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Course

Self-Paced BTAA Cultivating Belonging: Library Accessibility Essentials

Self-paced

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Full course description

Access is a core value of library professionals. How are we to uphold our own values if we lack the knowledge how to perform our duties of care, whether towards patrons or towards each other? As Meryl Evans says, “accessibility is a human right.” This online training establishes fundamental accessibility knowledge that everyone working in a public on campus setting should have.

Learning Outcomes:
Basic accessibility knowledge to begin navigating the University resources for better support of patrons and each other.

Outline:

  1. About the course
    • Provides an overview of the course content and how to navigate
    • Summary: 15 minutes with 1 quiz
  2. Introduction to disability and accessibility
    • Become familiar with basic terms and concepts used to describe disability and accessibility.
    • Be introduced to the idea of digital accessibility and how it can be incorporated into your daily work.
    • Recognize the changing legal landscape around accessibility as one reason why accessibility matters.
    • Summary: 45 to 60 minutes with 4 optional readings and 2 quizzes
  3. Accessibility and accommodation
    • Articulate the differences between accommodations and accessibility
    • Become familiar with accommodations processes on your campus and recognize student perspectives on accommodations
    • Locate appropriate resources on accommodations and accessibility on your campus
    • Summary: 40 to 50 minutes with 3 videos, 4 optional readings, 1 activity, and 1 quiz
  4. Implicit biases and disability
    • Define implicit bias and microaggressions, and understand how the two concepts are related.
    • Become familiar with tools and strategies to interrupt bias and microaggressions. 
    • Identify resources for communication strategies and places for further personal work.
    • Summary: 30 to 40 minutes with 2 optional readings, 1 optional activity, and 1 quiz
  5. Practical strategies for effective communication and interaction
    • Learn how to show respect through action and words.
    • Go through examples for access in interactions.
    • Take action through effective apologies
    • Summary: 35 to 45 minutes with 1 video, 2 optional readings, 1 optional activity, and 1 quiz
  6. Core skills in digital accessibility
    • Learn how you can build content to be more accessible from the start.
    •  Be introduced to universal or core digital skills.
    • Experience how these changes improve experience through screen reader demos.
    • Summary: 45 to 60 minutes with 2 videos and 1 quiz
  7. Apply core skills for accessible digital documents
    • Connect core skills and concepts to practical use.
    • Apply the core skills to both Microsoft Word and Google Docs documents.
    • Consider how to make your documents accessible going forward.
    • Summary: 90 minutes with 7 activities, and 1 quiz
  8. Course review and completion
    • Verify you have completed all the content
    • Includes a post-assessment questionnaire

Who Should Enroll:
This course is intended for all BTAA library staff including library-employed students.

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