9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Michael Young) We are committed to the notion[br]that everyone should have an opportunity to 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 participate in higher education, whether it[br]be from the learning perspective, or the research 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 perspective, or an opportunity to work here[br]at this institution. We benefit from that 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 because we get to enjoy the talents and the[br]skills of those people who come in, and also 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 their perspective, which in many cases will[br]be different from the perspective of others 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 on campus. So accessibility becomes a very[br]important value at the university. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Tracy Mitrano) We're a leading university[br]globally. We want the best talent in the world 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 for our students, our staff, and our faculty.[br]And we want to be sure if that talent has 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a disability that they know that we are a[br]welcoming community. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Pablo Molino) We're competing with other[br]prestigious and highly accomplished institutions. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We want to make sure that we can target the[br]right candidates to join our community regardless 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 of their disability status. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Pete Siegel) We want to do everything we can to ensure that they have the same access 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to smart faculty, to fellow students, and to the resources at UC Davis. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Edward Ray) In fact, we genuinely believe that excellence is achieved through diversity 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and that a commitment to equity and inclusion really enriches each of our lives. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Linda Cahill) It would be inconceivable not to have a social conscience, at least, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and be completely committed to making our resources 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 at Barry University accessible to all students. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Edward Ray) We believe that the use of technology[br]can be very powerful. It connects people to 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 each other, but it also enhances their learning[br]capabilities; it increases what they can do 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 through their research and creative work;[br]it really makes it possible for them to have 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a more powerful impact in the world and that's[br]basically what we're all about. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And we want that to be true for every member of our community 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 regardless of limitations, of physical, spacial, time or other dimension. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Hernan Londono) As an IT professional, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 sometimes some of us concentrate in the technical side of the house only 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and we forget that finally the technology is to serve the people. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Michael Young) What the university offers [br]and makes available has to be offered to everybody. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We can't afford to waste the talents or the brilliance or the minds of anybody 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and making things accessible allows everybody to engage in the university. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Equal opportunity is a part of our value system, but it's also required by law. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Pete Siegel) Compliance is extremely important. Compliance is the law. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But that isn't the motivator for most of us at universities. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Our motivation has always been to provide[br]easily accessible tools... 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 excellent experiences for our students... 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and really to give them the sense that this is a place they want to be, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a place they want to learn, a place where they can thrive. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Michael Young) Universal design is a very[br]powerful concept because what it means is 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 we look at the issue of accessibility at the[br]outset rather than buying something or engaging 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 something, or developing something that we[br]have to retrofit. Which not only makes it 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 cheaper and more efficient, it likely makes[br]it much better in terms of both the quality 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 of the product and the accessibility to those...[br] 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 all the people that we want to be able to use it.[br] 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Tracy Mitrano) I think the other direction [br]that colleges and universities could and should[br]take 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 is to think about accommodation as really the beginning of the conversation about disability. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It was the appropriate measure that was [br]taken in the Americans with Disabilities Act[br]that was passed in 1990 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and that's well over a generation ago. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I think now we really have to think less about how we're going to measure specifically this accommodation or that accommodation 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and recognize that we can make accessibility [br]open and available 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 so that individual staff, faculty or students do not have to go to get an accommodation. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It will be automatically available in the webpage that they visit, in the device that they use. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Brady Deaton) We envision a campus that has [br]a concept of universal design in all aspects[br]of information technology, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that a student is not impeded in any way, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but in fact, that technology is utilized not only directly by those who benefit because of certain challenges[br]they may have, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but also is illustrative to the broader student body and to the faculty and to alums 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 about what an inclusive learning environment is. