DEI Collective Learning Series: September 2023

The Office of DEI (ODEI) at the School of Education and Human Development culls together monthly curriculum around issues of DEI for you to read, watch/listen to, prompts upon which to reflect on the read and watch/listen materials, and to engage as a community. The series is intentionally framed this way to allow faculty and staff to build a shared understanding of topics and concepts before engaging.

September 2023: What is Accessibility? Neurodiversity & Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Attention towards accessibility has increased in many industries, becoming a highly discussed topic: from web design to architecture and engineering and beyond, accessibility is included as a best practice for industries and institutions to achieve. The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides guidelines to ensure equitable access for persons with disabilities. Furthermore, an increase in discussions about neurodiversity has brought attention to invisible disabilities and conditions such as ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). But what is accessibility and how can it be achieved effectively in education settings?

Please review the materials below and register to attend the engage session on September 27 here.

Week 1: Read

• Sherly Burgstahler and Elizabeth Moore (2015). Impact of faculty training in universal design of instruction on the grades of students with disabilities. Universal Design in Higher Education: Promising Practices, DO-IT Center.
• Zipporah Arielle (2019). The sometimes hard-to-see line between visible and invisible disabilities. Medium.
• Seijah A. Shah (n.d.). Even if you can't see it: Invisible disability and neurodiversity. The Kenyon Review.
• From The Body is Not an Apology, by Sonya Reneé Taylor, please read Chapter 3 (pp. 63-80) and Chapter 4 (pp. 81-97).
• Quick websites on UDL to review:
  • About Universal Design for Learning
  • UDL on Campus -> Getting Started

Week 2: Watch/Listen

• The Myth of Average TED Talk
• Think UDL podcast - Supporting Neurodiverse Learners

Week 3: Write (journal, write reflections)

• What comes to mind when you think of the word 'disability'?
• What does neurodiversity mean to you? Is there a way we can define it?
• What does 'flexibility' in the classroom mean, and what might it look like?
• What are small ways you can incorporate accessbility into your life or into your classroom?
• What is the intersectionality of disability with other identities? Why should disability be a part of DEI work?
• Is there anything that came up for you when reading or watching the previous weeks' materials?
• In what ways can you apply Taylor's teachings to disrupt misconceptions about disability, especially the concept of body terrorism, unapologetic agreements, and thinking-doing-being?

Week 4: Engage | September 27, 2023 | 2:30-3:30pm

What is Accessiblity? Neurodiversity & Universal Design for Learning (UDL) with speakers:

• Courtney MacMasters, Accessibility Specialist, Student Disability Access Center, University of Virginia
• Lori Kressin, Coordinator of Academic Accessibility, University of Virginia

Register here.

The BIPOC Student Space session will take place in Holloway Hall at 1:00pm before the CLS session—students are welcome to join! Conversations About Race and Equity (CARE) will be present helping facilitate the session.