WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:03.790 --> 00:00:06.040 It's important that people with disabilities 00:00:06.040 --> 00:00:08.330 are able to access programs and resources 00:00:08.330 --> 00:00:10.940 just simply as a matter of social justice. 00:00:12.780 --> 00:00:17.060 Students with disabilities should 00:00:17.070 --> 00:00:21.270 be able to articulate what they need. 00:00:21.270 --> 00:00:23.180 I think that's very crucial. 00:00:24.520 --> 00:00:29.920 We want to really educate diverse learners. 00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:34.060 Diverse learners definitely including people with disabilities. 00:00:42.220 --> 00:00:44.060 For students with disabilities, 00:00:44.070 --> 00:00:48.060 a successful academic experience requires teamwork. 00:00:48.060 --> 00:00:51.250 Team members are students, faculty, and the staff 00:00:51.250 --> 00:00:54.070 that supports students with disabilities. 00:00:54.070 --> 00:00:59.350 My name is Robert Stacey, I go by Bob Stacey. 00:00:59.350 --> 00:01:02.360 I'm the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences 00:01:02.360 --> 00:01:05.640 and I'm a professor of medieval European history 00:01:05.640 --> 00:01:07.710 here at the University of Washington. 00:01:07.710 --> 00:01:11.810 A lot of disabilities, of course, are invisible. 00:01:11.810 --> 00:01:14.650 We think about disabilities and we think about 00:01:14.650 --> 00:01:17.500 someone who is perhaps in a wheelchair 00:01:17.500 --> 00:01:20.600 or who has vision impairment or whatever 00:01:20.720 --> 00:01:24.560 but oftentimes there are things like social anxieties 00:01:24.560 --> 00:01:28.520 that prevent them from participating comfortably in large groups. 00:01:29.500 --> 00:01:33.140 My name's Dan Comden. I'm the Access Technology Manager 00:01:33.140 --> 00:01:35.540 in the Access Technology Center 00:01:35.540 --> 00:01:37.730 in the basement of Mary Gates Hall. 00:01:37.730 --> 00:01:41.479 We're part of UW-IT Information Technology 00:01:41.479 --> 00:01:45.150 in a unit called Accessible Technology Services. 00:01:45.150 --> 00:01:48.939 We do a number of different things in our department. 00:01:48.939 --> 00:01:51.750 One of the things that we do is provide 00:01:51.750 --> 00:01:56.070 access to academic technology for college students 00:01:56.070 --> 00:01:59.140 here at the University of Washington who have disabilities. 00:01:59.140 --> 00:02:02.720 The transition from the K-12 system into higher education 00:02:02.720 --> 00:02:06.130 can be a bit of a shock for some students. 00:02:06.130 --> 00:02:09.049 They come from a very supportive environment 00:02:09.049 --> 00:02:12.980 to an environment that is supportive but 00:02:12.980 --> 00:02:17.659 requires that the student really be their own best advocate. 00:02:17.659 --> 00:02:19.389 They have to seek out the services. 00:02:19.389 --> 00:02:21.969 The services are not just going to be delivered to them 00:02:21.969 --> 00:02:23.980 without them asking about it. 00:02:23.980 --> 00:02:29.549 00:02:33.890 Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, 00:02:33.890 --> 00:02:38.329 students with disabilities have the right to reasonable accommodations. 00:02:38.329 --> 00:02:42.099 Students have to play an active role in claiming that right. 00:02:42.099 --> 00:02:46.090 Their first step is to contact the office that provides accommodations, 00:02:46.090 --> 00:02:50.700 which is sometimes called Disability Resources for Students or DRS. 00:02:52.580 --> 00:02:54.739 My name's Jon McGough. 00:02:54.739 --> 00:02:59.489 In DRS, we work with students in every program across the university. 00:02:59.489 --> 00:03:03.189 That's undergraduate students, graduate students, 00:03:03.189 --> 00:03:07.030 students in professional programs like medicine or law. 00:03:07.030 --> 00:03:10.010 In working with our counseling staff, 00:03:10.010 --> 00:03:12.260 our counseling staff works to ensure 00:03:12.260 --> 00:03:16.319 that the students can access the classroom. 00:03:16.319 --> 00:03:19.120 That means that lectures are accessible to them. 00:03:19.120 --> 00:03:24.519 This could include sign language interpreters or closed-captioned videos. 00:03:24.519 --> 00:03:27.529 We work to ensure that their books are accessible to them. 00:03:27.529 --> 00:03:30.139 This could be textbooks in Braille 00:03:30.139 --> 00:03:33.909 or audio or many other digital formats. 00:03:33.909 --> 00:03:37.750 We work to ensure that clinical experiences 00:03:37.750 --> 00:03:40.080 and field trips are also accessible. 