Solutions
People often know what they need to succeed. All participants offered suggestions and solutions that would help improve their experience.
Openness
Students noted that being asked what would help them lead to better experiences:
“I know for me . . . it’s asking me what I need . . . because it invites me to feel like I can . . . at least have a conversation . . . I’ve only ever had one instructor who explicitly named, ‘I want to meet you where you are, whether it becomes access, inclusiveness, whatever that looks like for you, I want to do that for you. I just need you to tell me what you need so I can help give it to you’.”
– Former Langara and current UBC student
Students appreciate instructors being open and inviting. This welcoming attitude helps students get the access they need.
“And whenever it came to description, like her slides or PowerPoints or even a video, she would describe it in full detail for me to know this is what’s going on. Even if she couldn’t describe the the video in class, she would later call me and we set up a Zoom session. And she would go through the movie, the video with me over Zoom . . . She just offered it. I don’t have to even ask her for anything.“
– Former Langara and current SFU student
“I think it depends on the professor. Some are approachable and I feel comfortable approaching them and asking them for stuff. Others I just feel like I’m intimidated . . . because some professors are like, OK, yes, if you have any questions, concerns, feel free to come up to me and talk to me or e-mail me or whatever. And others are just like, uh, I don’t really give a darn, right?”
– Former Langara and current SFU student
“If I had any problem. Um, they were like. Okay, just photograph it and email to me, you know? Um, they were, you know, they made allowances, even though they may have said no allowances, they did. Like, I found anyone that I went to was like… and I said, I’m having this problem, but I can prove to you it’s done. They were like, yep, okay.”
– Former Langara and current UBC student
“They’re making the effort for that. They’re understanding . . . they’re trying to create an inclusive class. That there is clearly an intention with . . . their way of saying, you know, to talk through anything . . . Saying when office hours are, having different types of office hours, being willing to change them if needed, um… Yeah, you could just… I could tell there was intent.”
– Langara student
Broad Impact
Consider the value accessible content has for all learners, not just for the students who ‘need it.’
“It’s not just a benefit to . . . a specific student or . . . just the people in . . . with accessibility needs, because . . . inclusivity . . . is an action, and it’s not just saying, hey, you’re all welcome. It’s actually making . . . creating, removing barriers so that you can participate, because we are very smart, and we have very important things to say.“
– Langara student
“Something that was built to help someone else, but it also helps me . . . it benefits more than just who you’re assuming.”
– Langara student
Areas for Improvement
“I would really like teachers to be more educated on umm, confidentiality and what the actual standards are . . . [because] no one’s actually following the regulations . . . instructors are obviously not educated on proper protocol around disability“.
– Langara student
“I know it’s very unfair to put the onus on students, but teachers just need to know that they don’t have to walk on eggshells and just that there’s other resources in the school for them to to consult and they really should consult their peers before consulting the students on what they should do. You know . . . if you could use your internal resources and we have fantastic internal resources at Langara. We have you guys, we have accessibility services who are very knowledgeable, but if there was just more communication between the departments, that would be fantastic.”
– Langara student
And, given their experience, some students wish the institution played a more significant role in ensuring content was accessible.
“A system that doesn’t reinforce it enough in instructors and tell them how important this is, and I don’t want there to be consequences, but I really want there to be some type of oversight on what the resources that the instructors are using.“
– Langara student
One student suggested people being unable to understand his experience limited their interest in providing accessible content.
“That is what’s so challenging. Open their imagination to something that they otherwise aren’t going to see . . . seeing something that is otherwise invisible for them.”
– Former Langara and current UBC student
How to Improve the Learner Experience
Be open to understanding how students access content in different ways. Invite students to tell you what would best help them succeed.
Respect the confidentiality of students registered with Accessibility Services and approved for Academic Accommodations.
Engage with peers and the Accessibility Services office.
Learn about how assistive and adaptive technologies work.