Fostering Better Teaching Learning for Students with Disabilities

Fostering Better Teaching & Learning for Students with Disabilities Tammy Berberi, University of Minnesota Morris Beth Harrison, retired, University of Dayton Richard Allegra, NCCSD @ AHEAD

Agenda • Introductions • Our starting points ----- Reflection ----- • Three big ideas ----- Reflection ----- • Other ideas ----- Reflection ----- • Questions & Final thoughts

Our starting points Our goal is to give you ideas, not tell you what to do. • We know you’re busy • We don’t know your institution • We don’t know your context, the scope of your job Explore the ideas, find what is relevant to your needs and your context, make it your own.

Our starting points In our view, this work is about • Changing environments to better support persons with disabilities on your campus • Self-reflection and agency • Relationship Faculty respond to respect, recognition, reward (the 3 R’s) Collaboration needs structure, goals, skills

Reflection What is the scope of your job? What is your current relationship with -----? • Your boss • Faculty developers • Instructional designers • Diversity officer/unit • Academic officers What is the potential for developing working relationships with these and others?

Big idea 1 Online faculty development modules • NCCSD Disability Faculty Training developed for general use • Develop your own training for your institution

Big idea 1 Online faculty development modules What’s possible at your institution? • a discussion session for faculty • a facilitation guide • a portal for questions • a reading group • a community of practice or cohort program How to incorporate the 3 R’s?

Big idea 2 Develop institutional synergies & potential Faculty Development. Instructional Design. DE&I. Legal. Student Life. Disability Studies. • Educate, train, coach them re: disability, intersectionality, changing environment vs. person • Then everything they do will (also) address disability needs • They can do workshops, consult across campus, by themselves or with you

Big idea 3 Develop an Inclusivity Toolkit • Conversation cards • List of 5 things DRC people wish faculty would do • Faculty member pass out Nap Kits • Stress ball or similar • Sensory tape sample • Appreciation exercise explanation

Reflection What is the potential for using a general training at your institution? • What would your office need to do to explore the possibility or to get this started? • With what offices do you already collaborate well? • With which unit(s) would you start? • How would you convince skeptics of its value?

Other ideas A database of techniques that work Create a database of teaching techniques to support students with disabilities • For everyone (through AHEAD? ) • Easy to submit ideas, easy and quick to find ideas • Curated • Interactive • Success-oriented • Quick, positive feedback to submitters (3 R’s)

Other ideas Consider incentives and motivation Disciplinary cultures differ, departmental cultures differ • Carrots and sticks • What types of incentives would motivate? Compile an inventory of what types of incentives work in different cultures at your institution

Other ideas Get some real estate at regular faculty meetings • Use it well: “ 3 minute” talk Use the back of the Accommodation Letter • Give (1) an inclusivity / UDL tip, and (2) a list of things students most appreciate Pair with a faculty developer in a reading group on teaching and learning • Add a disability lens to the discussion

Other ideas Take a coaching approach to educating others: Aguilar’s Coaching for Equity • Transformational coaching: Compassion, Curiosity, Connection, Courage, Purpose • Strength-based approach • Reflective ability For example, help faculty be available and approachable, rethink office hours

Reflection What have you heard that interests you in your context? What one thing might you start with? How would you start? How might you begin a conversation?

Questions & final thoughts

Resources • Aguilar, E. (2020). Coaching for equity: Conversations that change practice. Jossey-Bass. -- Comprehensive guide to transformational coaching for equity, with many tools • Ford, S. (2013, September 6). Deep accessibility. https: //ianology. wordpress. com/2013/09/06/deepaccessibility/ -- Detailed descriptions of what accessibility looks and feels like

Contact us • Tammy Berberi berberit@morris. umn. edu • Beth Harrison harrisonbb@gmail. com • Richard Allegra - NCCSD / AHEAD richard@ahead. org or nccsd@ahead. org