Accessibility in OER - Spring 2024 Cohort

My name is Emily Gorman, and I am a Research and Education Librarian at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. As someone who teaches classes and also helps other instructors acquire teaching materials, I am concerned with making sure everything is accessible to anyone using these materials. More personally, one of my coworkers has low vision and that has increased my awareness of the accessiblity (or lack thereof) of various visual materials. 

What excites me most about OERs is the potential impact on student success. Having free course materials ensures that all students will have the same opportunity to learn, regardless of their financial resources. Additionally, the teaching resources can enhance instruction. For example, images and diagrams from OERs can be used in lecture slides without the instructor having to worry about copyright or licensing issues. All of these elements combine to improve the student experience. 

Hello everyone,

1) My name is Huyen Maluck (first name pronounced like "when") and I work as a librarian at Midlands Technical College.

2) My professional connection to accessibility is that we sometimes make content for our library and we want to ensure that it is accessible for all of our users. I help instructors in finding OER content and we want to make sure the content is accessible for all students as well. I, also, am a part of our state consortium's PASCAL Affordable Learning Committee and we help train on OER topics. Accessibility is a topic that we have had guest speakers on recently (here's a link to the recorded webinar if anyone is interested). 

3) What I like most about OER is that all users have equal access to the content. A statistic I found interesting about my institution was that 8 out of 10 students rely on financial aid to attend college. I've experienced firsthand students who said they could not stay enrolled in courses because they could not afford the textbooks/materials. I feel like having OER can create an inclusive learning environment for all.

I look forward to learning more about OER and working with everyone in this cohort over the next few weeks!

Huyen

My name is Jeff Prater and I am the Collection Development and OER Librarian at Northern Virginia Community College. Our college is very diverse and my job is to make a library collection reach learning and cultural needs. In the past, I have been a special education teacher in middle and high school.

What excites me the most about OER is the ability to customize the material for instruction. I clearly remember in undergraduate studies having to purchase material and only using one chapter out of the book. With OER, one can customize and save money for the student that increases retention.

Hi everyone,

I am Dr. Brittany Jackson, currently Hiram College's Online Learning Manager at Hiram College.  My personal role with accessibility is as someone who is neurodiverse (ADHD and anxiety) and my professional connection to accessibility is both through my position at Hiram College where I help train faculty and staff about online accessibility and technology and through my role with the College Autism Network as Director of Training and Technology, which is an organization geared towards helping those higher education professionals who work with students with autism regularly.  My Master's thesis and doctoral work also focused specifically on autism in higher education.  

What excites me most about OER is the flexibility and the additional layer of accessibility it provides to students from a socioeconomic aspect.  I am always attempting, wherever possible, to utilize OER in my courses to ensure that students can always access the information, without having the added burden of trying to afford an expensive textbook.  I love the flexibility that OER also offers and the possibility of bringing in multiple perspectives, as I believe that can help a student grow and learn!

I look forward to learning with everyone!

Brittany

Hi everyone,

I'm Paul Higdon, the Library Director at the University of Northwestern Ohio in Lima, Ohio, USA.

I create information literacy training for our students, and while I try to ensure that content is accessible to all of our students, I know I could be doing a better job. I am looking forward to discovering what tools and resources are available that will empower all of our students to live their truth.

The equity aspect of OERs is why I am so passionate about them. Too many of our students can't afford the textbooks and suffer because of that.  However, it wasn't until I watched the videos that I realized OERs empower students to be content creators themselves, which could completely change how some subjects are taught.  That potential is also very exciting.

Hello Paul, 

Your role at the University of Northwestern is unique. I am sure it is rewarding. You mentioned that you could do a better job at it. I feel we all do this at sometime in our career. Think that we can do just a little bit more. I would agree. I find it fascinating that there are OERs available to students and that they do empower students may not learn the same have the opportunity to embrace learning in a different way. 

Angela Staten

Hi, my name is Yasemin Onder, and I serve as an instructional designer at Kirkwood Community College in Iowa. In my role, I collaborate with faculty members, providing training sessions to raise awareness about digital accessibility and assisting them in making their content materials accessible.

My personal and professional connection to accessibility for ensuring equitable access to educational resources for all learners. I believe that every student, regardless of their economic background or any other factor, should have equal opportunities to succeed in their educational journey.

One aspect of education that particularly excites me is Open Educational Resources (OER). OER presents an incredible opportunity for students by providing freely accessible educational materials. What I find most important about OER is its potential to empower both instructors and students. Instructors have the flexibility to tailor materials to suit their teaching styles and update them as needed, while students benefit from having access to high-quality resources that are not tied to specific instructors or institutions. Additionally, the adaptability of OER allows integration of new scientific discoveries or updates, ensuring that course materials remain relevant and up-to-date.

My name is Dawn Gombar.  I am the director of student accessibility services at Eastern Gateway Community College.  I have personal and professional connections to accessibility.  I am excited to learn more about accessibility in OER.  I am a proponent of OER for the financial benefits as well.  

Hi, My name is Rong Zhu, and I am an instructional designer at Northern Virginia Community College. In this role, I collaborate closely with faculty to design, develop, and maintain fully online courses, ensuring they are engaging and effective learning experiences for students. I love to leverage every opportunity and strategy available to create dynamic online learning environments.

By making online courses accessible to all learners, regardless of their backgrounds or abilities, we can actively engage students and foster diversity, equity, and inclusion within our courses.

Open Educational Resources (OER) can not only reduce student costs but also provide flexibility, enabling students to access course materials anytime and anywhere. I believe accessible OER can enhance learning outcomes and promote a more inclusive and equitable educational landscape.

Hello Rong, 

As a neighboring consortium (Washington Research Library Consortium) who shares some common institutions, I'd be eager to know if your faculty participate in Virginia's Academic Library Consortium's VIVA Open program and, if so, have they found opportunities to use the wealth of post-secondary introductory courseware material to their advantage? 

We are always looking for more opportutnites to effectively market OER to our faculty and I'd also like to hear about any campus marketing that has proven successfull with your team.

