Why Accessibility?

Stella Young was a disability rights activist, among other roles who frequently discussed disability justice, the social model of disability, and disabled people as objects of inspiration from a critical lens. Stella Young helps to discuss disability culture, identity, and the ableism that people with disabilities experience in a variety of ways as they go about their daily life. Stella Young's Ted Talk is a popular video for Disability Studies courses and a great way to challenge how we all think about disability and accessibility. Her Ted Talk is 9 minutes long and has captions and transcripts available in 34 languages. Stella Young's Ted Talk: I'm not your inspiration, thank you very much.

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Often when we think about accessibility, we think about the things that we "must" do. While it is important to know the laws and regulations, it is critical that we understand why those laws and regulations were enacted. To that end, please watch the videos "Public service lawyers as pioneering advocates: Haben Girma at TEDxBaltimore 2014" (15:24) and a video clip from "An interview with Jon Kragness and Claudette Peterson" (6:21). You will hear more from Jon and Claudette later.

Haben Girma Transcript.pdf

Perspectives on Inclusion

At the heart of it, accessibility is about equality. Dr. Whitney Rapp, Associate Professor of Inclusive Education, says, “It's not just about following the letter of the law but the spirit of the law.” It is our burden and obligation as educators to ensure all students have an equal playing field by making sure our curriculum is accessible - from the start. Accommodations alone are no longer enough.

Watch the following two short clips from Dr. Rapp from the SUNY FACT2 Accessibility Symposium held on November 6th, 2015. You will hear more from Dr. Rapp later in the course.

First, watch this clip on Shifting the Paradigm (05:44).

Universal Design Shifting the Paradigm Dr Whitney Rapp Transcript.pdf