0:00:01.480,0:00:05.260 (Michael Young) We are committed to the notion that everyone should have an opportunity to
0:00:05.260,0:00:09.959 participate in higher education, whether it be from the learning perspective, or the research
0:00:09.959,0:00:14.820 perspective, or an opportunity to work here at this institution. We benefit from that
0:00:14.820,0:00:20.519 because we get to enjoy the talents and the skills of those people who come in, and also
0:00:20.519,0:00:24.599 their perspective, which in many cases will be different from the perspective of others
0:00:24.599,0:00:31.560 on campus. So accessibility becomes a very important value at the university.
0:00:31.560,0:00:38.560 (Tracy Mitrano) We're a leading university globally. We want the best talent in the world
0:00:48.930,0:00:54.800 for our students, our staff, and our faculty. And we want to be sure if that talent has
0:00:54.800,0:00:57.879 a disability that they know that we are a welcoming community.
0:00:57.879,0:01:03.760 (Pablo Molino) We're competing with other prestigious and highly accomplished institutions.
0:01:03.760,0:01:10.760 We want to make sure that we can target the right candidates to join our community regardless
0:01:10.910,0:01:13.750 of their disability status. (Pete Siegel) We want to do everything we
0:01:13.750,0:01:20.750 can to insure that they have the same access to smart faculty, to fellow students, and
0:01:21.090,0:01:25.630 to the resources at UC Davis. (Ed Ray) In fact, we genuinely believe that
0:01:25.630,0:01:32.630 excellence is achieved through diversity and that a commitment to equity and inclusion
0:01:32.700,0:01:38.400 really enriches each of our lives. (Linda Cahill) It would be inconceivable not
0:01:38.400,0:01:45.400 to have a social conscience, at least, and be completely committed to making our resources
0:01:45.880,0:01:49.250 at Barry University accessible to all students.
0:01:49.250,0:01:55.750 (Ed Ray) We believe that the use of technology can be very powerful. It connects people to
0:01:55.750,0:02:02.170 each other, but it also enhances their learning capabilities; it increases what they can do
0:02:02.170,0:02:08.879 through their research and creative work; it really makes it possible for them to have
0:02:08.879,0:02:15.430 a more powerful impact in the world and that's basically what we're all about. And we want
0:02:15.430,0:02:22.430 that to be true for every member of our community regardless of limitations, of physical, spacial,
0:02:23.489,0:02:30.489 time or other dimension. (Hernan Londono) As an IT professional, sometimes
0:02:30.659,0:02:37.239 some of us concentrate in the technical side of the house only and we forget that finally
0:02:37.239,0:02:41.159 the technology is to serve the people. (Michael Young) What the university offers
0:02:41.159,0:02:46.390 and makes available has to be offered to everybody. We can't afford to waste the talents or
0:02:46.390,0:02:52.140 the brilliance or the minds of anybody and making things accessible allows everybody
0:02:52.140,0:02:57.219 to engage in the university. Equal opportunity is a part of our value system, but it's
0:02:57.219,0:03:00.889 also required by law. (Pete Siegel) Compliance is extremely important.
0:03:00.889,0:03:06.959 And compliance is the law. But that isn't the motivator for most of us at universities.
0:03:06.959,0:03:13.959 Our motivation has always been to provide easily accessible tools, excellent experiences
0:03:14.499,0:03:19.189 for our students and really to give them the sense that this is a place they want to be,
0:03:19.189,0:03:24.659 a place they want to learn, a place where they can thrive.
0:03:24.659,0:03:31.659 (Michael Young) Universal design is a very powerful concept because what it means is
0:03:34.379,0:03:40.439 we look at the issue of accessibility at the outset rather than buying something or engaging
0:03:40.439,0:03:43.870 something, or developing something that we have to retrofit. Which not only makes it
0:03:43.870,0:03:49.639 cheaper and more efficient, it likely makes it much better in terms of both the quality
0:03:49.639,0:03:53.579 of the product and the accessibility to those -- all the people that we want to be able
0:03:53.579,0:03:56.299 to use it. (Tracy Mitrano) I think the other direction
0:03:56.299,0:04:02.999 that colleges and universities could and should take is to think about accommodation as really
0:04:02.999,0:04:08.359 the beginning of the conversation about disability . It was the appropriate measure that was
0:04:08.359,0:04:13.939 taken in the Americans with Disabilities Act that was passed in 1990 and that's well over
0:04:13.939,0:04:20.840 a generation ago. I think now we really have to think less about how we're going to measure
0:04:20.840,0:04:27.090 specifically this accommodation or that accommodation and recognize that we can make accessibility
0:04:27.090,0:04:32.700 open and available so that individual staff, faculty or students do not have to go to get
0:04:32.700,0:04:38.040 an accommodation. It will be automatically available in the webpage that they visit,
0:04:38.040,0:04:42.390 in the device that they use. (Brady Deaton) We envision a campus that has
0:04:42.390,0:04:48.140 a concept of universal design in all aspects of information technology, that a student
0:04:48.140,0:04:52.910 is not impeded in any way, but in fact, that technology is utilized not only directly by
0:04:52.910,0:04:59.910 those who benefit because of certain challenges they may have, but also is illustrative to
0:04:59.950,0:05:05.900 the broader student body and to the faculty and to alums about what an inclusive learning
0:05:05.900,0:05:08.270 environment is. (Pete Seigel) We have some things we have
0:05:08.270,0:05:13.740 to learn in order to move into accessibility space, but the basic goals and the basic values
0:05:13.740,0:05:18.370 are things we already know and love. Then we bring in things like universal design:
0:05:18.370,0:05:24.280 the notion that if we design things well right from the start, they actually aren't more
0:05:24.280,0:05:31.280 expensive. This is something that we can fit into even our very, very tight budgets.
