Accessibility in Higher Education 

The goal of the IDEA Committee's four-part series is to prepare our ETC community of learners and service providers to competently discuss issues about accessibility and be able to plan for and implement accessible practices in their roles within higher education. Join us as we share, discover, and reveal pathways of improving outcomes for a diverse population of stakeholders. Accessibility issues touch everyone and designing for accessibility benefits everyone - for our ETC membership and beyond. It is our hope that attendees will see the value of prioritizing accessibility not only because it's required, but because doing so opens the doors for more people to feel included and participate fully in the activities that happen at our institutions. Each session in the series was one hour long. 

Watch the Session Recordings

Introduction to Accessibility Topics - November 2, 2023

Accessibility is a main focus for IDEA Committee members this year and this hour-long introduction is an overview of the many topics that affect our Higher Education AV/IT Community for the various ways a person may need access - be it a cognitive, motor, visual, auditory or speech impairment. This session is also the official kick-off to our full series of virtual workshops where we will do a deeper dive into accessibility in physical spaces, the digital realm, and exploring needs and solutions from stakeholders (both institutional and corporate). 

Digital Accessibility - April 4, 2024

We often envision digital accessibility through the lens of our personal devices going online. In addition to web presence, in this session we’ll discuss access challenges for livestreamed and archival content, and digital signage. We will also explore tools and resources to implement in order to make navigating these types of materials engaging and interactive for any user. 

Accessibility in Physical Spaces - May 2, 2024

Classrooms, event spaces, and study areas all have pitfalls for people with accessibility needs. In this session, we’ll discuss a variety of ways that physical spaces can be challenging and potential solutions. 

Stakeholders and Accessibility - June 20, 2024

Money is at the core of many decisions in the upper echelons of higher education. This session discusses other reasons and ways to prioritize accessibility as well as opportunities to start conversations with university leadership by exploring how all stakeholders benefit from accessible practices.