ADA Accessibility Lawsuit Tracker: Final Numbers for August 2022 — from info.usablenet.com
Also see:
Download our 2022 Mid-Year Report on Digital Accessibility Lawsuits — from info.usablenet.com
Our Digital Accessibility Report highlights the newest trends in digital accessibility lawsuits.
A New Initiative to Tackle Education’s Big Problems — from the74millioin.org by Andrew J. Rotherham
Rotherham: For all the rhetoric around ‘reimagining’ and ‘reinventing’ schooling, there’s precious little to show for it. There’s another way
Excerpt:
Instead, experts operate in silos to find solutions, reform and pandemic fatigue abound, and dysfunctional reactionary politics define various debates.
…
Beta by Bellwether, [which launched on 8/31/22], is a new initiative bringing viewpoint- and background-diverse experts together to tackle big problems and develop blueprints, strategies and tools that can help communities address structural educational problems. We’re building on our 12 years of work at Bellwether bridging policy and practice with a perspective that should be mundane but in this climate seems radical: the belief that the best ideas often lie between different perspectives and are strengthened through serious debate. No faction owns solutions, good ideas or virtue.
From DSC:
This is something to keep on your K-12 learning ecosystems radar.
Also see:
National Microschooling Center launches, proving ‘modern one-room schoolhouse’ is no flash-in-the-pandemic phenomenon — from reimaginedonline.org by Tom Jackson
Excerpt:
Writing for the Manhattan Institute, researcher Michael McShane lays out the framework and the appeal of microschools:
Neither homeschooling nor traditional schooling, [microschools] exist in a hard-to-classify space between formal and informal learning environments. They rose in popularity during the pandemic as families sought alternative educational options that could meet social-distancing recommendations.
But what they offer in terms of personalization, community building, schedules, calendars, and the delivery of instruction will have appeal long after Covid recedes.
Long-time education choice advocate Don Soifer concurs.
“For whatever reason, families are just rethinking the public education system,” he says. “The research is telling us now that microschooling serves 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 million learners as their primary form of education.”
Also see:
What are the components of education ecosystems when you lift the hood and take them apart? And how can they be most smartly reorganized for better future models? Thanks to @bellwetherorg @JulietSquire and team for this thought provoking undertaking. pic.twitter.com/PGCbHzVkrZ
— National Microschooling Center (@microschooling) September 1, 2022
Learning Pods Are Here, Are You In? — from schoolchoiceweek.com by National School Choice Week Team
Excerpt:
If you’ve stumbled into an education conversation or joined a parent discussion group recently, you’ve surely heard of pods or micro-schools. As families grapple with a changing education environment, some hope to find the flexibility, safety, and community they desire in small, local learning arrangements called learning pods. Whether you have your heart set on joining a pod or just want to better understand education choices for your child, we’ve broken down all types of pandemic pods here.
To view previous content, click HERE.
Also see the following resources from this challenge.
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Below are some local and general resources related to disability justice and advocacy that may be helpful. There is a Disability Network or Center for Independent Living serving all of the counties in the state of Michigan. You can find the office that covers your area by going to https://dnmichigan.org/
If you have questions about the information in this 21 Day Challenge, please contact Disability Network Southwest Michigan. Michigan Resources
General Resources
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[Image description: photo of Mia Mingus on a colorful striped background with her quote, “Understanding disability and ableism is the work of every revolutionary, activist and organizer – of every human being.” Mia Mingus, writer and community organizer for transformative justice and disability justice.]
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To view previous content, click HERE.
A somewhat relevant resource:
Here Are Some Dos And Don’ts Of Disability Language — from forbes.com by Andrew Pulrang
Excerpt:
Is there a way for anyone to navigate disability language clearly, safely, and respectfully?
Obviously, it’s impossible to satisfy everyone. But that doesn’t mean there are no useful guidelines. Here are a few tips to sort through the competing schools of thought on disability language, and ride the various waves of popularity and revision that disability language goes through.
