Elaina Lang

Individuals have unique traits, interests, and abilities, and these can be respected and honored. As a staff member, it is not my place to pry into personal information but rather, understand students’ rights, understand the institution’s obligations, and be able to speak to technical standards as appropriate.

In this section, I was interested in universal design, it makes me curious to learn more about the history of design related to accessibility. I appreciated the tips on considerations for design and how we can anticipate potential access and accessibility needs. With that perspective in mind, I would challenge the statement, "Strobe lights connected to the audible emergency alert system provide safety for all, regardless of hearing level." While that may be true in refrence to hearing levels, an exmaple of when this could be harmful may be if an individual has epileptic, flash-sensitive, or sense-based sensitivity concerns or… >>>

In this segment, they discuss the wide range of experiences among people with disabilities, noting that some individuals may not even realize they have symptoms that overlap with the potential of meeting disability criteria. Additionally, disabilitiy is unique to each person rather than following a single, one-size-fits-all model.

To this point, this training has echoed the significance of Section 504 and the ADA as statutes that promote equal access to education for students with disabilities. In a higher education platform, being informed of government and organizational policies, student rights, and providing reasonable accommodations to support equitable access to education, is invaluable.