Dr. Dawn Dickey: Inclusivity & Universal Design

00:00:00 Sumer Beatty: Welcome to the Tomorrow Maker podcast, where we explore how we learn, live, work, and play now and in the future. I'm Sumer Beaty. 00:00:11 Carlos Ramos: And I'm Carlos Ramos. Hey, Sumer. How you doing? 00:00:14 Sumer Beatty: I'm good. How are you? I'm doing great. 00:00:16 Carlos Ramos: Fantastic guest again today. 00:00:18 Sumer Beatty: We're so lucky, aren't we, to have all of these amazing resources right at our fingertips. 00:00:22 Carlos Ramos: We are. You just keep nailing, you know, winner after winner after winner here. So who do we have? 00:00:27 Sumer Beatty: We have Dawn Dickey and she's our director of disability and access resources here at Penn College. 00:00:33 Carlos Ramos: Now what I like about this one, for those that have been listening to the Penn College podcast, we know we've got a lot of listenership within the Penn College community. So this one, is really directed at the Penn College community. However, a lot of the messaging that's in here is also applicable to, we were, we were trying to figure out what audience and, and you just said. Everyone. 00:00:53 Sumer Beatty: It is everyone. Oh my goodness. She talks about communication. inclusivity, just meeting people where they are. And I think it just, yes, it applies to everyone. 00:01:06 Carlos Ramos: Yeah. I think when I think of just how everyone approaches their life, we all have some sort of obstacle that we might be dealing with. Some of us more than others, and that's where disability and access resources can step in for a student, for those who have very particular struggles, identifiable struggles. And it is really about self identification too. So that, that itself is an obstacle to where, you know, someone has to take that step on their own. and so I think this is where parents and teachers and, and others that are part of a young person's life can help think about how they, you know, do reach out for that help. And maybe it's not because of, you know, that, that really easy to see, you know, disability or barrier or obstacle, and we all have something that we, you know, have, have that need for sometime, and I think that Dawn does a really good job of talking through that. 00:02:03 Sumer Beatty: Oh, she does. We need to advocate for ourselves, right? 00:02:06 Carlos Ramos: That's right. 00:02:07 Sumer Beatty: Okay. Well, here we go. 00:02:08 Carlos Ramos: Tomorrow Makers. 00:02:09 Sumer Beatty: Enjoy. Welcome! We are here with Dawn Dickey, Director of Disability and Access Resources. We're really excited to have you with us today. 00:02:23 Dawn Dickey: It's so great to be here. I appreciate the invitation to come over and be able to speak to all of you. So, it's very exciting to be able to come over and share a little bit of my background and where I am and what we do. 00:02:35 Sumer Beatty: Awesome. And this is your first podcast, you said. 00:02:37 Dawn Dickey: This is my first podcast experience. I've never done anything quite like this, so it's going to be a new territory for me. I might need your assistance in guiding me throughout this podcast. 00:02:48 Sumer Beatty: I think you're going to be a pro by the end. I have confidence. I 00:02:52 Dawn Dickey: appreciate that. Definitely. 00:02:54 Sumer Beatty: All right. Well, let's get started. I'm just curious if you want to start, you could share a little bit with our listeners about your role as the Director of Disability and Access Resources and maybe how you came into that role. 00:03:06 Dawn Dickey: Absolutely. So, having a profound hearing loss since birth, I have my own disability and so it allowed me to experience ups and downs in life and, you know, throughout that journey I've really learned the importance of determination, problem solving, creativity, you know, finding you know, different avenues of how you can overcome obstacles, you know, that you might experience. So that has really led me to having a passion to work with individuals with disabilities who may be experiencing some similar life journey, and to be able to offer support to those students. So, I've worked with Disability and Access Resources the last 15 years and we have an awesome team who is just as motivated in working with students as I am. Really the mission of the office is really just working collectively with administration, staff, students in finding, creative solutions to really make sure that our, all of our programs, services, the entire campus is accessible and inclusive for individuals with disabilities. 00:04:22 Sumer Beatty: That's amazing. I would imagine you can relate very well with the students and, and have a great rapport with our, with our community. 00:04:30 Dawn Dickey: Oh, definitely. Well, I think it definitely helps, you know, oftentimes, you know, I really focus on, you know, listening to students, you know, letting them share with me, you know, what they're experiencing, you know, what barriers, you know, may be coming up, but I think it's also, you know, I think in my mind as I'm listening to students, my own personal experiences, and I can use that to kind of, you know, provide some insight or advice, giving some guidance on how they want to pursue that barrier. I think in turn it kind of helps me establish connections with students because we're on the same page. We understand each other at that level. 00:05:09 Sumer Beatty: I think, one thing I found fascinating as I learned more about what your department does, initially people think, okay, there are the maybe more obvious things where it's someone with a hearing impairment, they work with your group, but what about those long or those short term things that may come up? Like "I injured my leg," you know, I'm just wondering if you could give us kind of a view of what all your office handles, like what all. types of situations you may address? 00:05:40 Dawn Dickey: Absolutely. And so I think one of the phrases that I use quite often is anybody can experience a barrier at any point in time in their life, so that's one thing I always encourage, especially students, because that's the population that we work with, that while they're here at the college, you know really being mindful about the services and supports that are available. that even temporary disabilities for a broken arm or a broken leg. We have a lot of skateboarders on our campus and so, you know, in those situations there may be new barriers that you're experiencing. So, knowing that there are some resources and supports even if it's on a temporary basis. our largest population is really, a lot of invisible disabilities, so learning disabilities, ADD, ADHD, even mental health diagnosis so we have a wide spectrum of individuals that we offer support and guidance to but I think that's one idea to think about is anybody can really experiance barriors at anytime and so we always really encourage individuals to come talk to us. And you know, we can see what kinds of supports and services may be available for you. I think in our world, we really focus a lot on what the barrier is that's a result of a diagnosis and how we can help a student overcome that barrier, whether that's with a specific accommodation, you know, maybe academic kinds of accommodations, note taking or testing accommodations. Maybe it's audio recording lecture. Maybe just having a seat in the classroom that you feel works best for you. it could also be, you know, just working with students on specific strategies to help them overcome barriers. So, organization time management. Those are really essential skills in being a student, so we're really helping students to help, you know, establish some of those skills to really address some of the coursework that they have in their programs. So, really, I think it's a mix of accommodations, support services. Our office, we do offer ongoing support. So every student who's registered will be assigned a staff person to work with. So we work with that student and depending on their needs, it might be meeting every other week, maybe it's every week, maybe it's once a month, but we just check in with them and see how we can support them and how things are going. And so that's one approach that our office takes that I really appreciate. You know, myself having a disability, things can change instantly. You might have new needs that you didn't have a month ago. And so being able to have somebody that you can talk those through with is really important. 00:08:30 Carlos Ramos: And it's so great that we have you here to do that. We, I, I see so many students, I teach part time on top of what I'm doing here at the college and see so many students that. Like, if they just could reach out for help, and you try to press them to go get that help, but I think there's, you know, I think back to when I was that age too, and being a Gen Xer, I'm just like, no, it didn't matter what you did, you just, you sucked it up and you did it. Yeah, on your own. It's like, but I think this generation, is better about seeking help, but I, I think regardless of, of where we're coming from, we can all do a whole lot better job of, of seeking that out and, and asking for it. What do you see from our student body when it comes to being comfortable to, to reach out for that help? And then I'm thinking about that skateboard thing because I'm like, like I had somebody who actually hurt himself pretty good. And I'm like, that, I, I didn't even think about offering that as a service to say, hey, why, why don't you go over to this office? Maybe they could figure out, something to, yeah, cause I, I, I saw he was kind of a little bummed, you know, he was, you know, not getting around like he, he wanted to. 00:09:44 Dawn Dickey: I think that, you know, you bring up a really great point. It's like, there's a lot of stereotyped stigma surrounding, you know, disabilities. And so, one of the biggest challenges that we find may be students who might be reluctant to seek out services and supports because they might feel that they're different from other people and, you know, don't want to be the same and, so that's something that we do experience and I usually do encourage and bring awareness to those students to explain that basically accommodations and supports level on the playing field, so that's actually going to bring you to the same level as all the other students, which is really important, you know, aspect to think about that you're going to be able to put your true potential