…
1. Recognize obviously insulting terms and stop using or tolerating them.
2. Aim to be factual, descriptive, and simple, not condescending, sentimental, or awkward.
3. Respect disabled people’s actual language preferences.
Disability Language Style Guide — from National Center on Disaplity and Journalism (ncdj.org)
Disability and Health Overview — from cdc.gov
Research Center | ALICE in focus studies:
Financial Hardship Among People With Disabilities
Excerpt:
According to the outdated Federal Poverty Level, 18% of people with disabilities in the U.S. lived in poverty in 2019. Yet United For ALICE data shows that another 34% were also struggling, in households that earned above the FPL but less than what it costs to afford the basics. These households are ALICE: Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.
Disability & Socioeconomic Status — from the American Psychological Association (apa.org)
Excerpt:
Socioeconomic status (SES) encompasses not just income but also educational attainment, financial security, and subjective perceptions of social status and social class. Socioeconomic status can encompass quality of life attributes as well as the opportunities and privileges afforded to people within society. Poverty, specifically, is not a single factor but rather is characterized by multiple physical and psychosocial stressors. Further, SES is a consistent and reliable predictor of a vast array of outcomes across the life span, including physical and psychological health. Thus, SES is relevant to all realms of behavioral and social science, including research, practice, education and advocacy.
Those with Disabilities Earn 37% Less on Average; Gap is Even Wider in Some States — air.org
Subminimum Wage and Sheltered Workshops — from United Way of South Central Michigan
Congress enacted the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938 as part of the New Deal; one of the Act’s provisions, Section 14 (c), grants special certificates allowing for the employment of workers with disabilities below the federal minimum wage.
Many employers operating under 14(c) have historically employed people with disabilities in segregated work centers commonly referred to as sheltered workshops. This creates a situation where the employer profits from paying sub-minimum wages to their employees with disabilities. Some states have prohibited the practice of subminimum wages and sheltered workshops altogether; however as of 2020, 46 states and the District of Columbia continue to allow 14(c) certificates. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights revealed that in 2017 and 2018, the average wage of a person with a disability working under a 14(c) certificate was $3.34 per hour and the average number of hours worked was 16 hours per week, making the average wage just $53.44 per week.
Employment First is a state and national movement to help individuals with disabilities realize their fullest employment potential through the achievement of individual, competitive, and integrated employment outcomes. Employment First in Michigan has established guidelines to help move the state to community-based and integrated employment by using executive orders and passing legislation.
Optimizing Your Website for Screen Readers and Other Accessibility Tools — from hongkiat.com by Jori Hamilton
Excerpt:
But what is web accessibility, and how, exactly, can you prioritize this on your website?
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what web accessibility means and tips for how to design a website that is more accessible to all users.
AI Plus VR at Purdue University Global — from er.educause.edu by Abbey Elliott, Michele McMahon, Jerrica Sheridan, and Gregory Dobbin
Adding artificial intelligence to virtual reality provides nursing students with realistic, immersive learning experiences that prepare them to treat patients from diverse backgrounds.
Excerpt:
Adding artificial intelligence (AI) to immersive VR simulations can deepen the learning by enabling patient interactions that reflect a variety of patient demographics and circumstances, adjusting patient responses based on students’ questions and actions. In this way, the immersive learning activities become richer, with the goal of providing unique experiences that can help students make a successful transition from student to provider in the workforce. The use of AI and immersive learning techniques augments learning experiences and reinforces concepts presented in both didactic and clinical courses and coursework. The urgency of the pandemic prompted the development of a vision of such learning that would be sustainable beyond the pandemic as a tool for education on a relevant and scalable platform.
Speaking of emerging technologies and education/learning, also see:
From DSC:
Thanks to my good friend Chris for this resource. By the way, this Chrome Extension, Converter, and API remind me a bit of Microsoft’s Immersive Reader.
Also related, see:
