News

July 2023 Update

By September 6, 2023 No Comments

Summary

We are delighted to share the latest updates about new course offerings, expert-led webinars, and impactful initiatives to empower educators and learners alike. This growth is made possible by the generous support from our corporate partners. Many new programs will launch in the 2023-2024 academic year, and various sponsorship opportunities are available. We hope you will share this information with your colleagues and contacts.

New Programs & Resources

Teach Access is thrilled to launch a large-scale initiative to scaffold the professional development learning experiences for educators, administrators, students, and individuals in the workforce looking to learn or enhance their skills.

Teach Access programs and resources are informed by, and built in partnership with disability associations, industry accrediting agencies, professional associations, and educational associations.

We’ve created Roadmaps for the 2023-2024 Academic Year with small bites of information. A detailed course catalog will be available soon. This information can be found on our website under programs and resources.

Both Roadmaps Alt Text is in a separate Google Doc in addition to the graphics below.

Programming Roadmap

Programming Roadmap Academic Year 2023-2024 A decorative image with a road-themed background titled “Teach Access Programming Roadmap, Academic Year 2023-2024” The map outlines the launch dates and audiences for each program in chronological order. New: Mission: Access August 2023- Gamified activities to help learners solve design problems and develop new ideas around accessibility in different disciplines. For educators, industry, and students New: Student Academy September 2023- Virtual monthly sessions to introduce students to disability and accessibility. For students New: Student Ambassador Program September 2023- Engaging students to learn about accessibility, ways to advocate on their campus, and further the mission of Teach Access.For students. New: Teach Access by Design September 2023- Teaching instructors about accessible design through interactive workshops, collaboration, and mentorship. For educators and industry. New: Quick Bytes October 2023- 30-minute virtual workshops in which participants can learn how to apply a new accessibility concept or skill into their disciplines. For educators and industry. Expanded: Faculty Fellowship January 2024- Monthly program for faculty to learn about accessibility and ways to advocate on campus to bridge the accessibility skills gap. For instructors. Expanded: Teach Access Grants March 2024- Formerly known as Faculty Grants, program expansion invites all instructors in K-12, Bootcamps, and Higher Ed. to apply for funding to infuse accessibility into curriculum. For instructors.

Resources Roadmap

Resources Roadmap Academic Year 2023-2024 A decorative image titled “Teach Access Resources Roadmap, Academic Year 2023-2024” The map outlines the launch dates and audiences for each resource in chronological order. Updated: Accessibility Skills Hiring Toolkit, Refreshed Annually- A toolkit with position descriptions and interview questions centered on accessibility to help organizations build internal capacity. For educators and industry. Updated: Curriculum Repository Refreshed Annually- A free collection of open education resources (OER) developed by faculty to support teaching accessibility to students. For educators and industry. New: Accessibility in the Disciplines Courses August 2023- Seven online courses for instructors to learn about disability, accessible design, and teaching accessibility in various disciplines. For instructors. For educators and industry New: Teach Accessibility Playlists August 2023 A curated collection of different types of media that support learning about disability and accessibility. For educators, industry, and students New: Introduction to Disability and Accessible Design Course August 2023- An online asynchronous course on disability, accessible design, and universal design. For instructors. New: Speak Access January 2024- A monthly micro-podcast series focused on learning about disability, accessibility, and universal design. For students and instructors. New: Teach Accessibility Toolbox April 2024- A curated collection of templates, playbooks, and other items to support the application of accessibility skills to real-world scenarios. For instructors. Teach Access Tutorial 2024 Refresh- A GitHub tutorial that provides basic accessibility training for developers and designers via hands-on exercises. For educators and industry.

NEW Accessibility Courses for Educators

We are excited to soon release seven new courses for faculty. These free, self-guided courses will introduce faculty to disability, accessibility, and accessible design across various disciplines.

  1. Introduction to Disability and Accessibility Course
  2. Computer Science
  3. Graphic Design
  4. Human Computer Interaction
  5. Instructional Technology
  6. Technical Writing
  7. UX Design

Stay tuned to our newsletter and social media channels for more information about the official release date and enrollment process.

