Hey Now #ATchat So happy to be back. Can't wait to discuss summer learning & starting the school year off on the right foot. [GIF: Bob Ross painting, "Hi, Welcome Back. Certainly glad you could join me today']
Hi Danielle. Grad student at Southern Connecticut State University. I did an amazing internship with American Association of People with Disabilities and Institue for Educational Leadership #ATChat
My trip was incredible, attended a big fat Greek Wedding in Kavala Greece, then on to Croatia and Slovenia. Traveling is awesome. How about you? #ATchat
Had some adventures in CA:) Great to be back! I was busy working on my dissertation and tonight I won't be able to chat much as I have a deadline tomorrow for my research. I am looking forward to #atchat this year:)
I was able to visit the office of my members of Congress and talk to them about pieces of legislation including Didability Integration Act. I was also able to learn about some amazing programs like ABLE accounts. Working on bringing it all to CT #ATChat
A1: @attipscast book The New Assistive Tech: Making Learning Awesome for ALL was beyond inspirational and filled with ideas to improve my practce --- can't encourage enough people to read it. Gen ed, SPED, Admin- everyone should read it! Best textbook sytle book ever! #Atchat
I was able to visit the office of my members of Congress and talk to them about pieces of legislation including Didability Integration Act. I was also able to learn about some amazing programs like ABLE accounts. Working on bringing it all to CT #ATChat
ABLE accounts are savings accounts that qualifying individuals can set up. They aren't counted when looking at assets for SSI. Can be used on disability related expenses, which has been very broadly defined by IRS. AT would definitely be a qualified expense. #ATChat
A1: #ATchat I learned how @Flipgrid#GridPals works which will allow me to make classroom connections around country & globe giving Ss an opportunity to practice social communication & build cultural perspective & knowledge base!
A1: Started looking at mission, vision, values, and program goals for my department. That stuff is seriously important and much needed. It definitely helps communicate how you define yourself.
#Atchat
A1: Learned SO much this summer. One thing: Spent a lot of time with members of the Blind community and learned about alt text, best practices and how to put it in PPTs. #ATChat#TheBarriersWeFace
A1 #ATchat I am continuing to clean out the old products, revamp good practices & put new tweets as we enter this school year. I have filled many a recycle bin this summer!
A1 - I'm teaching an online course about Innovative Strategies to Reach all Learners. Most of the participants are general educators. Much of the information is new to them. We need to reach general educators to truly make a difference and promote UDL! #ATchat
ABLE accounts are savings accounts that qualifying individuals can set up. They aren't counted when looking at assets for SSI. Can be used on disability related expenses, which has been very broadly defined by IRS. AT would definitely be a qualified expense. #ATChat
A1 #ATchat I am continuing to clean out the old products, revamp good practices & put new tweets as we enter this school year. I have filled many a recycle bin this summer!
Yes! I did a training with our media specialist. They took that information and ate it up. The results are amazing- great a great energy in the building. #Atchat
A1: I was able to attend the 2 day #picademy this summer. Amazing training - hands on learning about inexpensive computers and coding. If you get the chance you should go for sure #ATchat
A1: New and old inventory refresh, teaching online courses in #UDL and #SpecialEducation, published an article, collaborate and connected with amazing people! #Atchat
@kellyFonner Thanks! And for those who are wondering what happened to the UDL Tech Toolkit, it has a new home. https://t.co/6R8NmL6771 So sad to see the demise of wikispaces. #ATchat
A2: For my folks it's making sure they remember their tools. Some of them haven't used them during the break. So there's that but also those important alt media requests for students with print disabilities. #Atchat
A2: For us, it’s ensuring we’ve provided appropriate training to people referring students to us. Many staff do not know how expansive AT really is and the tools to provide are more than just STT / TTS. #Atchat
A2 #ATChat have it Day1? Are we at a point yet where “just in time” is too much to ask? Or are we as AT staff still running around for the first 2 months of school putting everything back in place from the previous school year?
