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IDPD 2015 - include, Organize, Celebrate, Take Action
In Observance of today, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Dec 3. I would like all of us to take a moment to:
- Include: in your work today, focus on issues related to the inclusion of persons with disabilities in society and development of features that enhance access to your contribution to AU, both as beneficiaries and agents of change.
- Organize: in meetings or forums, discuss and share ways of including and empowering persons of all abilities to develop and be fully included in AU’s community.
- Celebrate: celebrate the contributions made by persons with disabilities as agents of change in the communities in which they live. Celebrate persons with disabilities by creating opportunities to help realize their potential, be it through music, sport, academia or interpersonal skills. Search the web for someone who is a “Game changer”.
- Take Action: A major focus of the Day is practical action to realize the objectives of the Day for persons with disabilities and their communities. So, learn and highlight best practices and think about making recommendations to colleagues and leaders, businesses, academic institutions, cultural centers and others. Work to ensure that your activity leaves a legacy and brings about lasting change.
- Register for Impact UDL January 28-30, 2016. Site: http://udl.athabascau.ca
Share your thoughts, contributions, and comments to:
Facebook Group – Facebook.com/groups/ImpactUDL
Twitter – @ImpactUDL
Landing – Accessibility Group @ AU
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Comments
Here's a story to share on another IDPD.
I was recently asked to provide a student with a reference for graduate school. Only after reading the student's application was it clear to me that the student lived with a mobility impairment. She was very enthusiastic to learn that the university is planning to propose an online law program. Her reaction was that, were AU to have such a program, it would certainly be her first choice for continuing her studies.
We may not know the extent to which our university serves students with various needs that may or may not require accommodations. Students' ability to disclose what they choose, to whom, and for which limited range of purposes increases their autonomy. We can take pride in providing a range of much-needed services without necessarily seeing the disability at all in an online environment.
Happy IDPD to colleagues and students,
J
Been meaning to send this to you for a long time. I was very impressed that all over the streets of Hong Kong there was a rubber strip along one side of the road. We couldn't figure out what it was for the longest time. Turns out that it was tactile information for people with visual impairments. What a great thing to do! C