We found 117 results that contain "disability justice"

Topic Area: Pandemic Pivot
Presented by: Ashley Maloff, Abby Johnson
Abstract:
The RCPD Stern Tutoring and Alternative Techniques for Education (STATE) Program began providing innovative and important assistance for MSU students with learning disabilities in the spring of 2004. Each fall and spring, the program works with partnered colleges at MSU to invite students with learning disabilities who are on academic probation or at risk of falling on probation to participate. STATE provides disability-specific instructional, tutorial, and peer mentoring components as well as strategies for academic success. When MSU courses transitioned to remote learning, instructors transitioned the STATE seminar to weekly Zoom sessions. Even though there was a drastic change in the format of the program, students continued to support each other, build community, and displayed a high degree of resilience. Come learn how this Program was moved online and was continuously improved over the three semesters of virtual learning.

AUTHORS:
This post was written by Dr. Melissa McDaniels (of the MSU Graduate School), Dr. Patricia Stewart (of the MSU Academic Advancement Network), and Madeline Shellgren (of the MSU Graduate School).
 

 
The policy, administered by the Office of Institutional Equity (OIE), prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability status, race, color, national origin, age, gender, gender identity, height, marital status, political persuasion, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or weight in its programs and activities.
Policy Link:
https://oie.msu.edu/_assets/documents/MSU-Disability-and-Reasonable-Accommodation-Policy.pdf
MSU Office(s):
Office for Civil Rights and Title IX Education and Compliance /

Office for Institutional Equity (oie.msu.edu)

Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD)

https://www.rcpd.msu.edu/

TIPS FOR FACULTY, ACADEMIC STAFF AND GRADUATE TAs
LEAD - respond, model and engage in ongoing learning  
 

Develop a plan for learning by asking yourself the following questions:

Am I ready to talk about disability?
Do I know how to handle requests for accommodations?
Do I know what I will do if someone uses biased language about a person with a disability during class?
Do I know what I will do if a student unintentionally discloses a disability?



 
 

Learn by engaging in resources and learning more about disabilities and accommodations; practicing active listening; talking to peers about strategies for supporting students

Student perspectives on the VISA process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=e17AJQaO95s
Faculty perspectives on the VISA process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA-YN6M5j0o
Interview with a Learning Disabilities and Attention Deficit specialist: https://mediaspace.msu.edu/media/t/1_lsuml3ls
Understanding Epilepsy:  https://www.rcpd.msu.edu/Forms/Understanding%20Epilepsy.pdf
The Courtesy Rules of Blindness: https://www.rcpd.msu.edu/Forms/The%20Courtesy%20Rules%20of%20Blindness.pdf



 

Model inclusive practices by:

Responding to uninformed comments, biased language, or disclosure.
Including syllabus language detailing my approach and to inclusion (and have I included language around disability and accessibility)?



Model by talking about and referring to persons with disabilities using inclusive language

Use ‘person-first’ language which acknowledges the person first, rather than the disability (e.g. “person with a disability” rather than “disabled person”)


EMPOWER - Help students make their own choices and develop confidence and competence by creating conditions for inclusive teaching and learning

Provide students space to decide which resources best meet their needs.
Understand and make explicit that students do not need to nor are they obligated to disclose. Accommodations requests do not come with the power or expectation to disclose. Allow students the space to disclose as they desire and respect their privacy.

ADVOCATE - Refer students to campus and community resources and follow through and check-in with students.

Connect students to resources including: confidential and private resources, additional campus resources; health care and mental health resources; other resources; community resources; national resources.
Understand that resources like the RCPD are not the only resource that persons with disabilities or accommodations needs will need or might want to use. Share specific resources among a list of others. When a person with disabilities or accommodation needs comes to you for help, remind them of the many resources that exist. Support them in their choice of resource and follow-up to see if there are other ways you can support them.

DESIGN - Use a proactive approach  to make decisions about your curriculum, how you engage students, and how you assess learning and get student feedback.

Include language on the syllabus that not only shares information on the policy, but also communicates expectations and community norms.
Set up spaces for disclosure that are private and welcoming. Communicating that these spaces exist to students beforehand. Following up with an email to students to setup a meeting and discuss any accommodations.
Prepare for regular and ongoing feedback in order to assess how accommodations are working.
Questions to ask yourself:

How am I going to engage my students from Day 1 in class? How upfront am I going to be about my approach to LEADING, EMPOWERING, and ADVOCATING with respect to accommodations?