A2: Perhaps not a task, but making sure you build an environment that is welcoming of AT and fostering inclusion and equity throughout your community is huge. As an AT user and someone with a disability this has been paramount continued use. #ATChat
alble to allA2 - Embed UDL principles. Make the technology available to all. Build students' metacognitive skills so they can identify what they need for indpendence and success. #ATchat
Making sure we are ready for them. Setting having their devices set up and ready to go. Making time to remind them of tools while reviewing any changes. To do all this we have to have PD prior to the start of school for all support staff. #Atchat
A2: with over 6,000 faculty and 35,000+ students, we also spend a lot of time ensuring faculty get support so students can use their #AT without worry! #ATchat
A2: get your team schedules in place to reserve space; review notes of where you left off last year; set goals & develop action plans; make sure new team members are brought into the "know" --- and be prepared to raise the bar of expectation continuously! #Atchat
A2: For us, it’s ensuring we’ve provided appropriate training to people referring students to us. Many staff do not know how expansive AT really is and the tools to provide are more than just STT / TTS. #Atchat
It’s taken time, but our learners will have their supports day one. Many have had #AAC and other supports over the summer. A lot of planning and summer work to make it happen. #atchat
A2 - Embed UDL principles. Make the technology available to all. Build students' metacognitive skills so they can identify what they need for indpendence and success. #ATchat
What do you think can be done to get professors to be more accommodating, understanding, and willing to provide text in accessible formats? Also would love to hear your thoughts about early access to accessible text for OCR conversion so valuable class time is not lost. #ATChat
#ATChat Ugh! This can be so frustrating! Or when you are making up for too many "lost" years? Proud to say my continuing Ss had their AT ready and in place first period of first day! Felt good...
This is a big deal. Super big deal. As @UMass_ATC mentioned, training is important. Faculty need to know what providing access means. Many don't understand what offices like mine/theirs do. They need to know & know we're partners, not adversaries. #Atchat
What do you think can be done to get professors to be more accommodating, understanding, and willing to provide text in accessible formats? Also would love to hear your thoughts about early access to accessible text for OCR conversion so valuable class time is not lost. #ATChat
#ATChat Ugh! This can be so frustrating! Or when you are making up for too many "lost" years? Proud to say my continuing Ss had their AT ready and in place first period of first day! Felt good...
#ATChat Awesome, yes! Well done! And not an easy accomplishment... It does feel good to know that things are in place right at the start of the first day
Sometimes it's knowing THAT they can look for materials in alternative formats (and should). But it's also understanding that digital<> accessible. Many think posting stuff on an LMS makes it ready to go. Not the case. #Atchat
Absolutely! We also bring in willing students to give perspective. Other faculty who experience #disabiltiies too- one of our big initiatives this fall is #empathy training and including disability in the conversation of #diversity and #inclusion#ATchat
#ATchat with a great deal of support and last year prep from my wonderful Related Services and phenomenal paraprofessionals; It was ready and waiting when Ss arrived. Esp. AAC
A3: We've already started staff training. Have to intersperse it throughout the year. I think it is really important to communicate the why of what we do not just the what. #ATchat
We frequently have “Brown bags” for faculty. Having an open #discussion with a panel of students is important. Also, setting an example. When ppl see IMAGE DESCRIPTION and #captioning in videos, or using AT, it opens their eyes to something they may not know! #ATchat
A3: Multiple means: Tech-a-Palooza, side by side training, gradual release of AT responsibility, using #innovatorscompass to get to the heart to best serve teams. For starters. #Atchat