Hi Angelique, 

I know our faculty apply for the VIVA OER grant and create open materials for the courses they teach, such as CST 110, CST 126, some ENG courses, etc. Our college promotes the use of open sources, with the OER office providing financial support to faculty members committed to creating OER-based courses. Additionally, our Vice President of E-Learning just announced our new initiative: by 2027, all NOVA online courses will transition to utilizing OER materials exclusively. There will be challenges, but we also embrace the opportunities to learn more about open sources, promote inclusive learning experiences, and reduce students' costs. 

Rong

Hi Rong, 

I am SO very impressed with NOVA's progressive value based approach to OER! It must be wonderful to work in such a supportive environment. Kudos to NOVA's OER 2027 goals. 

Best, 

ac

Hi All!!  My name is Dawn Miller and I am an Assistant Professor at Siena Heights University.  I teach and develop the online Accounting courses.  I am also a part of the OLAC committee and am looking forward to this training.  This training is going to be interesting to see the materials that are available in the Accounting field.  Accounting textbooks are expensive and I am always looking for a way to help students to afford the materials and not have to wait to purchase the textbooks because of money issues and funding.

I look forward to working with everyone.

Have a great week,
Dawn

Hello, 

My name is Kelly Kingrey-Edwards. I am the reference and instruction librarian at Central Louisiana Technical Community College. My personal connection to accessibility is that I am the mother of children with a variety of learning differences and special needs. My youngest son is profoundly hard of hearing with bi-lateral cochlear implants, and he is also on the autism spectrum. My professinal connection to accessibility is that, as an instrtuctional librarian, my goal has always been to provide information and knowledge acquisition skills in formats that meet the needs of diverse learners. Accessibility is key to that goal. What excites me the most about OER is that it is on a fundamental level about social justice through educational opportunity. 

Hi Kelly,

I have a personal connection with accessibility also. My son is also on the autism spectrum and has ADHD. To facilitate his learning, he requires visual cues, clear language, and alternative communication methods. Even seemingly minor factors we might take for granted, such as bright lighting or background noise, can significantly affect his ability to learn and engage effectively.

Hello! My name is Kate Cameron, and I am the Digital Services Librarian for Kirkwood Community College in Iowa. As a librarian, I aim to consider accessibility in all resources and services the library provides, though I recognize this is a challenge, and something that we in the library could always do better with. 

For me, the most exciting thing about OER is the flexiblity they afford instructors and students alike, and all the good things that stem from that flexibility - better resources, better learning, more engagement and excitement from faculty. I see all these in our OER adopters over the years at Kirkwood and would love to see even more faculty able to adopt OER for their courses.

Hi! My name is Hannah Tooley and I'm an LMS Admin and Course Designer for Pikes Peak State College. 

In my current position, I often have to review courses and check to make sure that the course materials and activities are following accessibility guidelines. We're also in the process of integrating a new accessibility checker into our LMS which will help remove the most glaring issues and teach instructors on how to make their materials more accessible. 

As far as a personal connection to accessibility, my grandpa loves technology and he is almost entirely blind. Seeing how he interacts with technology and the roadblocks he runs into with navigating different programs (I'm looking at you Apple, with your light-grey on white design choices) inspires me to learn more about making technology more accessible. 

The thing that makes me the most excited about OER is the freedom it gives both students and instructors. Expensive course materials is one of the biggest barriers to education and success for students. OER allows all students to be on equal footing from day one. OER also allows instructors to exercise their academic freedom since they can build and modify course materials to match the particular topics they want to teach. 

Hi, my name is Maureen Madden, and I am an instructional designer and accessibility liaison for NOVA Online at Northern Virginia Community College. As an instructional designer, I work closely with faculty designing/redesigning fully online courses and assist with course maintenance. As accessibility liaison, I am the go-to person when there are questions regarding accessibility whether in Canvas, creating flyers & announcements, finding accessible learning materials or solving accessibility issues when using assistive technology.  I love what I do. 

Accessibility is a personal passion.  My sister was born with CP and was educated pre-ADA.  I watched her struggles and accomplishments.  Anytime I can share or use my experiences and skills to provide accessibility for anyone, it is what I do.  I try to be more proactive to avoid having to be reactive.  It’s all self-taught.  If I do not have the answer, I look it up & there is usually an answer out there somewhere. 

I think of Open Educational Resources (OER) as a treasure hunt.  There is so much out there to find, combine, share and reuse that provides more opportunities for students to save money and enhance their education while being equitable and inclusive. 

Hi everyone!

My name is Ally Jones, and I am a Librarian at Morgan Community College in Colorado. In my role, I assist instructors in locating and evaluating OER materials. I'm a first year librarian and new to my current role, but I want to ensure that I am being mindful and taking consideration of accessibility from all aspects. OER offers a meaningful opportunity to engage students in course content without the high cost of traditional textbooks, while also allowing instructors to augment the materials to meet their needs. 

Looking forward to learning with you all!

Nice to meet you, Ally.  

I never thought about accessibility from a librarian's perspective.  It must be difficult to make sure everything is accessible.

Thanks,

-Dawn

Hello,

My name is Brian Richards, I am the Library and Resource Director at Eastern Gateway Community College.

As a librarian I work with both students and faculty to identify resources that can be used in their educational programs and that meet their accessibility needs. I am looking forward to learning more about accessibility and how we can incorporate it into our resources and OERs.

What excites me the most about OERs is that they are created in the spirit of collaboration and sharing. As a librarian, it is always exciting to find resources that are not restrictive in their terms of use or the ability to adopt, share, or adapt them for programmatic purposes or to enrich an educational opportunity.  

Hello everyone! My name is Danielle Chilensky and I am the department chair and a Spanish instructor at Eastern Gateway Community College in Steubenville, Ohio. My personal/professional connection with accessibility ranges from having to advocate for friends, family members, as well as students in previous jobs. I helped to develop both the student activities department and the residence life departments for a brand new university in Mexico a few years ago, and because they were partnering with my alma mater, Arkansas State University, they had to adhere to the policies of the main campus. I learned a lot in that position. 

I have noticed a bit of hesitation from some instructors when they are asked to use OERs because it requires more work, but by making online courses more accessible to all learners, regardless of any backgrounds or abilities, we can better help to engage students in their academic careers as well as foster diversity, equity, and inclusion within the courses. OERs are great because they aim to be free, or low cost, which ultimately makes learning more accessible to everyone. I am looking forward to this cohort so that I can learn more and provide a better, more equitable, experience to my students. 

