Enhancing Accessibility in Multi-Campus Community Colleges: Best Practices and Strategies

1. Multi-campus comm. college Perspectives- Effective Practices AHEAD 2014 Sacramento Tom L Thompson – Higher Education Consultant Sandi Patton – Lone Star College System Deborah Larew – Valencia College System

2. INtroduction • Tom Thompson – Higher Education Consultant and retired Director, Disability Services and ADA Coordinator – Harper College (IL) • Sandra Patton – Director, Disability Services – Lone Star College System (TX) • Deborah Larew – Director, Disability Services – Valencia College System (FL)

3. Lone Star College

4. Valencia Community College

5. Multi-campus systems • Community College Facts (from AACC) • 50% located in or near a large city • 33% located in or near a mid-sized city • Multi-Campus Systems • US has many multi-campus systems – most in large cities such as: • Chicago, New York, Phoenix, Houston, Baltimore, Miami, Cleveland • DS Systems Director – systems approach to work: focus on institutional needs and not on individual students • Goal: Improve operations, student impact and accessibility overall

6. System Director’s role • Policy, Practices & Training • - DS policies: grievance, documentation review, service animals • - DS practices: production and delivery of accessible materials • - Training: promotion of UDL, new issues for DS providers • Institutional Access • - Managing Interpreting, Captioning • Assistive Technology and E-Text Resources • Digital Accessibility – Course Management System, Student Portal, ERP • - Budget, Space & Personnel

7. Lone star & Valencia’s specific roles • When started and background prior to current role? • Why did your campus move to a system Director? What existed prior? • Specific examples from each college system (past 2-3 years) • 1. Key areas of focus • 2. Relationship with DS staff, faculty & others • Policy, procedures & practices • 4. Training for DS and campus

8. Three Accomplishments • Valencia College System • Centralized model for interpreting and transcribing dollars • Adequate staffing college wide with a system of team building and professional development • Faculty relationships and collaborative, systemic training • Lone Star System • System-wide model for interpreting and transcribing • Standardizing forms and departmental practices • System-wide professional development; Expanding Horizons annual conference

9. Transferable practices • Gaining an “institutional focus” of DS work – allocating time apart from direct support/services • Facilitating change on campus • Dealing with budgetary/space needs • Managing complex services such as interpreting or e-text • Providing important training and education • Collaboration with administrators and allies • Other?

10. Responding on your campus • How can you advance access and support for students with disabilities? • Network with city or state colleageus to enhance services, find good contractors? • Create partnerships on campus, which increase access – with whom? • Encourage your campus to do an external evaluation – determine what needs to be addressed!

11. Discussion and Application • Issues on your campus? • Planning for an external review • Hiring, training and supervising others • Presenters Contact Information • Tom L Thompson: tltharper30@yahoo.com • Sandi Patton: Sandra.L.Patton@lonestar.edu • Deborah Larew: dlarew@valenciacollege.edu