A3 - Increasing awareness, knowledge and acceptance is so much easier when we speak about UDL and how AT can be for ALL learners not just swds. Promoting how AT can make the lives of the educators easier helps with buy in on the other side. #ATChat
Definitely make sure you talk with your campus Disability Services office and get them in the game. They may know about any campus policies. They might also have the "in" for trainings. #ATChat
A3 #ATchat Time, as always, is a HUGE factor 4 Ts & Related staff. I find that this year, more than last, I already have online meetings/consults set up. Some follow up last year’s training, some for support w/what Ts&Ss will b receiving this Year
How many times we realize people think “accessible” means “available” is fascinating. We are using “we know your course is available, but is it #accessible?” #ATchat
Also engaging Communications can be really important - or Student Affairs. #disability isn’t a dirty word. Disability is the ultimate #intersectionality. It has no bias. #ATchat
How many times we realize people think “accessible” means “available” is fascinating. We are using “we know your course is available, but is it #accessible?” #ATchat
A3- prior to the start of school we identified goals and set our training accordingly. Increased early release trainings and then go to staff during their breaks. Build capacity by work alongside staff. Additionally adding a website. #atchat
A3 - Increasing awareness, knowledge and acceptance is so much easier when we speak about UDL and how AT can be for ALL learners not just swds. Promoting how AT can make the lives of the educators easier helps with buy in on the other side. #ATChat
A3: My SLPs, OT and I are creating a sibling/peer assistive technology training model that builds awareness, empathy, and support strategies for across the settings of home and community; this year's focus is on AAC devices with other categories to follow in future years #Atchat
Also engaging Communications can be really important - or Student Affairs. #disability isn’t a dirty word. Disability is the ultimate #intersectionality. It has no bias. #ATchat
A3: we are working to implement a badging program for training. Short, sweet videos to improve #a11y and #AT understanding. Also, we have a very special project for social media in the works - keep your eyes and ears out everyone! #ATchat
Absolutely. Disability is part of diversity. On my campus, it's part of our President's Council on Diversity and Inclusion.
Shout out to @PrezJunn at @stan_state for helping us make great forward progress!
#Atchat#studentsuccess
Also engaging Communications can be really important - or Student Affairs. #disability isn’t a dirty word. Disability is the ultimate #intersectionality. It has no bias. #ATchat
A4: a buddy program! Pair up someone reluctant with a willing colleague. It’s amazing what friends can get friends to try and do - faculty buddy programs work well. ;) #ATchat
I also look at the conversation linking accessibility and usability. I try to link the two, and it's been pretty successful. It also helps seed the Universal Design conversation.
#Atchat
How many times we realize people think “accessible” means “available” is fascinating. We are using “we know your course is available, but is it #accessible?” #ATchat
too many broken systems and mishandling out of school leaving Ss without their AT when they were in school and needed it; we work to get a duplicates with insurance and/or supports coordination- but that's not always easy, as we all know; often they are not deemed DME. #Atchat
Yes! There was a great article on #ACcessibilty / #a11y and #uDL in #highered I saw posted tonight. I’ll try to locate again and send to you via direct message. :) #ATchat
A4: Show them that it's not as scary as they may think. Often the tools can be good productivity tools for faculty. Once I show that, the doors are off the hinges. Getting past that fear is huge.
#Atchat
#ATChat A4..show them the door. No,oK, Q1-2 them “what do U want this S to learn in ur class this year?” (Involve them, don’t tell them) Q2 “how will U know that they’ve learned that?” (BOING)depending upon what they sayQ3”How can they b more independent?” Or“yeah, let’s try this
A4: But there's also showing them that AT isn't going to break their curriculum. It's just going to provide students equal access to the curriculum. It makes it easier for them to teach and teach effectively.