Hello everyone,
My name is Kiersten (KEER-sten) Baughman (BOCK-men), and I am an adjunct instructor of psychology at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I have previously served on accessibility committees and have a good working knowledge of UDL (universal design for learning) after several different trainings and workshops that I've attended. Accessibility is very important to me as a pivotal element of being inclusive of all, no matter the circumstance.

Cost and affordability are always top priorities for me when selecting and reviewing resources. I am most excited about the free ability for everyone to access OER that eliminates many traditional barriers to learning and consuming information. I also think OER has come a long way since its inception and work to ensure transparency in a variety of formats.

I am looking forward to this learning opportunity to further explore OER and expand my understanding while exploring additional possibilities to enhance my teaching.

Kiersten

1. What is your name, institution, and role at your institution?

Hi, my name is John W. Fick, EdD, MS, FACHE, so please call me “John” during the course!  I have been employed as a full-time Professor in the Graduate College of Siena Heights University since 2002.  I also serve as the Director of the Graduate Programs in Leadership.

1. What is your personal/professional connection to accessibility?

As the Program Director of the Graduate Programs in Leadership at Siena Heights University, I want to be sure that all course content is accessible to anyone using the course and related materials.

1. What about "Open Educational Resources" most excites you?

Learning more about OER and then integrating the information learned into practice in the virtual classroom that will lead to improved student success.

-John

Hello!

I'm Wendy Weaver, faculty at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, WI, and I am excited to learn more about OER.

Hi all,

1) I'm Kathy Sindt, Sr. Learning Designer at Colorado Online. We're a branch of the Colorado Community College System.

2) As a Learning Designer, it is one of my responsibilities to ensure that all the content I create is accessible. As a team, we're working to help our faculty around the system create or remediate their content to make it accessible.

3) One of the most exciting things about OER is the amount of money that is saved by our students when OER is utilized. The other thing I like about OER is that we can remix and reuse the content that is most relevant for our courses. 

Hello!  My name is Grace Whiteaker and I'm a Senior Learning Designer with Colorado Community College System.  Under the previous name of CCCOnline and now under our new consortial title of Colorado Online, our Learning Design Team is responsible for assuring accessibility in learning objects we create, and we assist in reviewing and sometimes remediating other courses or course objects for accessibility.

I am excited that we have more opportunities than ever before to lower costs for students by designing with existing OER.  I also love helping content creators (faculty, part-time instructors, etc) as they combine multiple OER materials to create something new with an appropriate Creative Commons license rather than being tied to the traditional copyright rule.

My name is Christina Bonner, and I am the Research, Instruction, Web, & Assessment Librarian at Ohio Dominican Univeresity. I am also a copyright librarian and have knowledge of accessibility. Professionally, because I am the admin for our LibGuides and one of the editors in the university's CMS, I maintain awareness of accessibility as it pertains to the web. Personally, I have dealt with being physically handicapped in the past. And I've broadened my perspective of accessibility to include physical challenges other than my own as well as neurodivergent perspectives.

What excites me most about OER, like many others here, is the potential impact on students at the socioeconomic level. Additionally, the opportunities OER present to faculty teaching online, I think, are fantastic.

Hi,

I'm Dan and I work as the OER and Emerging Technologies Librarian at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania.

I am personally and professionally interested in exploring all sorts of barriers to learning, and in evaluating and implementing ways to eliminate or minimize those barriers. 

I'm grateful that the OER movement has bent the curve downward on one big barrier to learning for many students, that is the high cost of course materials. 

These training sessions are so helpful to connect folks to resources. It takes time to incorporate the ideas, but everyone benefits and making learning accessible and inexpensive should be all of our goals.

Hello everyone! My name is Jordan Franks. I am a Forestry Instructor at Central Louisiana Technical Community College. I am so excited about OER becasue as a instructor for a "niche" topic, it is very difficult to find teacher resources for topics in my classes. Most books for forestry are extrememly expensive and have way more content that what the student really needs. I am enthusiastic about exploring OER and incorporating more into my classes. I do currenly use OER but finding the content specific to my needs has always been a strugle, especially when it comes to creating slideshows or resources. I think OER will impact the students in a very positive way by reducing financial strains and streamlining the learning experience. I look forward to learning more! 

My name is Dr. Gia Alexander. I teach Engineering Technical Communication in the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University. I also serve as the Department of English's accessibility tester for OER.

I was born legally blind nearly 60 years ago, so accessibility has been a lifelong journey. I am a braille user, and hail from the pre-digital days when a Perkins brailler (manual braille typewriter) and a hand-held magnifying glass were my only paths to accessibility. I beta-tested ZoomText version 1.0 back in 1989, and it remains my primary assistive technology.

That being said, I am most passionate about OER because, if born-digital and well-designed, they adapt more easily to students' accessibility needs than printed textbooks.

My name is LeAnn Beckwith and I am an adjunct at Siena Heights University. As a librarian, teacher, and instructional designer I want to help students navigate tools and resources to help them succeed. I want to design inclusive instructional materials and create learning environments that accommodate students with varying abilities and learning styles. Open Educational Resources help to promote equity, affordability, innovation, and collaboration, which ultimately enhances the quality and accessibility of education for all learners.

Hello everyone,

My name is George Anagnostou, and I am the Director of Instructional Technology at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in Baltimore, MD.

Accessibility is of interest to me because it is something that can benefit everyone, not just those with disabilities. Also, as the father of a neurodivergent son (ADHD) and a neurotypical son, I can see the stark differences in the way they engage with content and how they go about learning, so I am all for reducing as many barriers as possible.

I’m still learning about all that OER resources have to offer, but I believe the concept presents an interesting opportunity for everyone in the learning community, so I am excited to continue that journey with all of you.

Hello All,

My name is Randy Blank. I am a full time professor with the University of Northwestern Ohio. I teach psychology for our general education department. I also serve as part-time teaching and learning coordinator for our Center for Educational Excellence (CEE). The most direct profesional connection to accessibility I can claim would be my interaction with our Student Success Center. We frequently serve students with Individual Education Plans who require additional accomodations during tests and exams. What excites me most about OERs is the potential for students to access free/low cost materials for our courses. This spring I will be transitioning my Introduction to Psychology course to a no cost on-line accessible textbook. This will be a first for me as I have always been tied to a print textbook, so wish me luck (and my students)!

