Calling All Faculty: Course Material Accessibility Help 8/26 Get ready for the new semester with Instruct'l Tech (repost)
Sign Up for this Sprint by clicking on the Website button to get to Instructional Tech's event page below!

Instructional Technology will host a 90-minute support sprint on Friday, August 26, 2022 (noon-1:30) for faculty to virtually drop-in and receive a customized consult on key topics to finalize course prep including:
  • Checking your course materials for accessibility: Use Ally to check your accessibility meters and review alternative formats. 
  • Recycling & reusing your course content. Quickly stage your upcoming course from semester to semester with the Ultra Course Copy tool.
  • Engaging with students: Schedule, deliver & record virtual classes with Collaborate.
  • Delivering & configuring virtual tests: Create online tests and assignments using Bb tools.
  • Tuning up your Blackboard gradebook: Create columns, drop scores, check calculations, verify weighted totals, etc.
  • Preparing for Ultra: Plan your course roadmap to optimize your transition to the new course interface.
Please note that this is not formal training. If you are interested in more formal training opportunities with our staff, please see our schedule of events posted on Instructional Technology’s myUMBC group.

Students (undergraduate and graduate) who have health conditions that may qualify as a disability can find more information about academic accommodation on the Student Disability Services website:  sds.umbc.edu.

Faculty and other employees seeking disability-related accommodation can find resources for work-related accommodations on the ADS website.

]]> Sign Up for this Sprint by clicking on the Website button to get to Instructional Tech's event page below! Instructional Technology will host a 90-minute support sprint on Friday, August 26,... https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/instructional-technology/events/107738 https://dev.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/126983/guest@my.umbc.edu/1112b039a5c881f7c88a410091e6e096/api/pixel accessibility ally assistive course disability faculty instructional material technology Office of Accessibility & Disability Services https://dev.my.umbc.edu/groups/accessibility https://assets4-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/480/1109171419a1b66ae0d9168429adfb61/xsmall.png?1565792941 https://assets1-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/480/1109171419a1b66ae0d9168429adfb61/original.jpg?1565792941 https://assets1-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/480/1109171419a1b66ae0d9168429adfb61/xxlarge.png?1565792941 https://assets4-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/480/1109171419a1b66ae0d9168429adfb61/xlarge.png?1565792941 https://assets3-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/480/1109171419a1b66ae0d9168429adfb61/large.png?1565792941 https://assets1-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/480/1109171419a1b66ae0d9168429adfb61/medium.png?1565792941 https://assets1-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/480/1109171419a1b66ae0d9168429adfb61/small.png?1565792941 https://assets4-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/480/1109171419a1b66ae0d9168429adfb61/xsmall.png?1565792941 https://assets1-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/480/1109171419a1b66ae0d9168429adfb61/xxsmall.png?1565792941 Office of Accessibility & Disability Services https://assets1-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/126/983/c3484e52bb248dcdfe341e91d88be7b1/xxlarge.jpg?1661278981 https://assets4-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/126/983/c3484e52bb248dcdfe341e91d88be7b1/xlarge.jpg?1661278981 https://assets2-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/126/983/c3484e52bb248dcdfe341e91d88be7b1/large.jpg?1661278981 https://assets2-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/126/983/c3484e52bb248dcdfe341e91d88be7b1/medium.jpg?1661278981 https://assets4-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/126/983/c3484e52bb248dcdfe341e91d88be7b1/small.jpg?1661278981 https://assets1-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/126/983/c3484e52bb248dcdfe341e91d88be7b1/xsmall.jpg?1661278981 https://assets1-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/126/983/c3484e52bb248dcdfe341e91d88be7b1/xxsmall.jpg?1661278981 4 0 false Tue, 23 Aug 2022 14:28:56 -0400 5 Things Ally Can Do For Bb Course Accessibility (IT Repost) Making Bb Courses Accessible & Disability Friendly 8/16 10a REPOST from Instructional Technology, click here or on the Website button to register for the 8/16/22 10:00a online session.

Learn about Ally, a tool available in Blackboard Original and Ultra courses, that improves the accessibility of your course content. Attend this session to see Ally's remediation capabilities and file conversion tools that generate alternative formats for you and your students. 

