SUNY Oswego’s Workgroup for Accessibility Practices is hoping to identify a few students to become student representatives of their committee in the future.
SUNY Oswego professor Casey Raymond serves the workgroup and explained when this committee would likely get started.
“We’re hoping to identify a few student representatives for the committee,” Raymond said. “This [committee] would likely start next fall, but earlier is a possibility too.”
Kathleen Percival, a digital accessibility analyst, serves as the co-chair of the group, along with Michele Thornton. Percival explained what it is that this workgroup does for SUNY Oswego’s campus and students.
“[The workgroup] promotes a campus culture of accessibility by sharing contemporary accessibility tools and techniques through workshops, trainings and publications,” Percival said. “The team of campus accessibility experts works together to anticipate, troubleshoot, support and resolve the practical needs of our campus community.”
Percival explained what the expected responsibilities of the student representatives on the committee would be. She also described what opportunities students may have in this position.
“We hold two meetings each month. Responsibilities of the representatives include attending at least one meeting per month, be willing and able to share ideas from the student perspective on how to improve accessibility and inclusivity on campus,” Percival said. “Group members often present at workshops, conferences, department meetings, etc. Students may also have this opportunity if they are comfortable in doing so.”
When describing what the workgroup would be looking for in a student representative, Percival explained that a student who is dedicated, hard working and interested in helping promote and create an inclusive campus would be the ideal candidate.
Though not required, skills that are helpful in this position would be knowledge of using screen readers and knowledge of document accessibility and remediation, according to Percival.
Percival also described what the workgroup’s current staff looks like, explaining that the workgroup wishes for more student perspective in its organization.
“Our group is currently comprised of staff and faculty members from various areas, including CTS, Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT), Extended Learning, Accessibility Resources, Digital Services, School of Business, Computer Science, Chemistry and Penfield Library,” Percival said. “While we strive to serve the entire campus community, we lack the student perspective.”
Percival described how many students the workgroup is looking for, and explained that there is no real specific application process. She also clarified that the workgroup does not typically meet during the summer months.
“We are looking for two or three students to participate each semester. There is no specific application process, but interested students can send an email to accessibilitypractices@oswego.edu explaining why they would like to participate,” Percival said. “We are hoping to recruit a few students for the Fall 2021 semester.”
More information about the Workgroup for Accessibility Practices can be found on the SUNY Oswego website.
The Oswegonian file photo from 2020