My name is Matt Mieure. I am a Canvas Administrator/Instructional Technologist at Siena Heights University.

Accessibility is important to me in my course design/development roles. I also assist in ADA compliance issues.

I have been interested in OER's for a number of years, including how to implement them into curriculum and how to apply cost savings to students.

Hi, my name is Gail Ryder, and I"'m a Professor of Humanities at Siena Heights University in Adrian, Michigan. I have taught online classes since 2006 and exclusively since 2013, except for a brief face-to-face experience last summer in France.

Because I teach online, I have to make certain all of my materials are fully accessible. I also teach a course to certify online instructors, so I have to know how to help them as well. Many of them teach online as well as face-to-face, so that adds a layer of challenge to our jobs. I have taught many students over the years who were dyslexic, deaf or hearing impaired or had low-vision and other issues. The more resources I have to build solid courses for all students, the better. I'm excited to see what "Open Educational Resources" has to offer.

Best,

Gail

Hi. My name is Daenel Vaughn-Tucker and I'm the Director of Library Services at Central Louisiana Technical Community College. In addition to my library work, I'm also the chair of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Committee at our college, so I want to make sure that we're acquiring/providing accessible materials for our students, faculty, and staff. What excites me most about OER is the impact on student and, ultimately, community success. If course material is no longer a barrier, perhaps more people can see college as an option, which will change their lives and the lives of those in their communities for the better.

Hello, I'm Trisha Kaufman from the University of Maryland Baltimore.  I am the Director of Web Application Development and Services. My department develops custom online applications for the campus community, we serve as administrators for Sharepoint/Teams, and we also oversee campus wide web accessibility in partnership with the campus communications departments. Both professionally and personally, web accessibility has been important to me as all the applications my department creates are online and thus we need to be aware and utilize coding approaches, functionality and designs that are accessible to everyone.  Personally, I am very involved in several autism related groups and often hear about people who struggle to get the resources and information they need due to their impairements. I'm looking forward to finding some information and tools we can share with others at our university to help them address web accessibility with less resources/time.

Hello, my name is Vanessa Birney, and I am the Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness at Eastern Gateway Community College. In the past I worked in the Office of Accessibility Services as well as an Instructional Designer. I have always been fascinated with online course design and in ways to make courses more accessible to all.

The following excites me about OER:

• Customizability: Educators can adapt and customize OER to suit the specific needs of their students or learning objectives. This flexibility allows for more personalized and effective teaching methods.
• Collaboration and Sharing: OER promotes collaboration among educators and institutions by encouraging the sharing of resources and expertise. This collaborative environment fosters innovation and the development of high-quality educational materials.
• Continuous Improvement: Since OERs are openly licensed, they can be continually updated and improved upon by a global community of educators and experts. This ensures that educational materials remain relevant and up-to-date.

Hello all, I'm Laura Zaepfel and I work as a Learning Designer for the Colorado Community College System. We are often asked to consult on how to improve accessibility or provide accessible materials for faculty, as well as building accessible courses for training and/or professional development across the system. 

What most excitements me about OER though is its adaptability and it's ability to lower student costs. 

Hi everyone: my name is Kari Ubels and I am a Practical Nurse Instructor at NorQuest College, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I am very interested in learning more about accessibility. My mom is legally blind and also wears hearing aids-when encouraged and pleaded with lol. I like the aspect of being able to build on resources someone else has created and use them to fit your purpose. They haven't been used very much at all in our nursing program however our College itself is striving for 80% OER usuage so excited to hear what others are doing. 

My name is Kendra Dafoe and I am an Assistant Professor at Siena Heights University. I teach in both the Mathematics department as well as the Education department. 

Accessibility is important to me as I teach online and face to face.  I am also currently transitioning some of my face to face methods courses to hybrid in order to allow more flexibility for the pre-service teachers to complete their practium hours.  

I am interested in OER's in order to assist students in saving money on extra course materials. 

Hi everyone,

My name is Mary Raymond, and I am an Associate Professor and Coordinator of Professional Communication at Siena Heights University. While Siena Heights is physically based in Adriian, MI, I teach totally online. 

In terms of accessibility, my personal connection stems from my experiences working with individuals who have disabilities. Professionally, I've also been involved in projects aimed at making digital content more accessible to all users.

When it comes to "Open Educational Resources," what excites me the most is the potential for greater access to quality educational materials for learners around the world. I believe that OERs have the power to democratize education and empower learners of all backgrounds.

I'm looking forward to learning and working with all of you over the coming weeks!

Hello, All. My name is Bonnie Robinson, but I go by BJ Robinson. I work at the University of North Georgia as a Professor and Administrator. My professional connection with accessibility is my serving on our university's Accessibility and Accommodations Committee. My personal connection is that my father, although not born unable to see/visually impaired, he was so during all my life. I am most excited about the opportunities for equity and accessibility that OER afford students and life long learners.

Hi There!

I'm Susan Engel, an economics instructor at Eastern Gateway Community College. I've been interested in OERs since I was first introduced to them at another college. In 2022 I was involved in OER course design through an OhioLINK grant and would like to continue learning about new ways and new resources to help make college more accessible and affordable for all students.

Looking forward to meeting everyone here!

Susan

Hi!  I am Alexis.  I am an instructional designer with the School of Social Work at the University of Maryland Baltimore. 

My commitment to accessibility is driven by a dedication to justice and pragmatism. I strive to create educational materials that can reach and benefit the widest audience possible, maximizing their impact and value. Two personal teaching experiences underscored the importance of accessibility for me:

• A student’s temporary disability due to a car accident highlighted the unpredictable nature of accessibility needs.
•  My query into vocabulary and word use errors impacting a student's grades in my online class encouraged the student to let me know he uses dictation software due to being quadriplegic.   I had never before considered the students' autonomy in choosing to use or not use accommodations.   Because that course was generally constructed in an accessible way, he had the freedom to make that choice.  (I did confirm that he knows how to ask for accommodations if he should need them)

These experiences reinforced my belief in the necessity of designing with accessibility in mind from the outset.  

