With commencement right around the corner, I starting thinking about the impact we make on all of the students heading out into the world. Could we be doing more to sensitize them to disability awareness and accessibility?

As instructors and staff here at NMC, we have access to thousands of minds eager to learn. We are creating chefs, accountants, social workers, computer technicians; the list can go on and on. Weaving disability awareness throughout your specialized curriculum could help make the world a better place as those students head out to make their mark.

Could you:

• Highlight an expert in your field who happens to have a disability.
• Purchase posters for classroom or office that depict someone with a disability in a positive way.
• Assigning an article to annotate? Why not find one about someone who has a disability.
• Invite a guest speaker from your field who happens to have a disability.
• Teach how to create an accessible Word document or PowerPoints.

Our students might be in the position to hire or work with someone who has a disability someday. They might be asked to work with a sign language interpreter who accompanies a Deaf client, give financial advice to someone with complicated medical needs or take a phone call from someone with a condition that affects speech. They might even become the parent of a child with a disability. The more we can model disability as just another aspect of being human, the better for everyone.

If you would like to explore weaving disability accessibility and acceptance into your course we can help. The librarians here in Osterlin are eager to help you find resources that meet your needs. The team in Educational Media Technologies is also at your service. Oh, and you can contact me, your Disability Support Services Specialist, at 51929.