Accessible Education is education for all!
Join us for Accessible Education Day on October 16th (afternoon) and 17th (morning)—two half-day hybrid events to explore and enhance our efforts in accessible education at Waterloo.
October 16th and October 17th 2024
Sessions are available both online and in-person. To receive a link for the online sessions, you must register for each one individually. Links will be sent upon registration. All sessions will be recorded and posted online after they conclude.
Please see the schedule below for a breakdown of the event structure and events.
Accessible Education Day
The Teaching Innovation Incubator is hosting a two half-day event to encourage dialogue, learning tangible skills, and to showcase the work taking place at the University of Waterloo to make education accessible for all of our learners.
Across these two days, sessions will dive into the heart of the work being done on accessible education at Waterloo and explore how it benefits our students, staff, and faculty. You'll have the chance to learn more about Waterloo's commitment to accessible education and the efforts taking place across our campus to support instructors and students in achieving accessible education. Attendees will discover practical skills to integrate these practices into your teaching
Topics to be covered include legislation governing Accessibility, Post-Secondary Course Accessibility Guide, Navigating Accommodations, Universal Design for Learning, available assistive technologies, among others. See the agenda below for more details.
Please confirm your attendance and RSVP through the link below.
Microsoft Teams links to join sessions online will be distributed the morning of October 16th to the email you registered for the event with.
Questions or Concerns?
Email support: tii@uwaterloo.ca
Accessibility Statement
The University of Waterloo is committed to achieving barrier-free accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have questions concerning access or wish to request accommodations, please contact the event organizer via email (samseabrook@uwaterloo.ca).
Agenda
Note that all sessions will take place in EST.
| Time | Session | Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:00PM - 1:15 |
Opening Remarks Speakers: David DeVidi, Kyle Scholz, and Samantha Fowler |
EXP 1689 |
||
| 1:15 - 1:30 | Break & Reflection Activity/Posters |
EXP Atrium |
||
| 1:30 - 2:15 |
Session 1A: Navigating Accommodations & UDL Speakers: Jennifer O'Brien, David Vanderhorst, Haley Morrison, Michelle Meier, and Wanda White |
Session 1B: Conversation about legislation and what we are doing institutionally, and at the sector level Speakers: Joyce Barlow |
BMH 1005 | BMH 1016 |
| 2:15 - 2:30 | BREAK | |||
| 2:30 - 4:00 |
Keynote: Academic Ableism and its Alternatives Speakers: Jay Dolmage Session description: We have a crisis of help-seeking around disability on our college and university campuses. The vast majority of disabled students will leave our campuses without ever seeking help. In this presentation we will ask: why is this happening, and what can we do to change perceptions and practices? We will define and give examples of ableism and explore its impact on students, staff and faculty. Because we have had an opportunity, over the last four years, to redesign higher education in ways we never have before, we will also chart some possibilities for building a more accessible classroom and campus. Come and share your own experiences, ideas, challenges and questions. Open Facilitated Discussion to Follow with Panelists and Attendees Facilitators: Victoria Feth Panelists: Carol Hulls, Emma Collington, Jennifer Ellingham, Natalie Chow, and Jennifer O'Brien |
EXP 1689 | ||
| Time | Session | Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:30AM - 10:15 |
Session 2A: Getting to Know Assistive Technologies that Students Use to Enable Learning Speakers: David Vanderhorst |
Session 2B: Advancing Accessibility in the Faculty of Mathematics Speakers: Jeremy Steffler Panelists: Joyce Barlow, Benoit Charbonneau, Brian Ingalls. |
BMH 1005 |
BMH 1016 |
| 10:15 - 10:30 | BREAK | |||
| 10:30 - 11:15 |
Session 3: Resources, Tools, and Supports to Empower Accessible Teaching Speakers: Christine Zaza, Michael Clark, Tim Ireland, and Erin Jobidon |
EXP 1689 | ||
| 11:15 - 12:00 |
Closing Discussions Speakers: David DeVidi and Samantha Fowler |
EXP 1689 | ||