The concept of OERs resonates with me deeply as it aligns with my goal of maximizing the utility of my work. By developing and utilizing OERs, I can ensure that the resources I invest time in are valuable and widely accessible. The ability to control the release of my materials and to tailor content to my student’s needs in a flexible and cost-effective manner is what excites me most about OERs.

My name is Casey Koss and I am the Librarian at Siena Hieghts University. I feel I should be a resource for faculty and students to have access to OER and I am excited about learning more about what is available. What excites me most about OER is that it is the future of accessible and equitible content in higher education, in my opinion.

Laura Yost, Kirkwood Community College, Instructional Designer

We work with faculty and are emphasizing the need to make their materials (online and off-line) more accessible for students.

I am working on CBE programs that require Open Educational Resources, so guaranteeing they are accessible is very important.  Also, as more faculty switch to those types of content, it will be a good idea to know how make them better student resources.

My name is Joshua Byerly, and I am the Electronic Resource and Affordable Learning Librarian at Ohio Dominican University. One part of my role at Ohio Dominican is to manage the social media pages, and this has introduced me to many new accessibility concepts . Additionally, I am responsible for helping faculty members locate and identify OER materials for there course work, and it is important that these tools be accessible to all students. 

What excites me most about adopting open educational resources in the classroom is eliminating the pressure to purchase expensive textbooks each semester. With rising tuition costs, OER's are a strong tool to ensure all students have equitable access to an already prohibitevly costly higher education experience. 

1. Hello, everyone. My name is Elizabeth Flanagan. I am full time faculty in the College and Career Pathways (aka Basic Education for Adults) department at Renton Technical College.
2. I rely on the principles and tenents of both UDL and accessibility for all of my course design.
3. Many things excite me about OER, but the one I am going to highlight today is that my new(ish) involvement with OER has already allowed me to be part of several new learning communities at a time when I am hungry for that. I am looking foward to working with all of your through this learning experience as well. Best wishes to all!

Howdy and thanks so much for creating this space and opportunity!

1. My name is Justin Romack with Texas A&M University. I'm an aSsistant Director with the university's Department of Disability Resources, where I started as an Assistive Technology Coordinator in 2014. I am also a graduate student in the university's Higher Education Administration program, with eyes on a Ph.D. focused on instructional design or educational technologies.

2. My very first connection to accessibility is my personal experience as a totally blind individual. I lost my eyesight completely as a junior in college and can tell you we have come a long way in making materials accessible... but we are also itterating on the depth and breadth of ways we engage students in the classroom - and sometimes that innovation outpaces our accessibility efforts. 

3. OER excite me because equity in education must be a constant pursuit if we truly believe in education's ability to change the world. OER democratizes education and learning in such a way that students focus less on the logistics of how to show up and learn and focus on the content of their learning instead. I also believe OER can and should offer a richer experience than traditional academic materials. We have the opportunity to completely redefine educational materials and that is thrilling and humbling.

Excited to learn and work alongside each of you!

Hello!

1. My name is Kelly NewVine. I am an associate professor of education at Hiram College.  I am also the director of the School of Health, Education, Sustainability and Society.  

2. My personal and professional connection to accessibility is that I teach pre-service teachers who need to know about accessibility for their own teaching, and I want to incorporate more accesibility features into my own teaching.  Personally, I sometimes utilize accessibility features to make my own learning a little easier (i.e. speech to text or reading a textbook while listening to the audio version). 

3. The most exciting part of OER is the accessibility in terms of students being able to access materials for free.  I've run into situations where students cannot afford a required course resource, which then creates a barrier to success for the student.

1. What is your name, institution and role at your institution?
   
   Jeffrey Kuan, Texas A&M. I am an assistant (soon-to-be associate) professor in the mathematics department.
2. What is your personal/professional connection to accessibility? I'm a nationally recognized leader in accessibility in mathematics. I was invited to the Joint Math Meetings organized by the American Mathematical Society. Here is an article about my work: Addressing Accessibility In Mathematics - Texas A&M Today (tamu.edu)
3. What about "Open Educational Resources" most excites you? Taking revenge on textbook companies.

Hi Jeffrey, I'm Cindy Cook with Palo Alto College in San Antonio, TX. I like your comment about taking revenge on textbook companies. When I started as a student at PAC in 2001, I've always had an issue with textbook companies. I found it appalling that they could change a few words in a book, title it a newer edition, and charge students so much for it. 

Hello. My name is Lynne Collins and I am with MCC on the Fort Morgan Campus. I am the Health Professions Faculty, which means I teach in the health areas. My main focus is Nurse Aide and Clinical Medical Assistant coursework. I also teach a variety of CPR and First Aid courses for majors and non-majors. I am also the Nurse Aide Program Coordinator and Lead Faculty for MA.

2. My personal experience with accessabilty is limited to PD workshops on making documents and courses accessible. Using accessabilty chckers in programs like the Office suite. And also topics discussed in active learning PD courswork.

3. I am most excited about Open Educational Resources as alternatives to overpriced textbooks and packages from the publishers. I know many times there is a cost for the resource, but it less then the average textbook and can give more real world experinece, partirauly in health. The downside is health resources are limited and don't always get updated in a timely manner so that is a big consideration I will bear in mind as I go through this program and beyond.

My name is Becky Menendez.  I'm an instructional designer with the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

I mainly have a professional connection to accessibility, in that it's something I've had to learn about and consider in the context of online course development, and to a degree, in web design and development.  

What excites me about Open Educational Resources is that it reduces cost barriers for students.  It can also be a great help for instructors who don't have the time or resources to create materials from scratch when developing a course.  

My name is Yun Moh (he, his, him) from Rentron Technical College. I'm an Instructional Designer.

I assist faculty in producing instructional materials.

OER excites me because it enables me to publish and share resources.

My name is Justin Brown, and I am the instructional designer for Pueblo Community College. My connection to accessibility is guided by the idea that when we make courses more accessible, everyone benefits. The thing about OER that excites me the most is that when I use it (which is just about always), I'm letting my students know that getting them great, free material is much more important to me than adding more power to the texbook industrial complex. 

1. Hello all – my name is Courtney Mauck. I am an Assistant Professor of English and the Director of Writing Across the Curriculum & Writing Center at Hiram College.
2. Accessibility has always been important to me personally due to my own neurodivergence, but it has become increasingly important to me in my professional life since I began working in writing program administration in 2018.
3. What I find most exciting about OER is similar to what many have already said – low-cost or free alternatives for textbooks are imperative at smaller institutions like my own. I also find it exciting that, in some cases, OERs are more frequently updated than is possible with print texts (and sometimes they can be customized/adapted!).       

My name is Heather Moore, and I am the Interim Director of Educational Support and Disability Services at University of Maryland, Baltimore. My personal and professional live revolves around the goal of creating accessibility and accessible spaces. I work with individual students and programs to work with accommodations but also accessible designs.

I am excited to be in a space where others are as passionate and curious about accessibility as I am.  

Hi! My name is Doug and I'm the Director of Instructional Design at Kutztown University of PA, not to be confused with the Kutztown Universities in other states. Kidding.

Professionally, I am connected to accessibility through my work with the university teaching center, as well as our disability services offices. I focus primarily on course design through the lens of UDL, but also on inclusive teaching practice. 

School is expensive enough, why should we also punish our students with high materials costs simply because it's the path of least resistence? As someone who — as an undergrad — could not afford to also buy books, I support the OER movement. 

Hi, everyone,

I am a bit late to the game as I was getting ready to go to the AAAS annual meeting in Denver to recruit for my program. Arrived yesterday.

1. My name is Isabell Cserno May. I am an associate professor in the Graduate School at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB). I teach in and direct the Science Communication certificate program in our online Master of Health Science degree, teach writing courses across the institution, and direct the UMB Writing Center. 
2. I was a faculty fellow last year with the National Federation of the Blind and have been selected into the second cohort of faculty fellows this year with TeachAccess. 
3. I love that learners can access knowledge and information without barriers. Excited to learn more!

1. What is your name, institution and role at your institution?

Joanne Pinna, University of Maryland School of Nursing

1. What is your personal/professional connection to accessibility?

Instructional Technologist - Past life: Web Designer Past life once removed: Graphic Designer

1. What about "Open Educational Resources" most excites you?

Actually being able to take part in OER

Hi, I'm Monique Martinez. I'm a Reference Services Librarian and Associate Professor with the University of North Georgia. I'm also the UNG Library Champion for Affordable Learning Georgia (ALG) and the Chair of our Library's Scholarly Communications Team. I'm excited to continue learning more about OER. 

Hello, my name is Jayne Carlini and I am a faculty member at Eastern Gateway Community College. I have used some of the OER textbooks for the Criminal Justice department. The OER resources help to save the cost of a textbook for the students. I am hoping to learn more ways to help students gain accessibility to course material. 

My name is Rachel Meisner, and I am the Learning Resources Coordinator for the Colorado Community College System, as well as a history instructor for two of our colleges. I have developed a passion for making OER materials accessible for all students, but need to hone my accessiblity knowledge and skills. 

Creating innovative, high-quality OER resources excites me most. I have worked in the OER field for years, and I am excited about the future of OER!

My name is Kalani Pattison, and I'm the 104 Coordinator (the multi-section coordinator for Rhetoric and Composition -- the "Freshman Comp" equivalent) at Texas A&M University, in College Station, Texas. We have an OER textbook for the course that I have helped revise. I also teach Technical and Professional Writing Online and helped create and OER textbook for that class and a number of materials for the online course shell. I started being interested in accessbility and the practicality of how to make materials accessible when I first started contributing to materials that were going to be used beyond my own students/classroom. I love OER and their flexbility and customizability, potential for students without monetary resources to access, and I'm generally interested in creative commons liscensing, copyright, and creation of resources/art/texts just for fun.

1. My name is Melissa Elston. My pronouns are she/her/hers, and I'm the Coordinator of Measurement and Evaluation at Palo Alto College in sunny San Antonio, Texas. I also serve as part of our OER team and still teach some courses in English. (Previously, I was an Associate Professor here on the full-time faculty side of things.)

2. I appreciate accessibility measures on a personal level as a Disabled person. (I prefer identity-first language, although I recognize that this can be a divisive issue and that others may employ different language usage, i.e. person-first terminology. It's important to give each other space and respect and use the language someone prefers when referring to them.) I also work with accessibility issues in my OER coordination role, not to mention my own courses.

3. I think the customizability of OER materials is part of what I love about them. They have the capacity to support and enhance academic freedom much more radically than traditional textbooks! I think they also have the potential to more radically incorporate Universal Design principles more thoroughly into our course materials, if we design them thoughtfully. Excited to see what develops as a result of our campus's engagement with this group! :)

Hi everyone! 

I'm Michelle Nario-Redmond, professor of psychology and biomedical humanities. I wrote the book: Ableism: The Causes and Consequences of Disabiliy Prejudice. I'm excited that this opportunity for learning more about accessibiity and UDL! I attended an early CAST workshop as well. 

Your book looks awesome, Michelle! Thanks so much for posting the title. Will put it on my "to-read" list. :) 

Thanks Melissa! Here's a link to the website: https://ableismbook.com/

Hi everyone!

My name is Ashley Harris, I work at Siena Heights University as an Instructional Designer. 

As the ID at my university, I often review and assist with course development, including making sure content is accessible. I still have a lot to learn but it is one of my favorite parts of the job!

For me, the idea that faculty and students can access quality educational resources for free really excite me. We don't want barriers to students, and sometimes financial barriers are one of them. If we can develop accessible OERs, its a win for everyone. 

1. Bryan Broussard - IT Instructor @ Central Louisiana Technical Community College
2. I worked for almost 8 years in the Disability Department @ Miami Dade College. I worked with students who had physical, emotional, and learning isuses.
   
   I have also instructed at CLTCC. I have developed accessible website, and course content. 
   
   I have a 'nephew' (long story) who is on  the autism spectrum, and have several students on the spectrum. 
3. Easy to use content!

1. What is your name, institution and role at your institution?
2. What is your personal/professional connection to accessibility?
3. What about "Open Educational Resources" most excites you?

