Disability Culture and the Design of Online Spaces

Disability Culture and the Design of Online Spaces

Grant:
Teaching with Technology Institute (TTI)
Academic Year:
2012 - 2013 (June 1, 2012 through May 31, 2013)
Funding Requested:
$2,500.00
Project Dates:
-
Applicant(s):
myergeau
Overview of the Project:
This project asks students to approach accessibility as a civil rights issue, to consider accessibility as both a conceptual and lived practice. Students will maintain a multimedia blog portfolio throughout the semester, using principles of universal design as they craft their projects. Course material will include discussions of disability identity and activism, as mediated through online spaces. Students will use their blogs as a space where they can independently and collectively respond to readings and guest speakers. But, more importantly, students will explore both the affordances and limitations of blogging to the disability community, especially when blogs incorporate multimedia elements (e.g., video, image, audio). As a class, we will analyze and engage in the practices of ALT tagging, captioning video, and designing texts in ways that do not segregate users. At semester's end, students will reflect on the process of designing universally and generate a list of best practices.
Final Report Fields
Project Objectives:

Objectives for this project were manifold: 1) understanding core concepts of disability studies and its emergence as a field, 2) becoming versed in the specifics of (disability) identity and its intersectionality with other identities, from both cultural and individual perspectives, 3) understanding the affordances of online technologies for disability communities, as well as recognizing barriers to access, and 4) analyzing and enacting accessibility in our everyday work. In support of these goals, students maintained blog portfolios using Universal Design (UD) as a methodology. At semester's end, students collaboratively generated a best practices list for creating and curating accessible digital work.

Project Achievements:

Project achievements included the following: In small groups, students created short, captioned videos (~2 minutes in length) that documented architectural and conceptual in/accessibility on campus. These videos were examined at length in class and were used to foster discussions about which bodies are valued and/or denied in the design of cultural spaces. Some students submitted their videos to UM's Council for Disability Concerns as a means to identify pressing concerns and/or jumpstart broader community discussion. These videos have also been used as examples in various CRLT fora (including the Graduate Teaching Certificate+ online portal).

Continuation:
In many respects, this project is never-ending. As an instructor, this project has enabled me to think more critically and consciously about accessibility in the design of my syllabi, the structure of in-class conversations, and the content and scope of readings, activities, and assignments. One of the primary take-aways from this project was a collaborative, student-generated list of best practices for accessible designs. While this particular exercise has been useful in subsequent disability studies courses, it has also enabled me to rethink how I incorporate accessible design practices in non-disability studies courses (e.g., general writing courses).
Dissemination:
Materials from the class blog, as well as classroom exercises, have been disseminated in/across multiple venues, at UM and beyond. For instance, I have shared materials with the Disability Studies Standing Group through the Conference on College Composition and Communication. As well, I have presented on issues related to classroom blogging and captioning best practices at campus events (including the Enriching Scholarship Conference, the Provost's Seminar on Teaching, and the English Department Writing Program colloquia).
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