CADSPPE Focus Group Outcome

Access to Information for Students With Print Disabilities

Gladys Loewen, November 2004

Goal of Focus Group

• To establish a clear picture of the issues facing disability service providers in supporting students with print disabilities

• To identify strategies to guide CADSPPE in promoting full access to print information

Participants = 22

• CADSPPE members who provide direct support to students with print disabilities in higher education

• Members of the NEADS Steering Committee on Access to Information

• 1 student

• Producers of alternate format

Vision Statement

• “To ensure equal and timely access to academic information in post-secondary educational environments.”

Discussion Topics

• Identify signs of success in the provision of alternate format materials in campus learning environments – In other words: “I will know that we have been

successful in achieving our vision of offering alternate format materials in all campus environments when…”

Topics Cont.

• Identify barriers to achieving the signs of successes in the provision of alternate format materials in learning environments

• Identify goals/tasks that can be implemented in moving CADSPPE towards the vision statement

Topics Cont.

• Identify strategies for achieving the goals previously identified

• Determine who should be responsible

• Identify key recommendations for CADSPPE

Signs of Success

• Students have information at the right time and place

• Students can purchase or receive resources in the appropriate format at the same price in the same place at the same time

• When Disability Service Centres and self identification are no longer necessary

Signs of Success Cont.

• Courses are not offered unless UD is practiced and course delivery is flexible

• When Universal Design (UD) principles are infused in post-secondary environments

• When everyone is happy (student satisfaction)

Barriers to Achieving the Signs of Success

• Attitudes within and around the post-sec environment (faculty, administration, publishers, etc)

• Systemic barriers that we cannot control, yet we are subjected to and affected by them (legal, institutional, federal, etc)

Barriers cont.

• Students who have to produce their own materials lose critical study time

• Priority of time , funding and resources for production, retro-fitting, and sharing nationally

Goals That Can Be Implemented

• Downloading responsibility to students to produce their alternate format is not acceptable. Students are there to learn, not to produce

• Develop universal standards for production across institutions so materials can be shared

Goals Cont.

• Use existing networks and services (national databases, library loans, etc)

• Require publishers to provide an accessible electronic file for all textbooks sold in post-secondary bookstores

• Train CADSPPE members to take responsibility for sharing, maintaining standards

Goals Cont.

• Expect CADSPPE members to shift to the paradigm of UD as their philosophical framework

• Offer training for faculty on inclusive teaching strategies

Recommendations to Achieve Goals

• Use national library system; work to make it better and usable for post-secondary i.e. AMICUS, CWIP (Canadian works in progress)

• CADSPPE to develop a plan for action (5 year plan) to promote action

• Establish a listserv to share transcription ideas, successes, experiences

Recommendations Cont.

• Develop a national best practice guide

• Promote UD to CADSPPE members to change the approach to service delivery.

• Showcase successes and initiatives

• Create national guide of resources and procedures for production, sharing, accessing resources

Who Is Responsible?

• CADSPPE Board

• NEADS

• CAER

• Individual students and disability service providers

Responsibility Cont.

• Institutional Administrators, faculty

• Publishers

• Legal environment

• Federal Government– Library and Archives Canada– Council on Access to Information for Print

Disabled Canadians

Key Recommendations for CADSPPE

• Establish action plan as part of a 5 year plan

• Implement the actions

• Explore how UD can make a difference in the way disability service providers approach their jobs

• Focus on changes to the environment, not individual accommodations

Next Steps

• Circulate the proceedings of the Focus Group

• Provide NEADS with copy of proceedings for its Access to Information Project

• CADSPPE Board of Directors and members will discuss and establish future actions

We are embracing a systemic change and plan to continue promoting

universal access.