About 70 registered guests, including statewide leaders and industry vendors, traveled to Ohio to meet in Athens and address equal accessibility for all students.
The Ohio Association on Higher Education and Disability, along with the Southeast Ohio Disability Consortium, came together in Ohio University’s Baker Ballroom for the Ohio: With Access and Justice for All conference Friday.
When OU’s Assistant Dean for Student Accessibility Carey Busch heard Ohio AHEAD was looking to hold the joint conference in Southeast Ohio, she volunteered to host at OU.
“(Ohio AHEAD) really are team players, and as the main contact person for this, are always asking me what they can do to help out,” Busch said.
The conference featured disability service faculty and administrators from universities throughout Ohio and vendors specializing in accessible technology and resources.
Ohio AHEAD, OU’s Student Accessibility Services and conference registration fees covered the conference’s costs, which weren’t immediately available by press time, Busch said.
The keynote speaker, Ken Petri, director of the Web Accessibility Center at Ohio State University, set the tone for the conference, focusing on the ways technology can be used to provide equal access for all students, with or without an Individualized Education Program.
Although OSU has a large budget and program for accessibility on campus, often a smaller program could be useful in preventing students from relying on the service.
Jennifer Radt, Ohio AHEAD board president-elect, said the conference is a positive way for some of the smaller universities to learn from other programs.
“They might have to take baby steps and get some things in place before moving onto other things because not all of the campuses have the support and resources that Ohio State does,” Radt said.
Although Busch spent much of her time during the conference making sure all went well, she said she will speak with other staff of OU’s Student Accessibility Services during the next few weeks to evaluate any new ideas or technologies they want to take to supplement OU’s accessibility.
“I think planning an event like this is always a good bit of work, but it’s always great to see professionals come together and exchange ideas and having dialogue,” Busch said.
dk123111@ohiou.edu
@DanielleRose84