#Atchat
A4 - Leading by example is huge and taking the few extra minutes to help out and SHOW someone how to do what you're talking about makes all the AT jargon that #ATWonks use concrete for someone that does not have the same experience or background knowledge. #ATChat
A5: we are presenting at a variety of conferences this year. We frequently attend online webinars and chat with unique, largely under represented experts on our podcast which teaches us a lot. But our students are often our greatest teachers. #Atchat
A4. Finding the why behind it by using #innovatorscompass to help uncover those beliefs/bias that ultimately ends with one tangible action step. Sometimes slow is the way to go. #Atchat
Yup. Sometimes its so difficult to be patient when their students suffer due to their unwillingness to see their role to reach all learners! #atchat#bitemytongue
#ATChat I’ve seen lots of AAC summer decisions over the years 4 all kinds of reasons. One of the purposes 2 always make sure Ss have a non-tech back-up, then no matter what the issue, it’s there. They should also make use of it thruout the school yr
We are looking to expand our reach and incenstive to staff and faculty by having them become “#a11y stewards” - take online courses (some in person) and provide a badge leveling system for them to increase their knowledge and notoriety on campus! :) #ATchat
A5: 2 texts I want to read this year by Cheryl Jorgensen: The Beyond Access Model and It's More Than "Just Being In" : Creating Authentic Inclusion for Ss with Complex Support Needs--- then developing a personal action plan for building capacity with our Ts and paras #Atchat
A5: Looking forward to AHEAD's Accessing Higher Ground to get some info. Also, just more networking with folks & learning what they're using. Also have to watch the skies for main-stream tech drops. #Atchat
Teeheehee - we thought about it!!!! But we wanted to keep it in a positive light. Semantics and all.. so we thought steward would shed a certain glowing light ;) #ATchat
#ATChat A5. Ditto... add #ocalicon, #Helix, #Atia19 and the New England AT Conference in RI; considering a revisit to #CSUN since they are changing venues
Yes-all have no-tech back ups I've made/sent home, but I don't see a whole lot of families taking on the no-tech use like we expect in school. But they are so busy with so many things, that I try to consider their complex role too and be empathetic. Balancing act...#Atchat
A5: I’m obsessed with @meeplelikeus - they are on a mission to make #accessible board games and have some pretty amazing guidelines for game design they are working on! So important. #atchat#a11y
A6 I am loving using the templates available on Boardmaker Online. It is so easy to create literacy activities that support access to age-appropriate material. #ATchat
A5: Also looking forward to presenting at the @LetsTalkLD College Planning and Transition Conference in The City of Angels Sept. 29. If you're in LA & want to attend a great free transition conference, check it out!
https://t.co/H7MaJh55LQ#Atchat
#ATchat A5, yes! I’ve done several of those this summer through Don Johnston, the Cough Drop’s AAC in the Cloud conference, and once you’ve attended a Minspeak event, each month the Day 2 guest speaker is a free day long webinar
I have a board game problem. I own over 300 games. @meeplelikeus are amazing! Hoping to start an alliance of Disabled gamers, but need a more questing party type name for it #ATChat
In reply to
@UMass_ATC, @meeplelikeus, @meeplelikeus
Once we have it all squared away, absolutely - generally though, document accessibility, UdL framework, DIY closed captioning, DIY audio descriptions, social media accessibility and more! :) #ATchat
A7 - I would love to discuss and be more aware of legislation that has been introduced and how we can support or block it.. It's so important to allow an avenue for pwds to share their voice, but as an #a11y we need to also make sure that pwds aren't the only ones talking #ATChat
A7: I think AT and Transition would be good. Not just because I'm in higher ed, but because we all don't talk enough. There's so much that needs to be understood by students going to higher education that isn't shared.
#Atchat
Oooh I can’t forget “what’s up In WCAG 2.1” and “betting before getting - a guide to accessible procurement”! Diff strokes (badges), for different folks (staff / faculty) :) #ATchat
#ATchat yes! They fund part Kelly Fonner your trip, pay for your lodging and your meals while you are there for the 2.5 days.... then afterwards you get monthly emails reminding* you about the topic and links to join
https://t.co/fsqwQgjeA6@Mmmmmmmercury has amazing lessons for teaching board game design. She will also help you modify lessons to fit your swds. Great resource for growing your PLN #ATChat