RESOURCES

Awareness & Explorations in Ability Resources

https://www.rcpd.msu.edu/awareness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=e17AJQaO95s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA-YN6M5j0o
https://mediaspace.msu.edu/media/t/1_lsuml3ls
https://www.rcpd.msu.edu/Forms/Understanding%20Epilepsy.pdf
https://www.rcpd.msu.edu/Forms/The%20Courtesy%20Rules%20of%20Blindness.pdf

Best practices or suggestions

https://www.rcpd.msu.edu/download/191
https://www.rcpd.msu.edu/Forms/Model%20Statements%20Inviting%20Disability%20Accommodation%20Requests.doc
https://www.rcpd.msu.edu/forms/Students%20with%20Disabilities%20-%20The%20MSU%20Approach%20for%20Inclusion.pdf
https://www.rcpd.msu.edu/Forms/Tips%20for%20Interacting%20with%20People%20with%20Disabilities.pdf

What is RCPD?
The Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities helps to make MSU accessible for all Spartans, including students with visual, mobile, and learning disabilities as well as those who are deaf and hard of hearing and or those with psychiatric or chronic illnesses.
What role does RCPD play in digital accessibility on campus?
RCPD helps connect students with assistive technology and alternative formats of course materials. Through the Assistive Technology Center, RCPD can connect individuals at MSU with the top Assistive Technology and advise on best practices for use. Assistive technology is also made available in MSU computer labs and the Library. RCPD is continually exploring new Assistive Technology Initiatives, which you can read more about on their website.
Who should I contact about digital accessibility in RCPD?
Meet Tyler Smeltekop, Assistant Director of Assistive Technology Innovation for RCPD. In this role, he aims to expand on the MSU Community’s access to accessible technology, course content and equitable experiences across campus. You can learn more about Tyler on his RCPD profile, or you can contact Tyler via this form.This article is part of the Digital Accessibility Toolkit.

You may have students in your class who require specific accommodations related to a disability in order to fully participate and reach their academic goals. The Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD) is the unit at MSU which supports students and employees who require reasonable accommodations.
Students who have registered with the RCPD go through a process of providing disability documentation and participating in a needs assessment with an Ability Access Specialist, resulting in a determination of individualized reasonable accommodations for that student which are listed in an Accommodation Letter. Instructors and TAs will usually receive Accommodation Letters at the beginning of the semester. Once you receive an Accommodation Letter from a student, you have specific responsibilities: you must make the requested individualized accommodations or adjustments to your course and keep the student’s disability status confidential. You are encouraged to meet with the student 1 on 1 to discuss implementing the accommodations, to only discuss accommodations with colleagues on a need-to-know basis while protecting students’ identities, and to contact the RCPD with any questions or concerns.
Here is a video from the RCPD showing an MSU educator’s point of view about student accommodations. (Please note: until recently, Accommodation Letters were called VISA forms, for Verified Individualized Services and Accommodations forms, and some MSU resources like the video linked above still refer to the older name for this document.)Photo by Daniel Ali on Unsplash

Topic Area: DEI
Presented By: Ryan Smith, Jennifer Cobbina, Kendra Pyle
Abstract:
Restorative Justice in education facilitates learning communities that “nurture the capacity of people to engage with one another and their environment in a manner that supports and respects the inherent dignity and worth of all” (Evans & Vaandering, 2016, p. 8). Through this lens faculty, staff, and students from across campus formed an interdisciplinary learning community in 2019 to discuss how we can further incorporate restorative practices into our work and relationships in and out of the classroom. Over the last two years, community members have engaged in shared readings and discussions, community building circles, trainings, and supporting one another’s efforts at utilizing restorative practice to build inclusive and engaging communities, including racial healing circles. This session will model restorative practice as we discuss our work, and the ways we have incorporated RP on campus to further community, equity, and healing.Session resources:
Community Building Mini-circle (Document)
Racial Healing Circles FAQ (PDF)

Please apply here by February 19:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1N3H76YYEDzlYuN1jZKp3EVy6K7mbo9AivP-142eyd9I 
Epistemic Justice Fellows: Incorporating Students’ Home and Community Knowledge in Teaching and Learning 
 
To instructors in the arts, humanities, and natural sciences and STEM fields: 
We invite faculty (of any appointment type), academic specialists who teach, and graduate students who teach to apply for the interdisciplinary Epistemic Justice Fellowship for this Spring 2025.   
 
This Fellowship is designed to support instructors who want to add or change an assignment, activity, or module/unit in a course to incorporate students’ home and community knowledge, such as students’ home languages, student knowledge about their communities, or home and community knowledge about the natural world. Incorporating and valuing student experiences as assets can positively impact student learning about subject matter as well as enhance student engagement, enjoyment, and belonging. 
 
