ºÚÁÏÉçÇø

9 to 10:15 a.m. | Keynote

Heritage Room

Accessibility: A Competitive Advantage for Higher Education

Corbb O'Connor (He/Him), Director of Accessibility Advocacy, Level Access

As higher education institutions compete for top talent, accessibility has become a crucial factor in attracting and retaining ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs with disabilities. With new U.S. Department of Justice regulations mandating full accessibility by April 2026, the time to act is now.

In this interactive keynote address, we'll learn how to turn accessibility into a competitive advantage for ºÚÁÏÉçÇø.

Drawing on his personal experiences as a blind undergraduate and graduate ºÚÁÏÉçÇø, as well as nearly a decade of professional work with universities nationwide, Corbb will offer valuable insights into the opportunities and challenges of creating accessible campuses. Discover how accessibility goes beyond mere legal compliance and accommodations: it's about showing prospective ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs that their needs have been thoughtfully anticipated from their first interaction with a website to their housing application.

Join us to explore the strategic benefits of accessibility, hear real-life stories of success and setbacks, and gain practical advice on how to meet the upcoming regulations while enhancing our institution's appeal to all ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs. This keynote will inspire you to view accessibility not just as a legal requirement but as a powerful tool for fostering inclusivity and excellence in higher education.

Breakout Sessions

10:30 to 11:15 a.m. | Session 1

John Dolibois Rooms A and C

Using Libraries Resources to Improve Course Materials Accessibility

Katie Gibson, Information Services Librarian

The Libraries can help you provide more accessible course materials on your Canvas site. Learn how the Libraries works to ensure our resources are accessible; how to link to accessible articles; how to find and embed accessible streaming films; and about other accessibility initiatives in the Libraries.

Enhancing Google Accessibility With GrackleDocs Extensions

Karen O’Hara, Digital Accessibility Specialist
ElizaMarie Quinn-Alger, Accessible Technology Coordinator

Discover how two powerful, free extensions can streamline the way you make Google Docs and Slides accessible. Grackle Docs and Grackle Slides not only identify accessibility issues but also provide clear, actionable steps to resolve them.

In this session, you’ll learn how to integrate these add-ons into your workflow, boosting the accessibility of your content by improving structure, headings, color contrast, and image descriptions.

11:30 to 12:15 a.m. | Session 2

John Dolibois Rooms A and C

Accessibility and Digital Communications

Jessica Rea, Director of Web Marketing
Polly L Heinkel, Web Communications Specialist

As communicators, we use a variety of digital channels and mediums to reach our audiences by updating websites and blogs, sending emails, posting on social media, creating advertisements and videos, posting to the university calendar, and more. Creating these communications to be as inclusive as possible is important to providing a positive experience and connecting with your audiences. This session will provide you with some best accessibility practices for commonly used communication methods.

The Total Eclipse: A Touching Experience With Multiline Braille

Greg Williams, Independence Science and Tactile Engineering

In April, blind participants were able to experience the total solar eclipse in a multimodal fashion at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway using the Cadence Tablet. Greg will discuss his experience as both a participant and facilitator, and attendees can get a first-hand feel for what it was like. Attendees will also explore other developments for STEM access using multiline Braille. Greg will demonstrate some of these, and there will probably be more bad puns.

12:15 Lunch 

Heritage Room

1:30 to 3:30 p.m. | Afternoon Training Sessions

John Dolibois Rooms A and C

Please be sure to bring a laptop to aid in these hands-on sessions.

Fundamentals of Web Accessibility

Laura Fathauer, Sr. Web Accessibility Specialist
Annastashia Blesi, Assistant Director, The Miller Center for Student Disability Services

Join us for an engaging, hands-on workshop designed to introduce the fundamentals of web accessibility. This session will focus on practical skills, enabling participants to make websites more accessible to all users, including those with disabilities.

Participants will explore key accessibility concepts such as semantic HTML, proper use of ARIA, and use of color and contrast considerations. Participants will also work with the Level Access Assistant tool for testing the accessibility of web pages. A special focus will be placed on keyboard accessibility testing, where attendees will learn how to ensure that websites can be navigated effectively using only a keyboard.

Please bring your own computer, as this is a hands-on workshop. By the end of the session, you’ll have the tools to start implementing accessible design and development practices into your projects.

Creating Accessible Online Courses with Canvas, Ally, and Google

Kit Kirby, Interim Coordinator of Faculty Engagement, Miami Online

In this workshop, we will walk through how to check your online courses in Canvas for accessibility and implement strategies for remediating and creating accessible course content.

We will delve into Ally, an accessibility checker in Canvas, and utilize the software’s powerful tools to identify content that needs remediation, get a checklist of content improvements, and review quick tricks to increase accessibility fast. Additionally, we will review strategies for using Canvas’s built-in tools to create accessible content and how to integrate effectively with Google Workspace to ensure that ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs have a cohesive and accessible experience.

At the end of the workshop, users should have confidence in assessing their online course and digital course material for accessibility, know how to build accessibly in Canvas and Google, and develop strategies to make remediation quick and easy in future courses.

ºÚÁÏÉçÇø is committed to providing an inclusive and equitable event experience. If you need disability related accommodations (e.g. interpreter, captioning, materials in an accessible format) to facilitate full participation please contact the Miller Center by phone at 513-529-1541, Ohio Relay 711 or SDS@MiamiOH.edu at least three business days prior to the event.