and effort forward at that point. And the other part of it is that accommodations, if they are in place for you, you have control over how and when you use those accommodations. So some students, you know, may have testing accommodations, but maybe they don't, they're very strong with history, and for the history exams, maybe they don't need testing accommodations. But on the other side, maybe math is something that they struggle with, so they might decide they want to use the testing accommodations for their math class. So, the benefit of getting registered with our office and having them available for you, they're there when you need them. And I think that's a really important aspect to consider. As one thing, I have a little bit of a comparison, everyone experiences barriers in their life. We all have strengths and weaknesses, whether you have a disability or not. So, if we think about astronauts, there's no way we would be on the moon if we had not explored how we can develop equipment and specialized tools and suits that really helped us address the barriers of getting on the moon. So, that's kind of how I see a lot of assistive technology. Things that are gonna help those with disabilities. By using those tools and resources, you are gonna have access. You're gonna have equal opportunity to do these things that you might not otherwise be able to, you know, do. So I think really looking at it as an equal level, you playing field and. Just providing equal opportunity, and I think really what's important is for students to feel empowered to use those services and support. So, I think for the campus community, anything that we can do to create a welcoming and inclusive environment so students do feel empowered to use those kinds of resources when learning. 00:12:34 Carlos Ramos: Absolutely. Otherwise, we're missing out on the great things that everyone has to bring to the table to move society and culture forward. 00:12:41 Sumer Beatty: I was wondering if the use of your services have increased over the years. And maybe it's my perspective, but it almost seems like there's been less stigma over the years, especially if we consider what we've all gone through with COVID. I've, am I right? I see you shaking your head. 00:13:00 Dawn Dickey: We have definitely, we have seen an increase in the number of students registered with our office. Actually, I just ran some numbers and we had an 11 percent increase in the number of students registered with our office last fall than we did the fall before. 00:13:14 Sumer Beatty: Wow. 00:13:15 Dawn Dickey: So there's definitely data there demonstrating that more and more students are registering and, you know, taking advantage of the services and the supports that we have to offer. I do feel that, you know, our community is becoming more aware and understanding and, you know, I think for my own disability back in the day, there were a lot of barriers that I experienced that I wouldn't expect to see today, you know, but just because of more awareness and technology has made wonderful strides. when I was growing up, even when I was well into my college age, yes, I never really was able to go to the movie theater and enjoy and actually understand a movie because technology back then, captioning just wasn't something that was really doable in the movie theaters. But today, there's so many options for captioning at the movie theater, so I'm able to go to the movies, which is really awesome. We go with my family, and one of the things that I've never really thought about before, I knew I was missing out on the movie, but I never realized I missed out on a genuine conversation with my kids after the movie, because I had no idea what the movie was about. I was seeing all the visual effects, but I was missing the story, you know, behind it. And so the first time I saw a movie with captions, I was like, oh my gosh, I can, I can join the conversation with my kids. And, you know, so it just really, it's not only just having access to the content or the material, but it's to allow you to fully have a seat at the table and interact and engage with other people. And I think that's something that's not always thought about. I, I didn't even realize it myself that I was missing out on that until it actually dawned on me that, yeah, I was never able to contribute to that conversation, so I think that's another point, important aspect of using accommodations and accessibility and really, where we are today, there's so much great technology out there that really helps with that. 00:15:20 Sumer Beatty: That example of the movie theater is so powerful. I was thinking, too, I mean, there's something about just being in the space with someone at the same time and feeling. The way it feels to just be with your family and to look over and, you know, see them laughing and just, so it's, you know, knowing the storyline, but also feeling what they're feeling at the same time. 00:15:43 Dawn Dickey: Absolutely, and I think we connect with each other through emotions, and so that was a part that was really, you know, lacking. I was looking over to see my kids laughing, but, you know, it wasn't until, you know, I'm actually understanding a movie and I really could, kind of like an emotional connection, an example of that, when I was young, I used to watch the movie Bambi all the time, all the time, I, I knew how that movie played out by, you know, watching it, but I never realized that the mother was shot in the movie because It wasn't on the screen to visually see, it was the sound of a gunshot, so it wasn't until that movie was captioned that I realized he wasn't just lost, he didn't lose his mom, the mom actually died, somebody shot her, but I didn't realize it until the movie was captioned, that was many years later. 