0:05:31.930,0:05:38.930 (Eileen McDonough) We make a great effort in our graduate and our undergraduate counsel
0:05:43.960,0:05:50.960 to make sure that faculty and deans are aware that in program design, in offering a new
0:05:52.410,0:05:58.590 major, that they take into account that they might have to have specialized software available,
0:05:58.590,0:06:05.590 and they have to build that into their program development. And then to certainly just be
0:06:06.250,0:06:13.250 aware of all the different ways that students can learn, to help faculty and deans understand
0:06:13.750,0:06:17.720 the concept of universal design. (Gerry Hanley) The first step really needs
0:06:17.720,0:06:24.720 to be an assessment of where we are, so we can then inform our planning process, develop
0:06:26.080,0:06:31.190 plans, implement a project, and then really assess the results of it.
0:06:31.190,0:06:36.410 (Pablo Molino) Key to our approach to making sure that our campus and our technology is
0:06:36.410,0:06:41.740 accessible to people with disabilities, is to ensure we do this by design. This is not
0:06:41.740,0:06:48.000 an afterthought that we do after we have implemented a new classroom. Instead, this is something
0:06:48.000,0:06:54.020 that we do from the initial conception of new project or idea. The same we would do
0:06:54.020,0:06:57.400 this for privacy and security, we do this for accessibility.
0:06:57.400,0:07:02.950 (Bruce Maas) It is less costly, in the long run, to be thinking through the issues of
0:07:02.950,0:07:09.570 accessibility comprehensively. Therefore, having a plan for accessibility insures that
0:07:09.570,0:07:16.480 from the beginning we think through our issues with regard to the delivery of our services.
0:07:16.480,0:07:23.010 Doing so in a strategic way means that we can hold down costs over the long haul and
0:07:23.010,0:07:28.600 actually deliver better services in the bargain. (Brady Deaton) It is very important that a
0:07:28.600,0:07:35.600 university follows a policy and a process that is a can-do kind of process. It assumes
0:07:36.240,0:07:40.200 that we are going to undertake the investments that we need, we're going to demonstrate the
0:07:40.200,0:07:45.030 values that we need - that not only address the needs of students who may be challenged
0:07:45.030,0:07:52.030 with vision or hearing or other disabilities, but also draw on the technology that is not
0:07:52.360,0:07:56.590 only exciting for those people who are developing the technology, it's intellectually exciting,
0:07:56.590,0:08:01.690 it provides new jobs for that matter and it stimulates learning in so many parts of the
0:08:01.690,0:08:08.370 university. So that attitude of the university administration, as well as faculty and staff
0:08:08.370,0:08:13.680 and students, becomes very, very important because everyone gains from this. It's a win-win
0:08:13.680,0:08:16.410 situation. (Tracy Mitrano) A policy really is an important
0:08:16.410,0:08:22.270 way to go, because it will focus everyone's attention. It's also probably the way that
0:08:22.270,0:08:27.810 you have to go now that there are legal pressures on higher education in this area. The second
0:08:27.810,0:08:33.610 thing I would say about policy is there are really two types in general. One is a policy
0:08:33.610,0:08:38.759 that you have because you have a law, for example, the Family Education Rights Privacy
0:08:38.759,0:08:45.029 Act Policy, so you want to be clear and sure that you're going to have compliance on your
0:08:45.029,0:08:49.899 campus. There's another kind of policy that I would call aspirational policy and maybe
0:08:49.899,0:08:55.689 accessibility fits a little bit in both but you most certainly can err on the aspirational
0:08:55.689,0:09:01.329 side. An aspirational policy is something you establish for your institution as a path
0:09:01.329,0:09:06.040 moving towards something, moving forward. It does not have to have one hundred percent
0:09:06.040,0:09:10.319 compliance because it's really a direction that you're setting strategically for your
0:09:10.319,0:09:12.779 institution. (Gerry Hanley) I'd say another critical
0:09:12.779,0:09:19.779 aspect around our strategy is a shared governance strategy. Because education is a shared responsibility
0:09:25.980,0:09:32.980 across faculty, staff, students, venders, all of us working together have to share in
0:09:34.389,0:09:41.389 that responsibility. Now, a shared governance process means if you are responsible in delivering
0:09:42.189,0:09:48.240 the service, then you have an opportunity to share in governing how we're going to
0:09:48.240,0:09:52.629 manage the implementation of these services. (Brady Deaton) The administrators of the university
0:09:52.629,0:09:57.949 must reflect the values that demonstrate the importance of this to the learning environment
0:09:57.949,0:10:00.779 and it has to be built in then to every aspect of what we do.