00:03:40.860 --> 00:03:46.239 My name is Shelby and my disability is dyslexia dysgraphia. 00:03:46.239 --> 00:03:49.599 Dyslexia is basically where you can reverse words or leave words out. 00:03:49.599 --> 00:03:52.969 I always try and seek out where the disability department is. 00:03:52.969 --> 00:03:54.419 I feel like it’s the first thing I need to do 00:03:54.419 --> 00:03:56.549 because if I don’t have everything in order, 00:03:56.549 --> 00:04:00.089 then I’m just going to suffer all the way through college 00:04:00.089 --> 00:04:01.400 and I don’t want to do that. 00:04:01.400 --> 00:04:04.029 I try to set up my meeting with my counselor 00:04:04.029 --> 00:04:07.579 try to find out like if I get all of my testing accommodations 00:04:07.579 --> 00:04:10.819 and then I ask them if there are like anything else I need to know about 00:04:10.820 --> 00:04:12.979 if there’s something new. 00:04:14.040 --> 00:04:18.020 00:04:20.870 documentation helps the student services counselor 00:04:20.870 --> 00:04:23.500 determine what that student might need. 00:04:23.500 --> 00:04:27.930 Counselor Krista Greear talks with students about specific accommodations. 00:04:29.060 --> 00:04:32.780 So I work with a couple different types of students. 00:04:32.790 --> 00:04:37.060 The first type of students with disabilities that I work with 00:04:37.060 --> 00:04:40.780 are those that have chronic health concerns. 00:04:40.780 --> 00:04:44.510 Perhaps they have arthritis where they can't manipulate a physical book. 00:04:44.510 --> 00:04:47.780 Or they can't carry the weight of their books on their back 00:04:47.780 --> 00:04:52.500 so they're really just looking for an electronic-only version. 00:04:52.500 --> 00:04:54.960 Perhaps the student might also have low vision where they need 00:04:54.970 --> 00:04:59.470 to have an electronic version that can be enlarged. 00:04:59.470 --> 00:05:02.100 The second type of students that I work with are 00:05:02.100 --> 00:05:06.070 by far the largest population and these are students with learning disabilities. 00:05:07.000 --> 00:05:08.500 I'm Richard Ladner, 00:05:08.510 --> 00:05:10.650 professor in Computer Science and Engineering 00:05:10.650 --> 00:05:11.940 at the University of Washington. 00:05:11.940 --> 00:05:15.040 If a student with a disability comes into your class, 00:05:15.040 --> 00:05:19.470 it's always a good idea to ask the student what their needs are. 00:05:19.470 --> 00:05:22.650 And try to make sure that you accommodate those needs 00:05:22.650 --> 00:05:26.650 and I've seen this done successfully a number of times by professors 00:05:26.650 --> 00:05:33.430 who have an interest in including all students in their class. 00:05:33.430 --> 00:05:38.330 I think all the materials in class should be accessible, 00:05:38.330 --> 00:05:41.300 the website, and so on. 00:05:41.300 --> 00:05:46.070 The assignments should be considerate of accessibility, 00:05:46.070 --> 00:05:48.640 the exams as well. 00:05:50.480 --> 00:05:53.500 There’s a wide range of accommodations. 00:05:54.400 --> 00:05:56.200 My name is Kayla 00:05:56.210 --> 00:06:00.200 and I have a form of muscular dystrophy. 00:06:00.200 --> 00:06:03.310 So essentially I just use a wheelchair because 00:06:03.310 --> 00:06:07.430 my muscles are weak and I also have 00:06:07.430 --> 00:06:12.380 panic attacks and anxiety as my invisible disability. 00:06:12.380 --> 00:06:16.900 Some accommodations that I had were 00:06:16.900 --> 00:06:22.330 the physical space where I needed a desk that I could pull up to 00:06:22.330 --> 00:06:25.430 that would raise, that was adjustable. 00:06:25.430 --> 00:06:28.630 I would need to be able to physically get into the room, 00:06:28.630 --> 00:06:31.620 the classroom, very important. 00:06:31.620 --> 00:06:35.870 And I got some writing accommodations 00:06:35.870 --> 00:06:38.680 that I had just in case I needed them. 00:06:38.680 --> 00:06:42.870 I also had certain accommodations about 00:06:42.870 --> 00:06:47.620 needing to take breaks and that's mostly due to my invisible disability. 00:06:47.620 --> 00:06:50.140 So if I am having a panic attack 00:06:50.140 --> 00:06:54.160 I can leave the room and the instructor would know why. 00:06:55.660 --> 00:06:59.820 I'm Cindy and I’m a third year PhD student 00:06:59.820 --> 00:07:02.780 in the Department of Human Centered Design and Engineering 00:07:02.780 --> 00:07:04.600 at the University of Washington. 00:07:04.600 --> 00:07:07.310 I'm totally blind. 