Teach Access Student Academy

We are excited to announce a new student program launching in September, The Teach Access Student Academy. The Teach Access Student Academy will consist of virtual monthly webinars for students so they can explore a variety of topics on disability and accessibility. It will be open to any students enrolled in an Undergraduate or Graduate program at a College or University and will be a great opportunity to learn about accessibility and network with a wide variety of people in higher education, industry, and advocacy organizations. The application for students to register will be released soon!

In the meantime, we are seeking presenters for each of the monthly sessions. We have generated a list of topics that we would like to cover in the Teach Access Student Academy, but we are also open to suggestions on topics not listed below:

  • Assistive Technology
  • Accessibility Principles
  • Accessibility and Neurodiversity
  • Accessibility in Events
  • Accessibility in Media and Communication
  • Accessibility Innovation/ Future of Accessibility

If you are interested in presenting on one or more of these topics, please complete this Student Academy Call for Presenter Form by Friday, August 4, 2023.

Updates to Membership & Teach Access Meetings

During our June meeting and follow up email, we announced changes to our original membership model. Here are the highlights:

  • We now have sponsors, donors, and volunteers, which is typical of many nonprofit organizations.
  • A monthly update email will go out to all subscribers with occasional communications for volunteers/sponsors/donors as needed.
  • We will host an annual “State of Teach Access” virtual meeting for general updates and will explore other ways to help maintain a community that’s been built here.
  • Volunteers will be able to sign up where we need help in our Volunteer Portal via Salesforce soon.

State of Teach Access

Since we’ve dissolved membership, we will schedule an annual “State of Teach Access” virtual meeting instead of quarterly membership meetings. When we cancel meetings, many calendars need to be updated manually. Please delete any Teach Access Membership or Task Force meetings that remain on your calendar.

Please keep your Project Team meetings, as we very much appreciate the continued volunteer support.

Clip art graphic of a calendar

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Teach Access Meet-Up

Collaborating with our partners, volunteers, and friends is a high priority for Teach Access, so we are re-imagining the quarterly membership meeting and creating a quarterly Meetup. Our new Meetup welcomes everyone.

The goals for the meetup:

  • Continue collaborating on ways to educate your companies, campuses, and organizations about accessibility.
  • Create Special Interest Groups to support your individual needs.
  • Spotlight new industry trends and successes.
  • Keep up to date on all things Teach Access.

Stay tuned as we look to hold our first Meetup this Fall.

Upcoming Events

Teach Access is on the move!  Will you be at any of these upcoming events? We love connecting in person. Please email info@teachaccess to let us know!

HighEd Web Accessibility Summit

Join us July 25 for a one-day online event. Learn best practices for digital accessibility. And connect with your peers in higher ed.

Learn More & Register for Accessibility Summit
HighEd Web Association Accessibility Summit. Online Conference on July 25, 2023

Share Your News!

We know there is a lot of good accessibility work happening everywhere and we’d love to know about it! Maybe you are hosting an accessibility conference? Or teaching a new course that covers accessibility? Or maybe your company is starting a new accessibility initiative? Do you have a new resource that we could share? Let us know so we can share it on our social networks, too!

Tell Us Your Accessibility News!

Ways to Support Teach Access

Corporate Sponsorship

Teach Access relies heavily on corporate support and donations. Please contact Mindy at Mindy@teachaccess.org for more information on Sponsorship Opportunities.

Building Bridges Collective

You can help build the bridge to digital accessibility. The Building Bridges Collective is an individual giving program that directly supports Teach Access programs and initiatives. Consider a one-time or recurring gift. If your company has a matching gifts program, we would be grateful for the extra support.

Donate to Teach Access
Building bridges collective. Join a community of supporters passionate about increasing accessibility and creating a more inclusive world.

Teach Access Apparel

Check out our Bonfire Store to order Teach Access apparel and other swag. Every purchase helps to support Teach Access.

Teach Access Bonfire Store
Screen shot of bonfire webpage showing teach access merchandise, 2 tshirts, tote bag, coffee mug, and notebook.

Benevity

Have you submitted your volunteer hours or made contributions through Benevity? You can see the Teach Access page here.  We appreciate your support.

Connect With Us!

Join us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Or contact info@teachaccess.org.

Teach Access is a 501(c)(3) public charity registered in the United States, EIN #86-1697668. Contributions are tax-deductible. Please consult your tax advisor for applicable rules and regulations governing tax deductions.