0:10:00.779,0:10:04.139 (Michael Young) Right now we have a number of projects and initiatives underway at the
0:10:04.139,0:10:09.269 UW in which we're testing new technologies. Accessibility is an important consideration
0:10:09.269,0:10:13.079 in these evaluations. Many of the vendors we work with have completed
0:10:13.079,0:10:18.569 Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates or VPATs, which offer a checklist of accessibility
0:10:18.569,0:10:23.649 criteria and vendors' self-assessment as to how well they meet those criteria. It's a
0:10:23.649,0:10:28.269 good starting point, but we go beyond that to ask a vendor specific questions and to
0:10:28.269,0:10:33.569 test their products with respect to accessibility. (Gerry Hanley) We begin with our vendors saying
0:10:33.569,0:10:40.569 (a) this is not only important, that this is required for working with the CSU. Every
0:10:42.309,0:10:48.990 student who comes into our institution, we have to provide equally effective access to
0:10:48.990,0:10:55.860 those services and you are a partner in delivering those services to us. So we will tell you
0:10:55.860,0:11:02.860 what we need and then we will help you inform your staff, educate your staff, provide them
0:11:03.930,0:11:10.699 some consultation and guidance in partnership with us, so you can deliver the successful
0:11:10.699,0:11:13.370 service for us. (Pat Burns) So we work with our vendors to
0:11:13.370,0:11:19.180 try to put pressure on them to make things accessible. We actually have a purchasing
0:11:19.180,0:11:26.180 process where we work through and ask the issues about accessibility for software and
0:11:26.490,0:11:31.529 hardware that we buy as well. (Bruce Maas) Individual efforts really need
0:11:31.529,0:11:37.879 to be able to scale well. If we go about things in an ad hoc approach, one by one, we're not
0:11:37.879,0:11:43.910 likely to get the same results as if we work together as a community in higher education,
0:11:43.910,0:11:48.990 to work with vendors to improve accessibility for everyone with regard to the products that
0:11:48.990,0:11:55.269 are offered. That's a much more pragmatic approach rather than institution by institution.
0:11:55.269,0:12:02.269 (Gerry Hanley) Making accessibility a priority in their development roadmap is going to be
0:12:02.300,0:12:09.300 driven by the market demand. And if an institution never says a word, the vendor isn't going
0:12:11.059,0:12:17.269 to do anything about it. So if we begin to communicate our demands collectively, then
0:12:17.269,0:12:20.490 the vendor will recognize the market value of accessibility.
0:12:20.490,0:12:26.670 (Joel Hartman) As we acquire IT resources, we have to embed accessibility in our contracts.
0:12:26.670,0:12:31.019 As we develop resources, we have to employ universal design in our thinking about how
0:12:31.019,0:12:35.930 to make these resources available and we have to continue to monitor students to see if
0:12:35.930,0:12:42.930 we're really delivering to them the resources in a form that they can actually use.
0:12:43.309,0:12:50.309 (Michael Young) Accessibility requires effort on the part of everyone in the higher education
0:12:53.610,0:12:59.209 community - faculty, staff, technology vendors. If we all do our part, our institutions can
0:12:59.209,0:13:04.529 provide everyone with an equal opportunity to participate. And we all benefit from the
0:13:04.529,0:13:07.709 perspectives of a diverse group. (Hernan Londonono) Having that peace of mind
0:13:07.709,0:13:12.959 that we are doing all we can to provide an accessible campus is -- gives us a lot of
0:13:12.959,0:13:17.670 pride and we feel very happy about what, what we do.
0:13:17.670,0:13:22.199 (Linda Cahill) Why wouldn't we make our campus accessible to students with disabilities and
0:13:22.199,0:13:27.439 why wouldn't we do everything we could to see the technology is accessible to our students?
0:13:27.439,0:13:32.490 (Tracy Mitrano) The spirit of what has made higher education the jewel in the crown of
0:13:32.490,0:13:36.939 American society is part and parcel of the message of accessibility.
0:13:36.939,0:13:43.139 (Ed Ray) Every way in which we touch the lives of others, whether it's in the classroom,
0:13:43.139,0:13:50.139 the laboratory, through live performances, through events on campus, we want everyone
0:13:50.170,0:13:57.170 who comes here and creates those experiences to be as fully engaged and as fully benefited
0:14:00.290,0:14:07.290 by the activity as possible. And that simply can't be done if people have artificial challenges
0:14:08.179,0:14:09.889 or barriers to try to overcome.
0:14:09.889,0:14:16.319 (Ed Ray) I would say to those out there who are just getting started or maybe struggling
0:14:16.319,0:14:23.319 to figure out how to use technology to advance accessibility on their campuses that there's
0:14:23.629,0:14:25.549 no such thing as a bad time to start.