Fall 2023 - extended application deadline: August 28

Dear Colleagues,  

The Office of the Dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences invites applications to participate in a faculty learning community – Creating Inclusive and Accessible Learning. This program will support faculty in Arts and Sciences who want to improve access and accessibility for all learners in their courses, programs, and departments. 

Description 

The decisions that we make about the design of our courses and curricula will affect students’ ability to access, participate in, and contribute to meaningful learning experiences. What impact might our course design have on students living with disabilities? In this faculty learning community, we will explore how an educational approach to accessibility based on inclusive design not only benefits students living with disabilities but has a broader impact and benefit to all students.  

Intended Outcomes 

Through participation in this community, you will engage with colleagues to: 

• Explore disability, accessibility, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). 
• Differentiate accessibility and accommodations and their impact on student learning. 
• Identify specific design decisions that improve accessibility and apply them to your own instructional context. 
• Evaluate the accessibility of learning materials, activities, tools, and spaces. 
• Integrate the perspectives and experiences of people living with disabilities in your design of accessible learning materials, tools, and spaces. 
• Identify resources to support you in your ongoing commitment to inclusive teaching. 

Meeting Details 

The community will meet six times during the Fall semester (schedule below), including five Friday 12:00-1:15 meetings and a workshop on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) on Monday, October 2 (during Reading Days). All meetings are in person and lunch will be provided.  

Prior to each meeting, we will explore readings related to accessibility, and during our meetings, we will engage in discussion and hands-on work leading to concrete take-aways for our teaching. Meetings will include a tour of the Student Disability Access Center (SDAC) and discussion with SDAC Director Barbara Zunder as well as conversations with students from the UVA Student Disability Alliance. 

Meetings will be facilitated by LDT Senior Instructional Designer Emily Scida. The LDT instructional design team will be available to support faculty course design efforts. Additional resources will be available in the form of student input, readings and videos, and connections to the UVA accessibility community including the Coordinator of Academic Accessibility, Academic Accessibility, Digital Accessibility, Accessibility Partners @ UVA, and the Student Disability Access Center (SDAC). 

The Spring semester will offer the opportunity to join a working group to engage in a project focused on accessibility in some component specific to your teaching. Working group participants will be eligible for a stipend to support their efforts. More information forthcoming. 

Meeting Schedule and Topics 

Expectations 

Participants should expect to attend at least five of the six sessions and to commit up to 1 hour completing readings before each session to be able to engage fully in discussion and hands-on work.   

Eligibility 

Participants will be any A&S faculty interested in accessibility, including full-time and part-time faculty (tenured/tenure-track, AGFM), and postdocs. The community will be limited to 12 participants. 

Sponsors 

This FLC is organized with generous support from A&S Learning Design & Technology and A&S Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. 

Application 

No prior experience with accessible design or UDL is required. Please submit your application by August 28 at Accessibility Faculty Learning Community Application. Applicants will be contacted soon thereafter. Please email Emily Scida (ees2n) with any questions.