The Universal Access Committee was pleased to see the efforts of the Globe to raise awareness of disability-related issues at SLCC in the September 18th issue. As a committee, we think it is important to engage in the conversation that was initiated in the article “New Building Raises Concerns, Requires Patience.” SLCC has demonstrated a commitment to accessibility and formalized that commitment when the President and the SLCC Executive Cabinet established and provided funding for the Universal Access Committee in July of 2012. The purpose of the committee is to encourage cross-college collaboration to ensure all programs, services, facilities, and technologies are universally accessible to people with disabilities.
As a committee, we recognize that challenges exist in relation to accessibility, and we are dedicated to identifying and addressing those challenges. When the committee was formed, one of the first projects we worked on was the Universal Access Study to help identify barriers to accessibility at SLCC. The results of the study will be utilized to develop a college-wide transition plan to address areas of concern. In addition to the study, the committee is in the process of conducting a physical accessibility evaluation at each campus to identify areas of need. The committee will also be organizing focus groups in partnership with Institutional Research to obtain feedback from students and faculty. This information will help prioritize the objectives of the transition plan.
While the article addressed physical access issues which are important, accessibility extends beyond the physical environment. The committee is also working to emphasize the importance of accessible technology and instructional materials. We are developing and providing training for administrators, faculty, and staff in an effort to raise awareness and provide resources that will make SLCC more inclusive to people with disabilities.
Universal access is a large undertaking, and the changes we are advocating will be incremental. Accessibility is a collaborative effort that requires participation from the entire college community. If you have any accessibility concerns you would like to share with the Universal Access Committee, please contact Candida Darling at candida.darling@slcc.edu or Mikel Birch at mikel.birch@slcc.edu. We appreciate the commitment to accessibility expressed by the Globe and anticipate that the college will continue to engage in conversations related to universal access.
It was a bittersweet surprise to learn about the Universal Access Committee (UAC) for SLCC. The fact that it took the college a long time to realize this special committee to evaluate and implement these measures was surprising — why was it not put forth years ago, especially as SLCC grew to become small city-sized and a large multi-campus organization? Perhaps water under the bridge now, I remain pleased it has been established.
Surprising also was to learn of the committee’s composition of people from far-reaching departments, a move clearly intended to embrace a more wholistic approach in its initiatives. This is something I feel SLCC at large struggles with because of inequities between departments, funding disparities, general breakdowns in communication, and sizes of interfering egos among faculty and administration. If SLCC has any thought of becoming a world-class organization, then it must learn to rise above these conflicts.
The result of the conflicts if not addressed is often what appears after the smoke clears — the forgotten student body and their education, which, in my mind is the Number One objective in the operational equation above all else. If any action the college takes impedes this goal being met, then the college fails in performing its basic mission. This is where I am hopeful the UAC can really put any internal differences aside, and embrace them as a natural part of the process that assures each initiative “checks off” every need criteria identified.
My own specialized training and experience in resolving such matters from an organizational development architect’s point-of-view has taught me that success in this process boils down to understanding the mission and the principles behind it, then making sure the solution is brought to balance only when all the need criteria is satisfied and without creating other problems (unless they too are resolved simultaneously). The solution in almost all cases requires creative thinking and exploring an idea perhaps unconventional at first glance. This requires true commitment, and I credit Master Architects Frank Lloyd Wright, Gunnar Birkerts, and Douglas Cardinal for teaching me those lessons.
I challenge the UAC to find a way to make sure every student has the opportunity to learn at SLCC, and I challenge the SLCC Administration and Faculty to wholeheartedly support their efforts.
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