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Pete Seigel) We have some things we have [br]to learn in order to move into accessibility[br]space, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but the basic goals and the basic values are things we already know and love. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Then we bring in things like universal design, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the notion that if we design things well right[br]from the start, they actually aren't more expensive. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 This is something that we can fit[br]into even our very, very tight budgets. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Eileen McDonough) We make a great effort[br]in our graduate and our undergraduate counsel 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to make sure that faculty and deans are aware[br]that in program design, in offering a new major, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that they take into account that they might have to have specialized software available, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and they have to build that into their program[br]development. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And then to certainly just be aware of all the different ways that students can learn, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to help faculty and deans understand the concept of universal design. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Gerry Hanley) The first step really needs to be an assessment of where we are, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 so we can then inform our planning process, develop plans, implement a project, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and then really assess the results of it. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Pablo Molino) Key to our approach to making[br]sure that our campus and our technology is 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 accessible to people with disabilities, is[br]to ensure we do this by design. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 This is not an afterthought that we do after we have implemented a new classroom. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Instead, this is something that we do from the initial conception of a new project or idea. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 The same way we do this for privacy and security, we do this for accessibility. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Bruce Maas) It is less costly, in the long[br]run, to be thinking through the issues of accessibility comprehensively. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Therefore, having a plan for accessibility insures that from the beginning we think through our issues 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 with regard to the delivery of our services. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Doing so in a strategic way means that we[br]can hold down costs over the long haul 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and actually deliver better services in the bargain. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Brady Deaton) It is very important that a university follows a policy and a process that is a can-do kind of process. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It assumes that we are going to undertake the investments that we need, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 we're going to demonstrate the values that we need, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that not only address the needs of students who may be challenged with vision or hearing or other disabilities, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but also draw on the technology that is not only exciting for those people who are developing[br]the technology, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 it's intellectually exciting, it provides new jobs for that matter, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and it stimulates learning in so many parts of the university. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 So that attitude of the university administration, as well as faculty and staff and students, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 becomes very, very important because everyone gains from this. It's a win-win situation. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Tracy Mitrano) A policy really is an important way to go, because it will focus everyone's attention. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It's also probably the way that you have to go now that there are legal pressures on higher education in this area. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 The second thing I would say about policy is there are[br]really two types in general. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 One is a policy that you have because you have a law, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 for example, the Family Education Rights Privacy Act Policy. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 So you want to be clear and sure that you're going to have compliance on your campus. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 There's another kind of policy that I would call aspirational policy and maybe accessibility fits a little bit in both 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but you most certainly can err on the aspirational side. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 An aspirational policy is something you establish for your institution as a path moving towards something, moving forward. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It does not have to have one hundred percent compliance 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 because it's really a direction that you're setting strategically for your institution. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Gerry Hanley) I'd say another critical aspect around our strategy is a shared governance strategy. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Because education is a shared responsibility 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:09:25.980,0:09:32.980[br]across faculty, staff, students, venders,[br]all of us working together have to share in 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:09:34.389,0:09:41.389[br]that responsibility. Now, a shared governance[br]process means if you are responsible in delivering 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:09:42.189,0:09:48.240[br]the service, then you have an opportunity[br]to share in governing how we're going to 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:09:48.240,0:09:52.629[br]manage the implementation of these services.[br](Brady Deaton) The administrators of the university 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:09:52.629,0:09:57.949[br]must reflect the values that demonstrate the[br]importance of this to the learning environment 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:09:57.949,0:10:00.779[br]and it has to be built in then to every aspect[br]of what we do. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:10:00.779,0:10:04.139[br](Michael Young) Right now we have a number[br]of projects and initiatives underway at the 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:10:04.139,0:10:09.269[br]UW in which we're testing new technologies.