ACCESS

Faculty Resources

Course Accessibility Checklist

Faculty are encouraged to use the ACCESS Course Accessibility Checklist to ensure their courses have been designed in ways that are inclusive and accessible.

TechSmith Knowmia & Zoom Captioning Guidance

TechSmith Knowmia (formerly Relay) will serve as the primary platform for storing media content across campus, giving faculty, students, and staff the ability to create, upload, and share videos from one location. In addition to its storing and sharing capabilities, TechSmith Knowmia allows users to do basic video editing, integrate quizzing and other video interactivity, and bring in external videos for enhancements. TechSmith Knowmia also has the capability to generate closed captioning, helping to meet University accessibility goals and achieve ADA compliance.  

Zoom recently announced the addition of live captioning to their product. This feature allows automatic, computer-generated captions to be created in real-time when people speak during a Zoom meeting. Live captioning has been enabled in Zoom for all SIUE faculty, staff, and students so all users can use this feature in their meetings.

Find additional Information on how to use the live captioning feature – both as a host and attendee. 

Additional information is available from Zoom’s site.

Accessible Campus Community & Equitable Student Support (ACCESS) and Information Technology Services (ITS) are working together to share the announcement about the new live captioning feature. Captioning during synchronous Zoom class sessions or meetings can provide a benefit to many attendees, not just those individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. As a result, ACCESS and ITS encourage all users to make use of the new live captioning feature during Zoom meetings for the benefit of all diverse learners.

Contact ACCESS at (618) 650-3726 or via email at myaccess@siue.edu for questions about captioning or other accommodations. Contact ITS at (618) 650-5500 or via email at help@siue.edu if you have questions about or need assistance with Zoom.

Guidance on Trigger Warnings

Content warnings are verbal or written notices that precede potentially sensitive content. These notices are intended to flag the contents of material that follows, so readers, listeners, or viewers can prepare themselves to adequately engage or remove themselves from the environment for the benefit of their own wellbeing. Trigger warnings are a specific variety of content warnings that attempt to forewarn audiences of content that may exacerbate physiological and psychological symptoms in those students with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or other anxiety based diagnoses. These mental health diagnoses which are “triggered” by stimuli, forces an individual to recall an experience of trauma. These individuals have no control over what actually triggers them, but they may have coping mechanisms or personal strategies that they utilize when encountered. The importance of trigger warnings lies in the ability to forewarn individuals requiring them so as to be prepared in advance of the encounter. Considering these strategies/mechanisms are most effective when the trigger is expected, it can allow them to make best use of their strategies to decrease the harmfulness of the triggering material or content.

Within the classroom, content warnings may be provided on the syllabus, articulated during lecture, sent out in emails or posted on Blackboard. Forewarnings of challenging or difficult moments in assigned readings, lectures, videos or topics that may come up in discussion are also helpful in facilitating such an accommodation. Know that as a result of the warning, students may mitigate by meditating, seeking a counselor or therapist’s assistance, or simply require more time to process the material under controlled conditions. This may also require a student needing to disengage fully from the classroom while the material is being discussed or to simply skip the pages where that particular topic is being discussed.

While it is understandably difficult to foresee all potential triggers, we have found the most common triggers include depictions of sexual violence, oppressive language, blood, gunshots and instances of self-harm. Additional tags that may prove problematic are issues of abuse, pedophilia/incest, miscarriages/abortion, racism and racial slurs, sexism and misogyny, islamophobia, transphobia and trans misogyny, homophobia and heterosexism, eating disorders/body hatred/fat phobia, etc.

Obviously this list is not extensive, but intentional inclusion of these specific concerns will illustrate to students that their concerns are taken seriously and are being addressed absent of judgment. The inclusion of content/trigger warnings is an acknowledgment that the lives, histories, and struggles of individuals do not disappear when they become students, and that instructors value accessibility as well as the mental health and wellbeing of others.

If there are any questions, comments or concerns about how designated learning objectives can be achieved regarding particular content or triggers associated, please feel free to contact us directly.

Additional resources on why trigger warnings matter:

• “My Students Need Trigger Warnings—and Professors do too” by Aaron R. Hanlon
• “I use trigger warnings—but I’m not mollycoddling my students” by Onni Gust
• “This powerful comic perfectly explains why we should all use trigger warnings” by Evette Dionne with a comic by Madeleine Slade

Accommodations for English Language Learners

International students with disabilities are provided equal educational opportunities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which is the law that defines disabilities and the general principles that guide accommodations. Under the ADA, international students who have disabilities are entitled to general accommodations in school, such as wheelchair access to school facilities, service and support animals and personal devices (e.g., hearing aids) to help overcome a disability.

For testing accommodations, this is also true. There are many diagnoses for which extended time may be approved or assistance such as a reader or scribe may be warranted. However, language proficiency is not sufficient rationale for accommodations to be extended through ACCESS.  ADA Accommodations are not to lower expectations but to level the playing field for students with disabilities. If you are an international student and have appropriate documentation justifying the need for accommodation under the ADA, please proceed through the intake and accommodation process.   

