Staying Afloat in a Sea of Accommodations

This is an on-demand workshop. To arrange a 45-, 60-, or 90-minute session, select the Book Workshop button to email Elizabeth Ellcessor and book this traveling workshop for your unit!

In recent years, and particularly in the wake of COVID-19, requests for student disability accommodations have increased. Instructors often find themselves grappling with new challenges in navigating these accommodations, including identifying what constitutes a reasonable accommodation, reevaluating course materials, changing class assignments or procedures, and locating appropriate resources. Too often, instructors attempt this in isolation, with little training or feedback from colleagues or experts. To facilitate conversation among true peers facing similar issues, this traveling workshop can be requested by individual University units or departments on dates that fit their schedules (e.g., a visit to a faculty meeting, a DEI meeting, a brown bag, a graduate student group, or a special opt-in departmental event).

The workshop provides an opportunity for instructors to candidly discuss their challenges in implementing accommodations with colleagues and an expert facilitator and consider next steps in their own teaching. Participants will leave equipped with a deeper understanding of how their experiences fit in with others’, along with practical strategies and peer insights to help them navigate these challenges effectively in their teaching roles.

Facilitator

This session is led by Elizabeth Ellcessor, a CTE Faculty Fellow and Associate Professor of Media Studies. She has over 15 years of research experience focused on digital accessibility and disability inclusion, with particular focus on university environments, as well as a professional background in accessible web development. She also brings personal experience with the changing environment regarding course accommodations and the challenges they pose to individual instructors.