Fellows will receive $500 at the conclusion of the fellowship. Fellows are expected to:

Develop a new or change an existing activity/assignment/module to incorporate students’ home or community knowledge, and present this work to the cohort
Provide a collegial community for the rest of the cohort who will also be working on their own courses
Attend three Fellow meetings (most in person) from 10AM-12PM on the following Tuesdays:

February 25: Kickoff - foundational concepts and identifying changes to your courses
March 25: Midpoint meeting - check in and group discussion on fellows’ projects, followed by mini-workshop on “Facilitating Teaching Workshops”
April 22: Presentations of fellows’ change or addition to their courses 

Attend the lecture/workshop series connected to this topic, consisting of 3 public talks, some in person and some virtual, throughout the semester (dates TBA - but exceptions/alternatives can be made if those dates are not feasible for a fellow)  
Commit to offering a workshop or mentorship opportunity in the future for colleagues in your own field related to valuing home and community knowledge  

Please apply here by February 19:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1N3H76YYEDzlYuN1jZKp3EVy6K7mbo9AivP-142eyd9I 
 
Please note that if you are not sure if your course would be make sense for this fellowship, you are very welcome to contact the organizers at mollelle@msu.edu and troutma1@msu.edu to ask; for example, if you wanted to allow an existing assignment on any topic to be written in the student’s home language for a first draft, that could apply to any subject matter in any course with any writing. 
 
This Fellowship and lecture series are graciously supported by:
Creating Inclusive Excellence Grant from Institutional Diversity and Inclusion
Office of the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies in the College of Arts and Letters
Office of the Assistant Dean for STEM Education in the Office of Undergraduate Education
 
Organizers: Denise Troutman, Sophie Huss, Ellen Moll
Additional PIs: Kristin Arola, Marcie Ray, Stephen Thomas

Topic Area: DEI
Presented by: Caitlin Cornell
Abstract:
In Spring 2020, I designed a 5-week mini-course: Race, Language, and Disability. I taught this course as an honors option for the Immigrants, Minorities, and American Pluralism course in James Madison College in fulfillment of the mentored teaching project for the Interdisciplinary Inquiry and Teaching Fellowship Program. I had designed the course (prior to Spring 2020 remote transition) to be maximally accessible and minimally anxiety-inducing, placing a strong emphasis on student choice in assessment. A purposeful design choice that started as a teaching and learning curiosity became a saving grace during a tumultuous time (we transitioned to remote learning mid-course). The course assessment comprised 4 critical reflections based on course readings and discussion. Not only did students have the choice to complete any 4 reflections from 5 weeks of topics, but they were also able to choose how to complete their reflections. I developed a rubric to assess learning outcomes within the reflections, but left the medium and design of the reflections completely up to students. While most students chose to write traditional essays, some embraced the freedom to choose a medium that spoke to them. I received illustrative videos of poignant art installations, poetry, and interviews that students conducted with their families while they were learning from home. This carefully devised flexibility led to extreme creativity and high engagement with course topics. Based on the perceived and reported effects on active student learning, I will continue offering as much choice in students’ assessment as possible.
Session Resources:
Choice in Assessment (PowerPoint)
Rubric

Topic Area: Student Success
Presented by: Jackie Heymann
Abstract:
This workshop will engage participants in critically reflecting on their classroom and co-curricular spaces, the neurotypical "norms" expected of students within those spaces, and the additional challenges experienced by neurodivergent students when those norms are enforced. Then, using the framework of the social and the social justice models of disability, participants will identify tangible action steps they can take to create spaces that are more welcoming of neurodivergent students.
Session Resources:
Presentation Slides (pptx)
ADHD & Autism Communication Learning Resources
ADHD

ADHD & Conversations: (Sandra, @theADHDgoodlife on IG)
ADHD & Masking: (Sandra, @theADHDgoodlife on IG)
ADHD Mind (Zoe, @ADHDactually on IG)
ADHD & Conversations (Zoe, @ADHDactually on IG)
Smilges, J. (2020). Bad Listeners. Retrieved from: https://cfshrc.org/article/bad-listeners

Autism

Tee on masking (Tee, @unmasked on IG)
Tee on autism and auditory processing disorder (Tee, @unmasked on IG)
On language and talking "professionally"(@autistictic on Twitter)
Eiza Wolfe on masking (@eizawolfe on TikTok)
Eiza Wolfe on neurodivergent listening (@autistictic on Twitter)
Brown, L. (2018). The Neurodiversity Movement Needs its Shoes Off and Fists Up. Retrieved from: https://www.autistichoya.com/2018/10/neurodiversity-needs-shoes-off-fists-up.html

Additional folks to learn from:

Cole (@semispeaking on Twitter)
Lydia X.Z. Brown (@autistichoya on Twitter)
Sandra (@theADHDgoodlife on Instagram)
Jess Rauchberg (@disabledpHd on Twitter)
Autistic Self Advocacy Network (@autselfadvocacy on Twitter)
Black Disability Collective (@blackdisability on Twitter)