[br]Accessibility is an important consideration 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:10:09.269,0:10:13.079[br]in these evaluations. Many of the vendors[br]we work with have completed 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:10:13.079,0:10:18.569[br]Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates[br]or VPATs, which offer a checklist of accessibility 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:10:18.569,0:10:23.649[br]criteria and vendors' self-assessment as to[br]how well they meet those criteria. It's a 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:10:23.649,0:10:28.269[br]good starting point, but we go beyond that[br]to ask a vendor specific questions and to 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:10:28.269,0:10:33.569[br]test their products with respect to accessibility.[br](Gerry Hanley) We begin with our vendors saying 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:10:33.569,0:10:40.569[br](a) this is not only important, that this[br]is required for working with the CSU. Every 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:10:42.309,0:10:48.990[br]student who comes into our institution, we[br]have to provide equally effective access to 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:10:48.990,0:10:55.860[br]those services and you are a partner in delivering[br]those services to us. So we will tell you 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:10:55.860,0:11:02.860[br]what we need and then we will help you inform[br]your staff, educate your staff, provide them 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:11:03.930,0:11:10.699[br]some consultation and guidance in partnership[br]with us, so you can deliver the successful 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:11:10.699,0:11:13.370[br]service for us.[br](Pat Burns) So we work with our vendors to 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:11:13.370,0:11:19.180[br]try to put pressure on them to make things[br]accessible. We actually have a purchasing 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:11:19.180,0:11:26.180[br]process where we work through and ask the[br]issues about accessibility for software and 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:11:26.490,0:11:31.529[br]hardware that we buy as well.[br](Bruce Maas) Individual efforts really need 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:11:31.529,0:11:37.879[br]to be able to scale well. If we go about things[br]in an ad hoc approach, one by one, we're not 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:11:37.879,0:11:43.910[br]likely to get the same results as if we work[br]together as a community in higher education, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:11:43.910,0:11:48.990[br]to work with vendors to improve accessibility[br]for everyone with regard to the products that 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:11:48.990,0:11:55.269[br]are offered. That's a much more pragmatic[br]approach rather than institution by institution. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:11:55.269,0:12:02.269[br](Gerry Hanley) Making accessibility a priority[br]in their development roadmap is going to be 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:12:02.300,0:12:09.300[br]driven by the market demand. And if an institution[br]never says a word, the vendor isn't going 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:12:11.059,0:12:17.269[br]to do anything about it. So if we begin to[br]communicate our demands collectively, then 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:12:17.269,0:12:20.490[br]the vendor will recognize the market value[br]of accessibility. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:12:20.490,0:12:26.670[br](Joel Hartman) As we acquire IT resources,[br]we have to embed accessibility in our contracts. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:12:26.670,0:12:31.019[br]As we develop resources, we have to employ[br]universal design in our thinking about how 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:12:31.019,0:12:35.930[br]to make these resources available and we have[br]to continue to monitor students to see if 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:12:35.930,0:12:42.930[br]we're really delivering to them the resources[br]in a form that they can actually use. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:12:43.309,0:12:50.309[br](Michael Young) Accessibility requires effort[br]on the part of everyone in the higher education 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:12:53.610,0:12:59.209[br]community - faculty, staff, technology vendors.[br]If we all do our part, our institutions can 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:12:59.209,0:13:04.529[br]provide everyone with an equal opportunity[br]to participate. And we all benefit from the 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:13:04.529,0:13:07.709[br]perspectives of a diverse group.[br](Hernan Londonono) Having that peace of mind 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:13:07.709,0:13:12.959[br]that we are doing all we can to provide an[br]accessible campus is -- gives us a lot of 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:13:12.959,0:13:17.670[br]pride and we feel very happy about what, what[br]we do. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:13:17.670,0:13:22.199[br](Linda Cahill) Why wouldn't we make our campus[br]accessible to students with disabilities and 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:13:22.199,0:13:27.439[br]why wouldn't we do everything we could to[br]see the technology is accessible to our students? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:13:27.439,0:13:32.490[br](Tracy Mitrano) The spirit of what has made[br]higher education the jewel in the crown of 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:13:32.490,0:13:36.939[br]American society is part and parcel of the[br]message of accessibility. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:13:36.939,0:13:43.139[br](Ed Ray) Every way in which we touch the lives[br]of others, whether it's in the classroom, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:13:43.139,0:13:50.139[br]the laboratory, through live performances,[br]through events on campus, we want everyone 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:13:50.170,0:13:57.170[br]who comes here and creates those experiences[br]to be as fully engaged and as fully benefited 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:14:00.290,0:14:07.290[br]by the activity as possible. And that simply[br]can't be done if people have artificial challenges 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:14:08.179,0:14:09.889[br]or barriers to try to overcome. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:14:09.889,0:14:16.319[br](Ed Ray) I would say to those out there who[br]are just getting started or maybe struggling 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:14:16.319,0:14:23.319[br]to figure out how to use technology to advance[br]accessibility on their campuses that there's 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 0:14:23.629,0:14:25.549[br]no such thing as a bad time to start.