Can Workplaces, Classrooms, and Pedagogies Be Disabling?

In a special disability-focused issue of the journal, multiple theories and perspectives on accessibility in teaching and learning, and in the workplace, are explored. Oswal’s introduction offers a concise summary of the articles, grounding them in the historical, political and contemporary thinking on disability.

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Instructors’ Accommodation Discourse on the First Day of Class

This study indicates few educators broach the subject on the first day of class when they review syllabi, policy and other course-structuring topics. It also contrasts a relational and inclusive approach with more typical transactional talk.

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Reframing Digital Accessibility in Post-Secondary Education For Educators

This brief paper illustrates what facets of digital accessibility are relevant for educators, and introduces the concept of  “accessible digital content literacy skills,” skills specifically related to reading, identifying, curating, and writing/creating accessible digital content.

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UDL (Without Digital Accessibility) in Digital & Media Literacy

This article is included here with my “points of contention” annotations to illustrate how the UDL framework and much UDL literature ignores digital accessibility and accessible social learning experiences, and how uncritical application of UDL principles to address the needs of disabled learners can inadvertently marginalize disabled learners in post-secondary.

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Saying No to the Checklist

This article would be useful to educators beginning to grapple with the legacy of ablism within their courses and institutions. This critical piece of writing argues convincingly that reductionist approaches to accessibility, such as checklist tools, offer educators and institutions a false sense of accomplishment, and a simplistic understanding of learner needs.