This workshop will offer ideas for developing a strategy to improve your course usability and accessibility and how to get started with Blackboard Ally. Available in both Original and Ultra courses, Ally scans content in Blackboard and provides feedback and tools to identify and fix accessibility issues. 

Leverage Ally's powerful alternative format options yourself, and let students know they can download content in multiple formats that give them choices in how they watch, read, or listen. 

Upon completing this online session, participants should be able to:

Following the 45-minute presentation, join us for a closer look at how to use Ally and Q&A.  

To RSVP for this event, please click the Website button below to get to the Instructional Tech page to "Go virtually" and be sure to add the event to your calendar!

This webinar will take place in a Blackboard Collaborate virtual conference room. Enter the webinar up to 15 minutes before the start time. Use the "Join Online Event" link above to join the session.


At least 5 registrations are needed for this session to proceed as scheduled. The session will be recorded if two or more people attend and the link will be distributed to everyone who registered.

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"To change the way people think about and define 'disability,' to break down and end the internalized shame among people with disabilities, and to promote the belief in society that disability is a natural and beautiful part of human diversity in which people living with disability can take pride." 

The Disability Pride movement is long-standing, and became more evident as a day of celebration in 1990 - the same year that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law.   Boston celebrated its first Disability Pride Day that year, however many are also familiar with the earlier 504 disability civil rights movements of the 1970s which is chronicled in the movie Crip Camp, (Crip Camp Netflix link, Crip Camp YouTube link, which highlights the advocacy efforts of Judy Heumann and James LeBrecht, among others).  This July marks the 32nd anniversary of the ADA, and many cities across the country celebrate disability pride with parades and festivals.  Let's work together to support access and inclusion so more people can say it loud, "I'm disabled and I'm proud!"

Learn more about Disability Pride from the Valuable 500, including the design concept of the flag.

Participate in a webinar such as How Disability Rights are Civil Rights - July 14th at 2:00 p.m. Register Here.

Join Maryland's ADA 32nd Anniversary Celebration - Where We've Been, Where We're Going online Monday July 18th at 2p via this Zoom Link   Meeting ID 852 33555454 Passcode 312312 MDOD Policy Directors will discuss successes and future opportunities for improvement because while there have been great strides forward, there is much work to be done.

Other ways to celebrate Disability Pride: 
Get familiar with local resources and technical assistance - here is a sampling of what is available at UMBC: 

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Each year, millions of people navigate the lived experience of mental illness.  UMBC's Office of Accessibility and Disability Services, in solidarity with Student Disability Services, joins the movement  with its many departmental partnerships, to promote mental health awareness, fight stigma, and provide support. One in five people will have a mental health diagnosis in their lifetime.  We are in this together, indeed, we are stronger together for mental health.



One challenging area is ending the stigma toward mental health, behavioral health or substance use disorders - On Our Own of Maryland's Distorted Perceptions/Refocus Look Again Campaign is a local Anti-Stigma initiative that support mental health by working to end stigma.  More information on their campaign (beyond some of the swag on campus) is linked here.

In addition to the above resources and information, UMBC has many resources and opportunities outlined below.


Students (undergraduate and graduate) groups and resources include:

If a campus member's health situation changes (such as a recent injury or diagnosis, they can apply for, or update academic accommodation requests via Student Disability Services (link) and work-related accommodations via Accessibility & Disability Services (link).  ADS works in partnership with HR for faculty, staff and student worker job-related situations.

Community

While some 24 hour resources are provided, it's important to know that  anyone can have a moment of crisis, and are people available to listen and help via the following resources:


Have a safe and healthy month!

Photo person wearing a black shirt with MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS in white capital letters displayed credit Matthew Ball via  Unsplash
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Faculty (and students!) *also* have resources and support at UMBC:



A grayscale photo of lettered tiles stating "Mental Health Matters" accompanies this post.  Credit Marcel Straub via Unsplash.com 

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Happy New Year!

Accessibility and Disability Services, including Student Disability Services (SDS) will operate remotely this week (January 3rd through 7th) during regular business hours (8:30am through 4:30pm) and, in general, staff will not be available on campus to proctor in-person tests.  Employee accommodation requests and inquiries can be made online the ADS website (link). SDS questions and testing matters for this week should be emailed to disability@umbc.edu.  

