TOM LO GUIDICE,PH.DPROFESSOR EMERITUS (2010)

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-PLATTEVILLE’S TEACHING AND

LEARNING CENTER

Developing Systemic Change through DARCS

(Department Accessibility Resource Coordinators)

Universal Design and the DARC System

Frank Lloyd Wright

“An Idea is Salvation by Imagination”

Agenda

Review of the concept of Universal DesignDefinition and use of DARCS (Department

Accessibility Resource Coordinators)Introduction to the Problem of establishing a

DARC system on a comprehensive campusAnalysis of Forces for and away for a DARC

systemLessons Learned for the Platteville campus

and lesson learned for other campuses

THIS IS ABOUT TWO STORIES:1.THE STRUGGLE TO MOVE TO MOVE AWAY FROM

THE A DENOMINATING PRACTICE OF ACCOMMODATION

2.THE STRUGGLE TO MOVE TOWARD SHARED LEADERSHIP BASED ON UNIVERSAL DESIGN (DARC

SYSTEM)

Said another way

Some Critical Questions

How does this session help you understand where your campus stands in the paradigm shift from individualized accommodations to accessibility through universal design?  

How might you implement a version of this (or a part of this) on your campus?

 How does this session

inform the 2-5 year outlook on your campus?

WHAT ARE 3-5 PEARL(S) OF WISDOM FROM THIS SESSION? (THEORETICAL PEARLS, LESSONS LEARNED FROM EXPERIENCE, RESEARCH

APPROACHES, AND RESOURCES TO USE, ETC.)

One More Question

This Session is a combination of

Presentation andAudience participation

(

The University of Wisconsin -Platteville

Comprehensive campus of 7000 students –majority first generation-with lead programs in criminal justice, engineering, business , agriculture , teacher education

History of students with disabilities-accommodation-approach with introduction of universal design in 2001

Effort to establish students with disabilities office liaisons beginning 2003

Process of establishing DARCS starting 2007

SERVING 270 IDENTIFIED STUDENTS WITH PASSPORTS FOR ACCOMMODATIONS IN DESIGN,

DELIVERY, ASSESSMENT

Accommodation Approach

Universal Design (UD)

The design of (educational) products and environments to be usable by all people,

to the greatest extent possible,

without the need for adaptation or specialized design

while maintaining rigor and academic and disciplinary standards.

Goal: to increase access for people with divergent needs and preferences.

UD in the built environment

Starts in Architecture (Ron Mace)

An architect asks: How can I effectively and creatively fulfill the

requirements of the job with a design that is inclusive of the widest possible range of people?

What are some common examples of UD in the built environment?

The use of Gems and Bloopers as an Awareness /Public relations tool

Individual Actions in Your Classroom or Job Setting

Think-Pair-Share with a partner steps you can take to remove barriers

Think about removal of barriersPair with a partnerShare with a quadShare a few ideas with the full group

DARCS

UD requires more than individual Action

Moving Toward a DARC System

Our problem was to move to a functioning Departmental Accessibility Resource Coordinator (DARC) system

Please see ACCESS ed posterette

Through a system of leadership College and Unit Liaisons , Students with Disabilities office and Teaching and Learning Center (DARC Manager).

DARC Manager

ACCESS-ed

The Project is developing, infusing, and testing a process to deliver a campus infrastructure that can self-sustain a universal design (UD) environment that will benefit all students.

To achieve the goal of transitioning a campus to an emphasis on universal design to meet the needs of all students, especially students with disabilities or other special needs, a multifaceted change process in the form of a campus DARC strategy favors a combined bottom-up and top-down approach to the dissemination of the ideas, information, and UD strategies.

A Departmental Accessibility Resource Coordinator (DARC) network requires a manager or management team and a steering committee on each participating campus.  With guidelines developed by the ACCESS-ed staff, the manager(s) and/or steering committee facilitate the development of the DARC network.•Goals and Objectives for the Departmental Accessibility Resource Coordinator (DARC)•To promote an accessible campus climate environment for all students, other consumers and staff with disabilities.•To facilitate a support system approach toward universal design concepts in education/instruction. •To promote universal design concepts in education/instruction within departmental structures.

The DARC Manager

Facilitates creation of a DARC networkMaintains campus links to ACCESS ed linksCommunicates goals of the projectProvides training eventsSupports DARCSAssists in data collection

DARC Roles and Responsibilities

Promotes an accessible campus environmentSupports UD concepts in

education/instructionImplements UD to benefit all studentsHelps build faculty and staff movitivation to

implement UDParticipates in training and awareness

activitiesHelps in collection of data

Force Field Analysis (using the mind tool)

In groups of three1. describe your plan or proposal for change

(see middle of tool)2. List forces for change in one column, and

forces againist change in another column3. Assign a score to each force,form 1 (weak)

to 5 (strong)4. Share with another group of three

Forces at UW-Platteville

Partnering of a research and comprehensive university (5)

Chancellor and Provost priorities (2)

Board of Regents Inclusive Excellence Initiative (2010) (3)

Core of Supporters for Teaching and Learning Center (5)

Total 15

Ebbing and receding support of faculty and administration (5)

Limited Understanding of

accommodation and universal design (3)

Change in Faculty Liaisons and DARCS (3)

Total 11

TowardToward Forces AwayForces Away

Your institution Your institution

Forces at Your Institution

•GEMS AND BLOOPERS AWARENESS IN ALL COLLEGES AND STUDENT CENTER

•TRAINING EVENTS EACH TERM E.G. UNIVERSAL DESIGN BOOK CLUB

•LEADERSHIP MEETING EACH TERM•COLLEGE PROJECTS EACH YEAR E.G. UNIVERSAL

DESIGN SYLLABUS MAKER•WEBINAR

Some Activities at UW-Platteville

Accomplishments

DARCS in each college –all departments in BILSA, (Business , Industry, Life Science, and Agriculture) Three departments in (LAE) Liberal Arts and Education and Five departments in EMS (Engineering, Mathematics and Science)

Increasing number of faculty reporting use of UD in the classroom

Increased attendance at training events Leadership team appeal and positive response from

Provost for continuation of ACCESS ed/DARC system as Teaching and Learning leadership changes

Other Resources are Available

From University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee ACCESS ed website

http://access-ed.r2d2.uwm.edu/

& University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s Teaching

and Learning Center Linkshttp://www.uwplatt.edu/tec/links.html

SHIFT FROM ACCOMMODATION TO UDUSE OF DARC FOR YOUR CAMPUS

YOUR 2-5 YEAR PLANPEARLS

What are the implications for your campus?

THANK YOU

Tom Lo Guidiceloguidice@fastmail.fm