Episode 33- Putting The A in EDI
0-0:12 Orthotonics Accessible as Gravity plays and fades out
0:13 Hello and welcome to Accessagogy a podcast about accessibility and pedagogy. I’m your host Ann Gagné and this podcast is recorded on land covered by the Upper Canada Treaties and within land protected by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Agreement, which is the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples.
0:33 Welcome to episode thirty-three. This episode is going to be maybe a bit of a mini-sode to give a few things for those who engage with the podcast to think about in relation to EDI which is equity diversity and inclusion as we call it in Canada. I know that acronyms can be switched in the different places that you’re based as well. This episode is about how we are missing the accessibility context in EDI conversations and how that comes up in a lot of ways the resources and information that we create is shared. It also comes up in terms of what is seen as important to discuss in our eduspaces and classrooms when it comes to inclusion and equity.
1:17 It’s my hope that these few minutes will hopefully provide you with some “have you thought of” prompts if you’re about to do research on equity, diversity, and inclusion, or you’re starting a new curricular or pedagogical initiative and to make sure that the accessibility is part of that conversation. Because sadly there is a lot of talk about inclusion, but those conversations, the accessibility of those conversations is lost, and is often missing in larger EDI conversation. And it is at least not made explicit in the ways that other types of inclusion are or other types of equity discussions are, so let’s talk about that.
2:00 So last week a lot of folk on social media were sharing this EDI report that an organization did here in Canada about the need for more EDI work, and framing, and resources in Canadian institutions. And I was excited when I saw the title, but I actually have started holding my excitement when I see things and reports like this because I know that often doing a search in the report will not provide the kinds of disability discussions that are needed and often it’s dependent on who the funding body is, and who has funded this report, and how the information is shared.
2:35 So the report was given in an inaccessible pdf and it was accompanied by inaccessible visuals and infographics about the high-level suggestions that were in the report. The report itself mentions the word disability 35 times in the 200-page document, which should be a win right? But it also uses accessibility not just as something that relates to disability but rather a catch all for access. Which is often where a commitment to document accessibility goes wrong because other “accesses” are prioritized. More than half of the mentions of disability are actually from the resources the end of the report.
3:15 So there’s a lot going on there. If there is more mention of disability in your citations than the report itself that’s actually a problem. It’s a problem that suggests that you’re aware that disability is a topic to include, but not something to prioritize in the framework or at least having a better awareness in that framework. I have seen a couple of new frameworks let’s just say where the citations use the words Indigenous a lot, but no where in the actual guidelines or frameworks is word Indigenous or Indigenous pedagogies made explicit.
3:49 So this happens a lot in curricular design. We know that inclusion and diversity are topics that we should think about and should be part of our pedagogical framework and resource sharing, yet we don’t necessarily think about disability as being part of that inclusion and diversity conversation. Disabled learners, instructors, and staff, deserve equitable representation, and yes citations are a place to start, but the inclusion piece needs to go beyond just those citation practices, and you know because at that point that just becomes like a nod to the existence of accessibility and disability without actually doing any of that work.
4:26 So a deep consideration of how important disability and accessibility awareness is or should be in our eduspaces was demonstrated actually the day after or the day of the election. Where many took to social media using ableist language to describe the situation. A modelling of inclusive language needs to be something that exists and expands beyond our classrooms. The kind of harmful discourse that we are comfortable sharing influences what others think is okay terminology to use even in the classroom.
5:00 So what do we do about this in our pedagogy. How do we make sure that we include disability and accessibility, you know, in relation to disability in our course design, and in the conversations that we’re having in our departments, in the conversations and the reports that we publish, and to make sure that we hold ourselves accountable to the kinds of words that we use even when we’re upset about a thing.
5:22 So I want to give you a list of “have you thought abouts” to support your thinking around this topic. So here goes
5:29
- Have you thought about, the accessibility of the visuals that you’re sharing including colour contrast, alt text, and long descriptions where necessary
- Have you thought about, the kinds of fonts you’re using and the consistency of them
- Have you thought about, how accessible the document itself is that you’re creating and sharing. So whether that be a doc, or a pdf, or a PowerPoint.
- Have you thought about, the different identities of folk that are engaging with your material, and remember that folk can identify in numerous ways and that we do a disservice when we assume equity means only one equity deserving area at a time.
- Have you thought about, how your commitment to inclusion is modelled in the way that you share information and the words that you use when you share that information.
- Have you thought about, being explicit in terms of what inclusion means when you use that word? Are disabled folk welcome to submit to your journal or conference or does your idea of inclusion mean something very narrow.
- Have you thought about, the make up of your committee, the group, the community that you’re getting your insight from. And have you thought about it from different disciplinary background and different lived experiences.
- Have you thought about, the legacy of the information that you’re sharing. Where will it be stored? And can it be updated?
6:49 This is not a comprehensive list, but it’s a way to stop and reflect before you publish or bring forward yet another EDI initiative or post that forgets that disability access is also important. Help HigherEd put the A in EDI.
7:08 So that’s it, that’s episode 33 of Accessagogy, with a few “have you thought of’s” to support putting the A back in EDI where it belongs.
7:17 Remember that I want this to be a space where you can ask questions and share concepts that you’d like me to discuss. So if there’s anything that I mentioned here about carrying accessibility work into our research and pedagogy beyond you know physical or technological access please let me know.
7:33 As always if you have any ideas or aspects of your pedagogy that you would like me to address in this podcast, please feel free to send me an email at Accessagogy so that’s acc e ss a gogy at gmail dot com. I’ll try to include as many of these suggestions as possible in the podcast because ultimately, this podcast is for you. So that’s it, that’s episode 33 of Accessagogy, thanks so much for following along and asking how can I make my space more accessible today? Have a great week!