My name is Rita Burlingame-Toppen, I am an assistant professor of occupational therapy at Mount Mary University.  As an OT, our professional role and philosophy is to make occupations accessible to all.  It is important to me to help increase the diversity of our field to better represent those we serve.  One way to increase diversity in the field is to incease access to the field.  I am so excited about OER, I don't even know where to start - looking forward to exploring more!

1. Hello Brianna Chatmon, Instruction and Scholarly Communications Librarian at Marymount University.

2. I am the "expert" of OER at my institution, I have to know all things OER to support Faculty.

3. The ability to help students and make education more accessible for all students.

I'm Cindy Morgan from Palo Alto College in San Antonio, Texas, and serve as the Sr. Coordinator for Disability Support Services.

Overseeing the DSS Department, I provide reaonable accommodations for students that self-disclose as having a disability and submit a request for services.

OER is a way to help students access their coursework, and ensure UDL. 

Hi, everyone!  I'm Sarah LeMire and I'm a librarian/professor in the English department at Texas A&M University.  I have been working to improve the accessibility of my teaching for several years and have also worked with my colleagues on the team to make our OER more accessible.  And although the cost savings of OER are important, I think the part of OER that I find most exciting is the potential to transform our pedagogy.

Hello, Sarah. Yes, accessibility should be considered/designed for in both teaching and OER. Indeed, OER should transform our pedagogy. Are you thinking of open pedagogy or open enabled pedagogy here? What do you find most appealing about the transformative power of OER in regards to teaching/pedagogy? I find its potential to support student-instructor collaboration very exciting. Best, BJ

1. What is your name, institution and role at your institution?

Tony DeGenaro, Ohio Dominican University, associate professor of English, faculty advisor for our literary magazine and English club.

1. What is your personal/professional connection to accessibility?

A deep interest, something I know I should value, but to my great shame, not something I know much about in practice.

1. What about "Open Educational Resources" most excites you?

I am interested in developing an OER textbook for my university's first-year writing classes to better support our studnets. 

1. What is your name, institution and role at your institution? Jason Noska, Colorado Community College System, Learning Designer
2. What is your personal/professional connection to accessibility? Personally, as a content creator, I picked up a saying, "Accessiblity is for everyone." It is a design goal to make things easy to see, hear, understand, and interact with — which happen to align to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). When I interact with our world—anolog or digital—I find design decisions that are laughable or worse frustrating because they are not easy to see, hear, understand or interact with. Professionally, I advocate for, build awareness around, and support the creation of accessible and inclusive things.
3. What about "Open Educational Resources" most excites you? Being a creative person, I have been in the mindset of creating, sharing, co-creating, adapting, remixing, etc. before the term existed. And have been promoting Creative Commons (CC) since version 1. But more over, Open Educational Resources has opportunity to be a change agent opening new and exciting possiblities where applied.

Hello Everyone,

• I'm Jenn Kinkade, Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy at Mount Mary University

• As an occupational therapist for the last 30 years, I have worked toward and advocated for accessibility for clients and families.  I'm new to academia and looking forward to learning more about the resources to help me do the same for students in higher education. 

• I'm passionate about sharing what I learn with my colleagues who could not join us so we can make the most positive impact at Mount Mary University!

I'm Catherine Smith and I work as an instructional design support specialist for NOVA (Northern Virgina Community College) Online. In my role, I hear from instructors teaching our courses who need various accommodations for students during the semester. I appreciate OER for the opportunity it provides our students by minimizing costs and also the opportunity it gives us/instructors to tailor resources to meet the students' needs.

Hello everyone! My name is Aaron Smith, and I am an adjunct instructor in Art History at Palo Alto College of the Alamo Colleges in San Antonio, Texas.

As someone very familiar with the many social and cultural barriers within art education and the art institution, I continuously make strides to provide my students with accessible materials and technologies that help highlight and democratize access to art within and outside the classroom.

I have worked for many years to develop OER that allows students to see themselves represented and participate within the larger art historical conversation. Unlike traditional textbooks, OER allows us to make content adaptations that align to the needs and perspectives of out student population.

Greetings, My name is Dr. Carolyn Stervenson and I am a FT communiations faculty member at Eastern Gateway Community College in Ohio.

Personally, accessibility is critial in my speech courses as it is important foster educational equity for all learners.

OER exicties me because it can help to level the playfield by reducing thi high cost of textbooks. Also, supplemental materials under CC license can enhance teaching and learning.

My name is Corey Parson. I am the Managing Editor at the University of North Georgia Press. My connection to accessibility is that I am responsible for the accessibility of all of OERs we create at the UNG Press. I also use accessibility features whenever I can such as closed captioning to help me take notes and better understand what I am learning. I love OERs because they are giving choice to professors, students, and learners everywhere. For too long, education and information has been locked behind a paywall. It is time we knock down that wall.

My name is Josh Abrams and I'm an Instructional Design Specialist at University of Maryland Baltimore County.

In addition to teaching classes and supporting instructors with their course design process, I provide support for our LMS admin and course template creation process. Because of my role, I have an opportunity to support course accessibility for our students.

OER are exciting to me because of both accessibility and affordability. I have seen courses using OER that have shifted the cost of course materials to $0 or a fairly low fee. Another exciting aspect of OERs is collaboration. Creating OER gives instructors and students the opportunity to work together to create content.

Hello all,

My name is Susan Biro. I'm at University of Maryland, Baltimore County and my role is Manager, Online Learning. I've been involved with course usability and accessibility issues for the past several years given my work helping online and hybrid faculty design courses with both of these in mind. That, of course, also gets us around to Universal Design for Learning.

And 3. I've been excited about OERs for many years, given the work that was being done at other institutions where I was working. In particular, I've been able to serve on OER working groups at 2-year and 4-year institutions to help craft a plan for leveraging OERs to benefit students in terms of access and equity. What excites me the most about OERs is how choices are opening up for faculty who may be unaware or reluctant to get involved in OERs, and the promise they hold of offering all students access to quality materials at ideally no-cost.

I look forward to connecting and collaborating with others in this six-week series.

Susan

Hello, my name is Laura Baker and I am Library Director at Midlands Technical College in Columbia, SC.

As a librarian, I believe that all individuals should have equitable access to information and educational resources.