As you know, UMBC has asked that students, staff, and faculty delay their return to campus, if at all possible, due to the surge in COVID-19 cases.  Anyone who wishes to return to campus must have a recent negative COVID test on file as well as meeting additional requirements.  See https://covid19.umbc.edu/

For students - the overwhelming majority of winter session courses are being taught online, and those courses with tests will be administered online as well.  Registered SDS students who would like to utilize approved testing accommodations for a Winter 2022 course,  must submit a Semester Request so that SDS can send your Letter of Accommodations to the instructor.  Instructions for submitting a Semester Request can be found at https://sds.umbc.edu/accommodate-semester-request/

For those who are new to requesting accommodations due to their health condition each process is available remotely 24/7 - however it is best to apply as soon as practical - details are here:

ADS and SDS will update operations and availability for next week as more information becomes available.

Stay safe and stay healthy!

ADS and SDS Staff

]]> Happy New Year! Accessibility and Disability Services, including Student Disability Services (SDS) will operate remotely this week (January 3rd through 7th) during regular business hours (8:30am... https://dev.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/115936/guest@my.umbc.edu/43a8294274ce334f9345dd0119ef3fac/api/pixel accommodation ads employee faculty ga graduate sds semester staff ta winter Office of Accessibility & Disability Services https://dev.my.umbc.edu/groups/accessibility https://assets4-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/480/1109171419a1b66ae0d9168429adfb61/xsmall.png?1565792941 https://assets1-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/480/1109171419a1b66ae0d9168429adfb61/original.jpg?1565792941 https://assets1-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/480/1109171419a1b66ae0d9168429adfb61/xxlarge.png?1565792941 https://assets4-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/480/1109171419a1b66ae0d9168429adfb61/xlarge.png?1565792941 https://assets3-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/480/1109171419a1b66ae0d9168429adfb61/large.png?1565792941 https://assets1-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/480/1109171419a1b66ae0d9168429adfb61/medium.png?1565792941 https://assets1-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/480/1109171419a1b66ae0d9168429adfb61/small.png?1565792941 https://assets4-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/480/1109171419a1b66ae0d9168429adfb61/xsmall.png?1565792941 https://assets1-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/001/480/1109171419a1b66ae0d9168429adfb61/xxsmall.png?1565792941 Office of Accessibility & Disability Services https://assets2-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/115/936/ba6045b2a8a42c49c20bd1dc95acb1f0/xxlarge.jpg?1641236074 https://assets3-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/115/936/ba6045b2a8a42c49c20bd1dc95acb1f0/xlarge.jpg?1641236074 https://assets4-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/115/936/ba6045b2a8a42c49c20bd1dc95acb1f0/large.jpg?1641236074 https://assets4-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/115/936/ba6045b2a8a42c49c20bd1dc95acb1f0/medium.jpg?1641236074 https://assets3-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/115/936/ba6045b2a8a42c49c20bd1dc95acb1f0/small.jpg?1641236074 https://assets3-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/115/936/ba6045b2a8a42c49c20bd1dc95acb1f0/xsmall.jpg?1641236074 https://assets2-dev.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/115/936/ba6045b2a8a42c49c20bd1dc95acb1f0/xxsmall.jpg?1641236074 3 0 false Mon, 03 Jan 2022 14:13:14 -0500 Faculty: Accessibility Inclusion Fellowship Opportunity Apply to leverage accessibility, monetary award opportunity FACULTY - Apply for an Accessibility Inclusion Fellowship Opportunity 

Submit application by November 15, 2021. 

The National Federation of the Blind via a Non-Visual Accessibility Initiate Grant from the State of Maryland has a great opportunity for faculty:

The Accessibility Inclusion Fellowship Program helps instructors begin to include accessibility concepts in at least one course offering in their institution with help from the nation’s blind. Your existing course does not need to have an accessibility component. The program consists of the following: 
  • Individualized consultation and assistance with course instruction from the National Federation of the Blind through our Center of Excellence in Nonvisual Access (CENA) 
  • Sharing of resources to enhance the accessibility of your course  
  • A monetary award. One award of $2,000 will be made to an instructor of a University System of Maryland (USM) school or a professor of an independent Maryland college, and two awards of $1,500 each will be made to Maryland community college instructors.
A brief document that outlines a streamlined application process is attached to this post.

What’s at stake? 

Individuals with disabilities, including the blind, cannot live the lives they want without full and equal access to the information and technologies available to the rest of the public, including products, services and benefits available on the Web and mobile applications. Equal access to information which includes non-visual access needs to be incorporated in the education track.

The National Federation of the Blind is committed to the development of innovative techniques for achieving non-visual access to information through the design and development of accessible information and technology systems.

UMBC joins NFB as we look forward together to the continued progress of equal access to information and technologies with your help. Together, we turn dreams into reality.
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Join our campus partner, Instructional Technology for Five (5) Things You Didn't Know that Blackboard Ally Can Do and learn about Ally, a tool available in Blackboard Original and Ultra courses, that improves the accessibility of your course content. Attend this session to see Ally’s remediation capabilities and powerful file conversion tools that generate alternative formats for you and students.

Click here to see their full post and sign up!  Want more detail? Read on:

This 30 minute workshop will offer ideas for developing a strategy to improve your course usability and accessibility and how to get started with Blackboard Ally. Available in both Original and Ultra courses, Ally scans content in Blackboard and provides feedback and tools to identify and fix accessibility issues. 

Leverage Ally's powerful alternative format options yourself, and let students know they can download content in multiple formats that give them choices in how they watch, read, or listen. 

Upon completing this online session, participants should be able to:

Click on the links to get to Instructional Technology's event page signup.  We hope to see you there.

The post is accompanied by a photos of a neon sign stating "Do Something Great" in white letters on a black background. Credit: Clark Tibbs via Unsplash.com
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Each year, millions of people navigate the lived experience of mental illness.  UMBC's Office of Accessibility and Disability Services joins the movement  with its many departmental partnerships, to promote mental health awareness, fight stigma, and provide support. One in five people will have a mental health diagnosis in their lifetime.  We are in this together.

You are not alone - is more than a tagline:  more information about Mental Health Awareness Month from NAMI (National Alliance of Mental Illness) is linked here.

Community Conversations are locally-hosted series of webinars that support mental health as we shift toward a more-vaccinated future.

NAMI's Strength over Silence series features stories of courage, culture and community to share lived experiences, resilience and recovery from African American, Latinx and other under-represented communities in anticipation of National Minority Mental Health Month in July.

In addition to the above resources and information, UMBC Fitness and Wellness has many activities that boost mental health - check out their myUMBC page here.  Other local resources are outlined below.


Students (undergraduate and graduate) groups and resources include:

UMBC Counseling Center (Link) which includes
University Health Services (link)
Wellness Initiative (link)
UMBC NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Student Group

Faculty and staff mental health supports available through Human Resources include:
If a campus member's health situation changes (such as a recent injury or diagnosis, they can apply for, or update academic accommodation requests via Student Disability Services (link) and work-related accommodations via Accessibility & Disability Services (link).  ADS works in partnership with HR for faculty, staff and student worker job-related situations.

Community

While some 24 hour resources are provided, it's important to know that  anyone can have a moment of crisis, and are people available to listen and help via the following resources:


Have a safe and healthy month!

Photo person wearing a black shirt with MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS in white capital letters displayed credit Matthew Ball via  Unsplash
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Creating accessible content and interactions to support diverse learning preferences are the guiding principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and support a wide range of learners, whether or not they identify as a person with a disability.

More information on upcoming trainings for faculty online teaching enhancement, especially for supporting accessible course materials is posted on the Instructional Technology myUMBC page. 

Can't wait to learn more?  Sign up for the next Ally training here. (Thursday).

Want to know more about what Instructional Technology is training about? Here is more detail from their post:

Improving the accessibility of course content not only helps ensure students with different abilities can access materials, but it improves the learning experience for everyone, including those who use mobile devices. 

Their workshops  offer ideas for developing a +1 strategy to improve your course accessibility and highlight tools to get started. 
These tools start with Blackboard Ally. Available in both Original and Ultra courses, Ally scans content in Blackboard and provides feedback and tools to identify and fix accessibility issues. 

Leverage Ally's powerful alternative format options yourself, and let students know they can download content in multiple formats that give them choices in how they watch, read, or listen. 


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