Envisioning An Accessible Future Means Being The Change And Managing It Too

Concurrent Session 7
Streamed Session

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Session Materials

Brief Abstract

 Every institution is facing its own accessibility challenges in its own way. One thing that joins us all is the reality of change management. This session will take an honest look at the idea of "accessibility as change."

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Carolyn Speer, Wichita State University

Carolyn has been involved in all aspects of higher education in her 25-year career. In her current role she has been able to synthesize her work as a faculty member, administrator, student, and university staff to help create an office that is faculty-friendly and student-focused. She earned a Ph.D. in Adult and Continuing Education from Kansas State and in the years since has continued her education by attending culinary school and working on a second master's degree. In addition, she teaches online research and quantitative methods to both undergraduates and graduate students. These experiences help to keep her tied to the classroom in a practical way.

Extended Abstract

In a perfect world, change happens slowly and with planning. But the pace of accessibility lawsuits and OCR investigations is forcing a much more rapid pace for the changes needed to support the development of an accessible university. Every institution is facing accessibility challenges in their own way due to the specific legal and practical situation they are in. But what unites all higher ed institutions is the reality that an accessible future will require skillful change management. The trick comes in reconciling the pace of evolving accessibility standards and the need to manage change in a thoughtful and practical way. This session will look at the idea that the accessibility revolution is permanent, rapid, and fundamental to higher education's effectiveness. Together, we will consider ways to manage these changes at any higher ed institution.