International students who have questions or concerns about academic issues may review resources at the Office of International Affairs. International students may also request an appointment with the International Student Program Advisor for additional academic and campus resources by contacting isss@siue.edu.

Evacuations and Students with Disabilities

When reviewing your syllabus, announce that in the event of an emergency, all persons who may need additional help should ask for assistance. Please know that persons with disabilities, either unobservable or observable (i.e. medical conditions, learning differences, etc.) who may be self-sufficient under normal circumstances, may still need assistance in an emergency situation. If a student self-identifies, set aside a time to physically show them the evacuation route and discuss how you might be able to assist them in emergency scenarios. The level of assistance or need may vary depending on the particular limitations:

• Visual Impairment
  • Describe the nature of the emergency.
  •  Offer your arm for guidance. Do NOT grasp a visually impaired person's arm.
    • As you walk, inform the individual of any obstacles in their path and tell them where you are as you go. If possible, someone should follow from behind to protect the individual from being pushed down in the event of crowding.
    • When you reach safety, ask if there is any need for further assistance.
•  Hard of Hearing
  • Know that persons who are deaf or Hard of Hearing may not be able to hear an alarm go off. An alternative warning technique may be needed to gain the attention of such individuals (i.e. turning the lights on and off or using hand gestures)
  •  Once you have the person’s attention, continue to use appropriate communication (this may include the assistance of an interpreter, or writing a brief note with evacuation instructions, time permitting). This may also require offering the individual materials to write with and communicate if possible.

• Mobility Impairment
  • If located on an upper level floor, individuals may be assisted to an area of assistance located in a stairwell landing to await evacuation or further instruction from first responders or rescue personnel.
  • Ask specifically how you can best assist them, there may be individuals with specific limitations and ability for whom lifting and or moving may be dangerous to their well-being.
    • If a person with a mobility impairment cannot be lifted, they should move to an identified Area of Rescue.
    • Know that if the individual cannot be lifted or has difficulty communicating clearly or easily, it may be necessary for someone to stay with that person to assist in communicating with first responders or rescue personnel. 
    •  If a person prefers to be removed from their wheelchair, always ascertain their preference in terms of how they will be removed (i.e. whether to extend extremities, whether a seat cushion or pad must be used, being carried forward or backward on stairs, etc.)
    • If in immediate danger and cannot wait in a designated area of rescue, it may be necessary to evacuate them using a carry technique or evacuation chair where available.  Please only attempt rescue evacuation as a last resort if you have had training or if the person is in a life-threatening situation and cannot wait for assistance.

What to do in the event of an evacuation:

• Check the intended evacuation route for obstacles, if possible. Remember: smoke, debris, flooding, loss of electricity, or other impediments may be present.
• Move people who are unable to leave the building to a designated or identified area of rescue. An area of rescue is a building location where people can wait for emergency assistance when evacuation may not be safe or possible. Emergency exit corridors and smoke-protected stairwells are resistant to fire and smoke for approximately 2 hours. They are the safest areas during an emergency evacuation. Rescue personnel are instructed to check all exit corridors and stairwells first for any stranded persons.
• Possibilities include:
  • Most enclosed stairwells
  • An adjoining building behind fire doors
  • An office with a closed door, located a safe distance from the hazard
  • Exit balconies and corridors
• Assist individuals who are able to leave the building, following your planned evacuation route, if possible. Do not use elevators unless authorized to do so by police or fire personnel.
• Report to your designated assembly area for a head count.
• Notify emergency responders immediately about the location and condition of any people remaining in the building.
• Do not reenter the building until authorized to do so by an appropriate authority such as police, fire department, etc.

Additional Resources:

• Care Reporting -The purpose of submitting a Care Report is to share mental health concerns or concerning behavior about a student, staff, or faculty member with the Dean of Students and Counseling Services for them to review to see what, if any, steps should be taken.If you need to report an incident of sexual misconduct or relationship violence please submit a Sexual Assault, Sexual Misconduct and Relationship Violence Incident Report using: https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SIUEdwardsville&layout_id=4 .
• Starfish - Starfish is an early alert, retention and advising system that replaces GradesFirst. Instructors and advisors can use many of the tools within Starfish to keep track of students who might be at risk of not succeeding, academically. They also might use Starfish to send kudos to students whom they feel are excelling. Starfish is also used to schedule appointments with students, keep a digital history of all meetings and notes from those meetings, track attendance and more. To get started, sign into Starfish with your e-ID and password at: https://siue.starfishsolutions.com/starfish-ops/session/casLogin.html or login to Blackboard and click the Starfish tab.
• Blackboard Ally - Blackboard Ally is an accessibility tool that helps faculty identify and remove potential content barriers that can get in the way of learning. For example, Blackboard Ally alerts faculty when documents are missing headings or other formatting styles that make it easier for students to navigate content, especially students relying on screen readers to access Blackboard. Using a "stoplight" indicator system, Blackboard Ally measures course content against industry standard Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0). If you click the red, orange or green icons in your course, Blackboard Ally will guide you through steps for improving content.