I am deeply invested in the integration of OER to create learning environments where all students have the opportunity to thrive and succeed. I also love the flexibility OER provides faculty to adapt resources to fit their teaching style.

Hello, everyone, my name is Michael Callahan and I an online faculty member, designer, and director at the University of Northwestern Ohio.  We are currently reviewing and updating our courses, and accessibility is an important part of this project.  My knowledge/experience related to accessibility up to this point is somewhat limited, so I am excited to learn.  I have integrated an OER into one of my classes thus far and I am working on transitioning a second for fall.  Removing student costs and increasing access are the primary drivers for this project.  

Hi everyone,

• My name is Jacqueline Tomrdle. I work at Pikes Peak State College in Colorado Springs, Colorado. My role is eLearning Coordinator and Senior Learning Designer.
• My professional connection to accessibility is twofold. The first is -30 years ago I worked with special education children in a K-12 setting. It showed me the unintended barriers that are there for things that I take for granted. The second is in my current role as Senior Learning Designer, it is my job to ensure that our faculty and staff use accessible materials for our students. I also work closely with our Accessibility Services Department.
• I am a member of the Colorado Department of Higher Education Open Education Resource Board and I am very proud of the work that we are doing across the state of Colorado. What excites me the most is the ability to create awesome resources that can be shared. I also like being able to help students save money on textbook costs. I remember the high cost I paid for textbooks when I was a student. It is a great time to be in higher education.

My name is Suzel Molina. I am a Professor at Palo Alto College. My colleagues, Anita Soliz, Carolyn DeLecour and I birthed OER in 2014 at Palo Alto College. Unfortunately, Anita passed away suddenly and her passion for OER is our vision at the college.

The original purpose for OER at PAC was to save students money – now: it is research-based learning. OER levels the playing field; allowing all students to drive their educational journey. The initiative is organically grown by faculty for faculty to serve students. It is our vision for students to continue to develop OER.

Students that attend Palo Alto College receive all instructional materials at no cost – OER or materials provided by publishers. What excites me is faculty continue to choose open educational resources rather than publisher instructional materials.

1. My name is Hailee Yoshizaki-Gibbons and I am an Assistant Professor in Biomedical Humanities at Hiram College. 

2. As a disabled professor, I benefit from accessibility and always work to create the most accessible environment possible for my students. 

3. Our institution serves a significant number of first generation and low-income students, and OER excites me beause it can make education more accessibile for students historically marginalized from higher education. 

1. I am the Forestry Instructor ( and Program Coordinator) at Central Louisiana Technical Community College. 

2. I was diagnosed a few years ago with ADHD. So personally, I started trying to be more consistent with my module set up and pages in Canvas. Many of my students have ADHD as well so I started keeping that in mind when creating content. I have been implementing a to-do list at the bottom of each module to give students a recap of what they just read and what they need to do. I have met many people who need accomodations and have had experience with several students who have needed those. I am always trying to update my content to make it more accessible for all. 

2. I love OER. I think this would have been such a fantastic tool when I was in college. I think it helps the students so much and gives them more consistency and eases their financial burdens. I spend at least $200-400 per quarter when I was in college. It was so costly and many of the books were so large that we didn't cover a large majority of the material in the classes. I am excited to bring more OER into my program. 

My name is Rachel Borchardt, Scholarly Communication Librarian in Washington, DC. I only have a bit of experience in accessibility - I've learned a bit helping our OER program grantees incorporate digital accessibility into their revised syllabi, but I'm excited to learn more about adopt more best practices into my work, and share with others. I think the thing about OER that most excites me are the multitude of benefits it provides both the students and instructor! Most people only think about the removal of the financial barrier, but that just facilitates a lot of other outcomes, such as increased class participation, and demonstrating compassion and sympathy for students' needs in how they access and engage with course material. It also offers an opportunity for faculty to rethink how they incorporate class materials and develop a course that's responsive to student needs.

1. Manisha Khetarpal from Maskwacis Cultural College, Alberta, Canada. I am a librarian.
2. What is your personal/professional connection to accessibility?  I think accessiblity is important in online learning. This is an area our college does not have much expertize in. I only know of CamelHashTags and closed captions
3. What about "Open Educational Resources" most excites you? Ability to create relevant and meanginful Indigenous content in partnership with our students. Students are the authors and reusable assignments.

My name is Leslie Hurr.  I work at Front Range Community College as a computer information systems faculty.  I am attending this training because in the fall 2024, I will give training to my college about OER and accessibility.  I am on a committee concerning accessibility because it's been mandated by our state.  I don't know much about OER, so it's difficult to know what to get excited about.  Maybe just learning what it is?  I think I'd like to first learn what it stands for.  That would be a good start.  :-)

I am Angelique Carson and I serve as the Shared Collections Librarian at the WRLC, (Washington Research Library Consortium), a small consortium comprised of nine of the research universities in the DC, Maryland and Virgina Area

The WRLC's Textbook Affordability Working Group (TAWG) is currently launching the second year of our Open@WRLC Faculty Course Tranformation Adopt Program two year pilot program. Similar to programming at fellow institutions, the  initiative is designed to promote a community of Open Educational Resource (OER) advocates among partnering institutions, create incentive to add to the availability of open course materials, and provide monetary support to acknowledge the time and effort required for curriculum redesign when adopting OER.

Outside of textbooks savings, Open Pedagogical opportunities resonate the most with me. 

Hello my name is Angela Staten my institution is the University of Maryland School of Nursing. My connection with accessibilty is course design. As I work closely with faculty in adding their content to their course I include teaching materials that are accessible to all types of learners. We provide a course template that include references to OER. 

Hello, 

My name is Christine, and I'm the OER Coordinator and Learning Designer at Pikes Peak State College in Colorado. I'm also a part-time instructor. Accessibility equals inclusion. If I can take steps to make digital materials accessible so everyone has access, why would I choose not to do so? While UDL is a separate category, it works hand in hand with accessibility. If I include accessible features in what I'm creating, then I'm including people who don't necessarily have disabilities but may have preferred ways of learning. Open Educational Resources excite me because they level the playing field for students. When OER is used, we are removing barriers to education. While I am a strong proponent of education, I realize it's not for everyone. However, I don't believe money should be a barrier to someone wanting an education.