are afforded expanded (or limited) opportunities in life, and who moves up in the world and who is trapped at the "bottom of the well"--Publisher's description.
College Students' Sense of Belonging by Terrell L. Strayhorn
Call Number: LB3609 .S77 2019

ISBN: 9781138238541

Publication Date: 2018-09-04

"Belonging - with peers, in the classroom, or on campus - is a critical dimension of success at college. It can affect a student's degree of academic adjustment, achievement, aspirations, or even whether a student stays in school. This book explores how belonging differs based on students' social identities, such as race, gender, sexual orientation, or the conditions they encounter on campus. The second edition of College Students' Sense of Belonging explores student sub-populations and campus environments, offering readers updated information about sense of belonging, how it develops for students, and a conceptual model for helping students belong and thrive. Underpinned by theory and research and offering practical guidelines for improving educational environments and policies, this book is an important resource for higher education and student affairs professionals, scholars, and graduate students interested in students' success"--back cover.
Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone: universal design for learning in higher education by Thomas J. Tobin; Kirsten T. Behling
Call Number: eBook

ISBN: 9781946684615

Publication Date: 2018-11-01

"Advocates for the rights of people with disabilities have worked hard to make universal design in the built environment "just part of what we do." We no longer see curb cuts, for instance, as accommodations for people with disabilities, but perceive their usefulness every time we ride our bikes or push our strollers through crosswalks. This is also a perfect model for Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a framework grounded in the neuroscience of why, what, and how people learn. Tobin and Behling show that, although it is often associated with students with disabilities, UDL can be profitably broadened toward a larger ease-of-use and general diversity framework. Captioned instructional videos, for example, benefit learners with hearing impairments but also the student who worries about waking her young children at night or those studying on a noisy team bus. Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone is aimed at faculty members, faculty-service staff, disability support providers, student-service staff, campus leaders, and graduate students who want to strengthen the engagement, interaction, and performance of all college students. It includes resources for readers who want to become UDL experts and advocates: real-world case studies, active-learning techniques, UDL coaching skills, micro- and macro-level UDL-adoption guidance, and use-them-now resources"

Rethinking College
Rethinking College is a 25-minute ﬁlm produced by Think College that explores the growing movement to include students with intellectual disability in higher education.

STEPS Forward: FAQs
Provides general information on the STEPS Forward initiative.
STEPS Forward: Information Sheet
Provides an overview of the STEPS Forward initiative for inclusive post secondary education.

Uditsky, Bruce, and Elizabeth Hughson. “Inclusive Postsecondary Education-An Evidence-Based Moral Imperative.” Journal of Policy & Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, vol. 9, no. 4, Dec. 2012, pp. 298–302. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/jppi.12005.
Although today many more examples of postsecondary educational opportunities being made available to students are expanding for adults with intellectual disabilities ( ID), the majority of these opportunities are either segregated or partially segregated with few accommodating students with significant disabilities or challenging behaviors. In this article, the authors take the position that the desire for inclusive education and the beliefs and principles of inclusive practices must be the foundation for inclusive postsecondary education ( IPSE). The rationale for such an approach is based on positive outcomes derived for young adults where opportunities for inclusion in the context of universities, colleges, and technical schools offer a powerful context for embedding students in the normative pathways that can lead to positive lifelong outcomes. As inclusive schooling remains a controversial issue even after 40 years of supportive published research and demonstrated practice, it is not surprising that full IPSE opportunities are limited. The authors hold to the principles of inclusion as the foundation for postsecondary education given the known failure of segregated education to result in positive social and economic outcomes. The authors explore the means of achieving better futures for students with ID through IPSE. This article highlights the findings of 25 years experience across the province of Alberta in implementing 18 IPSE initiatives for young adults with the full range of ID, including those with severe and multiple disabilities, and outlines the challenging behaviors thus strengthening evidence for adopting inclusive practices. The supports required for an authentic student experience in all aspects of postsecondary academic and social life are described with employment, academic, economic and social outcomes highlighted. IPSE has been shown to be an important and effective means of launching students with ID into adulthood, but by itself, IPSE is not sufficiently powerful to sustain an inclusive pathway over time. The authors note that student experiences in campus life and relationships reveal we are not close to finding the limits to where and how inclusion can be achieved; the challenge is to create opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]