00:07:07.310 --> 00:07:12.570 DRS helped me to get accommodations in a few of my courses. 00:07:12.570 --> 00:07:16.270 They provided materials in Braille for me in a computer science course 00:07:16.270 --> 00:07:18.650 which was very helpful. 00:07:18.650 --> 00:07:23.080 They provided an assistant for me in a statistics course 00:07:23.080 --> 00:07:27.200 which was also very helpful because there were a lot of graphs 00:07:27.200 --> 00:07:32.020 and creating presentations using statistical software 00:07:32.020 --> 00:07:35.830 where I was best supported by having a student help me. 00:07:36.740 --> 00:07:44.560 Be clear about what you need. 00:07:44.560 --> 00:07:50.870 And make sure you communicate frequently with your instructor 00:07:50.870 --> 00:07:55.910 and if you're not getting the accommodation that you need 00:07:55.910 --> 00:08:01.400 let your instructor know. 00:08:01.400 --> 00:08:07.480 Our instructors are remarkable but very few are mind readers. 00:08:08.060 --> 00:08:11.060 Students have the right to choose if, and when, 00:08:11.060 --> 00:08:13.280 to disclose their disabilities. 00:08:14.460 --> 00:08:16.960 It's up to the student, actually, the student 00:08:16.960 --> 00:08:20.250 whether they disclose or not their disability. 00:08:20.250 --> 00:08:24.720 If they do disclose it and they do indicate that they 00:08:24.720 --> 00:08:27.500 do have some accessibility issues, 00:08:27.500 --> 00:08:29.620 then a conversation would be in order 00:08:29.620 --> 00:08:33.240 and if the student does not initiate it then probably 00:08:33.240 --> 00:08:35.880 you should not initiate it. 00:08:37.140 --> 00:08:42.680 So what I would advise is for professors to offer 00:08:42.689 --> 00:08:44.740 opportunities if they come across something 00:08:44.740 --> 00:08:47.459 that might be helpful for someone with a disability 00:08:47.459 --> 00:08:49.480 to offer it to the entire class like, 00:08:49.480 --> 00:08:52.259 “Oh if you have a disability here's something 00:08:52.259 --> 00:08:54.160 on campus that might be helpful,” 00:08:54.160 --> 00:08:58.500 you know, rather than kind of calling the student out. 00:09:00.620 --> 00:09:03.639 00:09:07.490 they should contact professors and disability services early, 00:09:07.490 --> 00:09:09.760 preferably before classes start. 00:09:09.760 --> 00:09:12.960 Sometimes, accommodations require advance notice. 00:09:12.960 --> 00:09:18.320 For example, books in alternate formats such as Braille may have to be ordered. 00:09:20.060 --> 00:09:24.480 It's important that they engage with their disability service office 00:09:24.490 --> 00:09:25.829 as early as possible 00:09:25.829 --> 00:09:31.540 so that they can – if they need accessible academic materials 00:09:31.540 --> 00:09:37.750 the DS office can start creating those as soon as they know what books are needed. 00:09:37.750 --> 00:09:43.149 It's really important that it be a proactive instead of a reactive process 00:09:43.149 --> 00:09:45.320 as much as possible. 00:09:46.120 --> 00:09:50.280 00:09:53.980 Cooperation between faculty, students, and service coordinators 00:09:53.980 --> 00:09:56.419 is the key to making it happen. 00:09:57.280 --> 00:10:01.920 My name is Patrick Pow. I'm from University of Washington Tacoma. 00:10:01.920 --> 00:10:05.149 My responsibility is technology. 00:10:05.149 --> 00:10:09.209 I'm the Vice Chancellor for Information Technology. 00:10:09.209 --> 00:10:12.920 So it is really vitally important for us to provide 00:10:12.920 --> 00:10:14.589 equity and inclusion which includes 00:10:14.589 --> 00:10:16.569 people with any kind of needs – 00:10:16.569 --> 00:10:19.860 learning disabilities, physical disabilities. 00:10:19.860 --> 00:10:23.790 I’m Sheryl Burgstahler at the University of Washington. 00:10:23.790 --> 00:10:26.759 Here I direct Accessible Technology Services. 00:10:26.759 --> 00:10:29.350 My hope for students in our programs 00:10:29.350 --> 00:10:32.430 is that they'll develop some self-confidence, 00:10:32.430 --> 00:10:34.829 that they'll become self advocates, 00:10:34.829 --> 00:10:36.760 that they'll really know what they need, 00:10:36.760 --> 00:10:40.459 whether it's technology or some other accommodation. 00:10:40.459 --> 00:10:44.180 And they'll feel like they can be successful because they know, 00:10:44.180 --> 00:10:45.779 they've practiced some of the things they have to do 00:10:45.780 --> 00:10:49.000 to be successful in college and careers and they know that they can do it.