Sub-Committee Final Report

To: Steering Committee

From: Jannette Urciuoli, Chair of the Steering Committee’s sub-committee on Accessibility Issues

Re: Final Report of the Sub-Committee on Accessibility Issues

Date: 8/28/19

Committee members in attendance:

Kathleen Alves, Mark Carpenay, Sara Danzi-Engoron, Margot Edlin, Joel Kuszai, Christina Matheson,

Nicole McClam, Zivah Perel Katz, Jody Resko, Angela Ridinger-Dotterman, Tammi Rothman, Dimitrios Stroumbakis, Vikki Terrile, Jannette Urciuoli, Leslie Ward, Sybil White

We met four times during the Spring semester (3/6, 3/27, 4/17 & 5/1).  Throughout our meetings we accomplished the following:

• Raised and identified several structural issues that students with a disability encounter on our campus
• Came up with some ideas on informing faculty about ADA issues and universal design
• Wrote up charges for this committee
• Met with both Dean Kathleen Landy and Ben-Ami Freier (SSD) where they provided us with great information on how they will be handling, informing, and training faculty in regards to ADA compliance issues--there are some wonderful initiatives coming out of CETL and SSD (central)

Goals to work towards:

• Working towards organizing a presentation for faculty on ADA compliance - at a Faculty meeting
• Create a flash session for faculty to be presented at departmental meetings or other venues
• Work on informing faculty (brochure/flier) on how to access the accessibility course on Blackboard
• Work closely with CATS, SSD, and CETL to assist in supporting initiatives for faculty related to pedagogy and ADA compliance
• Assist in making ADA compliant information easily accessible to all faculty
• Work closely with facilities to identify and reduce structural and procedural issues that are burdensome for individuals with a disability
• Setting up ADA compliance workshops

Charges:

COMMITTEE ON COLLEGE ACCESSBILITY

A. Membership:

1. Membership shall be determined by the Parent Committee (Committee on Environment, Quality of Life and Disability Issues).

2. The Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities shall serve as an ex-officio member.

B. Function:

1. To review existing college policies and procedures related to disability and to recommend to appropriate college offices and governance entities changes in such policies and procedures for the purposes of:

(a) Recommending the means by which the College may achieve institutional compliance with federal, state, and local laws regarding non-discrimination on the basis of disability; and

(b) Recommending ways of eliminating all barriers that might hinder or even prevent the fullest functioning of individuals who are students and/or employees of the College.

2. To collaborate in the development and provision of educational activities regarding disability issues of importance to the College community.

3. To work in conjunction with the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD), and CUNY Assistive Technology Services (CATS), to educate and support faculty in how to create fully accessible courses.

4. To raise awareness on campus about accessibility.

Acknowledgements to:

Angela and Zivah for taking the initiative in doing research to write up the charges. For Margot in providing ideas in how to inform the faculty via the FEC.  For Zivah in coming up with the idea of “flash sessions”.  For Angela in getting CETL more involved.  For Mark in coming to every meeting and showing us how to access the BB accessibility course and for working on creating a flier.  For Leslie on informing us of related conferences and resources.  For Tammi and Jodi for volunteering to work on future goals like setting up ADA workshops for the campus.  For Sara and Leslie in sending me thoughtful emails related to how this committee may move forward.  To all the members who attended the meetings and engaged in interesting discussion about barriers that are encountered by individuals with a disability but even more to thank you in thinking about some great solutions on how to move forward and inform the campus community more about these issues.

Recommendation:

I recommend that this sub-committee on Accessibility of the Steering Committee be moved to being a sub-committee to the Committee on Environment, Quality of Life and Disability.  This recommendation has been forward to the current chair of the Committee on Environment, Quality of Life and Disability for them to vote on this recommendation.