The Equal Access Academy

Accessibility Awareness 101

Presented by:
Amanda Feaster, Director of Student Accessibility Services, Division of Student Affairs
James Trombka, Accessibility Specialist, Student Accessibility Services

This is the foundational workshop for understanding accessibility at Kent State. We'll dismantle mistaken assumptions about disability and accessibility and explore the experiences of our students with disabilities. You’ll leave with a greater understanding of the additional challenges students with disabilities face and eager to work towards Equal Access for the entire Flashes Family. Open to students and employees.

Upcoming Sessions

TBA

Accessibility Awareness 201

Presented by:
Amanda Feaster, Director, Student Accessibility Services
Donna Bernert, Associate Professor, Health Sciences

Come dig deeper with us on the models of disability, progress in disability activism and education, how disability and higher education intersect, and best practices for communicating with people with disabilities.

Upcoming Sessions

TBA

Request Previous Recording of AA 101 or 201

Upcoming Virtual Sessions

Resuming in Fall 2025
 

Presented by:
Nichole Decaprio, Associate General Counsel, Office of General Counsel
Dr. Amanda Feaster, Director of Student Accessibility Services, Division of Student Affairs

Open to students, staff, and faculty. Highly recommended for faculty and student-facing staff.

Most Recent Recording

Transcript available under "Attachments" below recording 

Slides

Downloadable One-Pager Fact Sheet (PDF)

Accessibility for Webmasters 101

Presented by:
Doug Flower, Digital Accessibility Specialist, Division of Information Technology

Join the Digital Accessibility Team and UCM’s Web Team to discuss the fundamentals of web accessibility and how Kent State users with disabilities experience web content. You’ll learn the accessibility policies and legal requirements governing Kent State’s digital presence, see some examples of good (and bad) web accessibility, and sample digital tools that help monitor your www.kent.edu websites.

Upcoming Sessions

TBA

Accessibility for Webmasters 201: Toolbox and Audit

Presented by:
Doug Flower, Digital Accessibility Specialist, Division of Information Technology

In this workshop, we’ll use Siteimprove’s Quality Assurance and Accessibility modules to quickly identify, prioritize and fix issues on your website, teach you to audit and remediate your content more effectively, and explore Siteimprove’s built-in reporting tools to help you keep track of the progress you make and share that information with the people who need it.

Upcoming Sessions

TBA

Accessibility for Webmasters 301: Strategy

Presented by:
Alison Haynes, Assistant Director, Division of Information Technology

In this workshop, we’ll review the important concepts learned throughout the 101 and 201 courses and see how they fit into creating a long term and sustainable web accessibility strategy for your department or divisional website. We’ll teach you how to explain your new accessibility strategy to others and help you leverage the strengths of teammates for greater accessibility.

Upcoming Sessions

TBA

Request Access to a Previous Session's Recording

Designing Proactively Before Accommodation Letters

*Designed for Faculty and Education/Instructional Design Students

Written and Presented By:
Amanda Feaster, Director, Student Accessibility Services
Lydia Rogouski, Instructional Designer, Kent State Online

Companion webpage: Accommodations For Faculty

Course accessibility and universal design principles are part of pursuing the best ways to meet the educational needs of your students. What if each semester you prioritized adding one new accessibility habit to your course design workflow in Canvas until your course is accessible? We'll give you entry-level through advanced tips and tutorials on how to make it all happen.

Upcoming Sessions

TBA

Request Recording of Previous Accessible Courses Session

Creating Accessible Marketing and Social Media 101

Presented by:
Alison Haynes, Assistant Director, Division of Information Technology

Companion Webpage: Accessible Marketing

Learn best practices for creating accessible social media posts, flyers, videos, and digital displays. Open to students, staff, and faculty. Highly recommended for content writers and communications employees, both staff and student.

Upcoming Sessions

TBA

Request Access to a Previous Session's Recording of Accessible Marketing

Presented by:
Doug Flower, Digital Accessibility Specialist, Division of Information Technology

Companion Webpage: Accessible Documents

Learn the accessibility features of and best practices for Microsoft Word, Excel, and Power Point, and learn how to save documents as accessible PDFs. Session includes hands-on practice. Open to students, staff, and faculty.

Upcoming Sessions

TBA

Request Recording from a Previous Session of Accessible Office 365 Docs

Presented by:
Amanda Feaster, Director, Student Accessibility Services
Donna Bernert, Associate Professor, Health Sciences
Jenny Marcinkiewicz, Director, Center for Teaching and Learning; Associate Professor

Most faculty believe that all students should have equally effective access in the classroom. But desire alone doesn't produce results; concrete methods DO. Come learn ways to teach confidently to all students by providing accommodations correctly, incorporating universal design strategies, and learning to discern the role disability plays in both straightforward and difficult interactions.

Upcoming Sessions

TBA

Request a Recording of a Previous Session of Disability in the Classroom

Presented by:
Doug Flower, Digital Accessibility Specialist, Division of Information Technology

Companion Webpage: Creating Accessible Documents

Learn how to review PDFs for accessibility, including how to quickly identify and fix accessibility issues using Adobe Acrobat Pro’s built-in tools, resulting in an accessible PDF. Session includes hands-on practice. Open to students, staff, and faculty.

*Adobe Acrobat PRO (subscription), not just Adobe Reader (free), is recommended for the hands-on part of this course. If currently unavailable to you, Acrobat PRO can be purchased and downloaded at software.kent.edu.

Upcoming Sessions

TBA

Managing My Disability as a Kent State Employee (For Employees with Disabilities and their Supervisors)

Sponsored and presented by:
Access Betters the Lives of Everyone (ABLE, Employee Resource Group) and the Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action (EOAA) office. 

Managing a disability is complicated, especially when juggling life as an employee at Kent State. This workshop will help you navigate your rights, the resources available to you, and demystify the voluntary process of declaring a disability and requesting accommodations. We'll also reviews tips and resources for managing various disability symptoms as well as for supervisors of individuals who disclose a disability. 

Upcoming Sessions

TBA

Request Recording from a Previous Session of Managing My Disability

Presented by:
Zach Strickler, Neurodiversity Coordinator, Student Accessibility Services

Join us for a discussion on changing the way neurodiversity is viewed from an all-encompassing characteristic to a facet of one's identity. This will be done by discussing what stigmas are present, why the term neurodiversity was coined and how we can reframe our thoughts.

Upcoming Sessions

TBA

Written and Presented by:
Doug Flower, Digital Accessibility Specialist, Division of Information Technology
Wayne Fincher, Associate Applications Developer, Division of Information Technology

Companion Webpage: Writing Accessible Code

Writing accessible code is an essential development skill for potential or current students, faculty, or staff who access your digital content or application via many different devices, interfaces, and assistive technologies. Accessible code is easier to write and understand, and it enables the greatest amount of access to the information to ensures an equitable experience for all Kent State users.

Upcoming Sessions

TBA

Request Recording from a Previous Session of Writing Accessible Code