00:16:38 Sumer Beatty: Were you heartbroken when you found out? 00:16:40 Dawn Dickey: No, I was, I cried, my mom, she's trying to figure out, you watch this movie all the time. Why are you just now crying? I never realized the mom died! 00:16:49 Sumer Beatty: Oh my goodness. Yes. Wow. When you said you kept watching it, I thought, well, this is interesting. That's such a sad movie. What does that say about Dawn that she kept watching Bambi? 00:16:59 Dawn Dickey: Yeah, you know, but it was so interesting because, you know, the whole time, you know, I just knew he got disconnected from his mom and then he found his dad. So, you know, he went with his dad, but I totally missed the gunshot in the movie and so it was a really eye opening experience of just that one small sound, really changed my whole perspective of that movie. The story behind, it was a split second sound. 00:17:32 Sumer Beatty: You mentioned earlier how things have changed since you were growing up and in college as far as access and resources. What are some of the things that are really, have been powerful to advance the, the access to these offerings. 00:17:49 Dawn Dickey: So I think, you know, technology itself has really come a long ways. There's a lot more opportunities and just different levels of independency, you know, that, things that I, in the past, may have needed to rely on someone. Yes, when I was in high school, any phone call, my mom needed to interpret those calls, so now I have my own video phone that I can do that independently. I don't need to depend on anyone. So, I think there's a sense of independency. but also, on the flip side, with the enhancements of technology, Everything, you know, there's new content, and there's new technology being created every day. And technology itself can also present barriers for individuals with disabilities. So, I think back, physical access to spaces. You know, having elevators in buildings, having ramps. you know, even power doors, you know, all of those things were a really big, emphasis, when the Americans with Disabilities Act first came out to make sure that individuals had access to physical, you know, location. But, the landscape has changed pretty significantly. We're seeing a lot more technology, a lot more information online. Easy access, however, those that use assistive technology, for example, somebody who's blind and using a screen reader, if, that online landscape is not accessible, there are barriers there. So technology, kind of, there's good stuff, but then there's also bad stuff that comes along the way. so I think that's kind of the shift that we really have taken more recently, where our power already needs to go in terms of making sure that those content creators, they are building in a habit, you know, daily practicing their work, that they're making sure as they're designing and making things that they're making accessible for really anybody, who may need to access that information or, you know, that product, so I think that's a really important key part today that technology is just flying, there's new stuff every day, but also at the same time it's hard to make sure that we are still, taking in consideration individuals with disabilities. And the great thing, a lot of the accessibility and universal design practices that are happening for accessibility and those with disabilities are great, for those without, you know, because, a great example, a video with captions, you know, that benefits somebody with a hearing loss. However, if I'm a student in the library and I can't really listen because there's other people around me, I could just follow along with captions or maybe I'm just a person in my learning style. I like by hearing and seeing, you know, I can comprehend and retain the information by, you know, multiple, means of information being presented. So. I think it can be really, really helpful, so I think there's a big shift to the technology world. 00:21:04 Sumer Beatty: Yeah, so in your position here on campus, you have the ability to initiate change in this area. Is there anything, any wishes you have, or anything on the horizon that you're thinking, boy, I would love it if we could do this. 00:21:20 Dawn Dickey: I think accessibility, a piece of it, is a huge part of, we have an accessibility committee on our campus, so. accessibility is something that really does require a collective and ongoing effort and I don't think it will ever be done, because, you know, things evolve so quickly, but I think, you know, the more that we can spread awareness and, you know, really the importance and the benefits of accessibility. I think that we can do that and sometimes it can be a challenge because we have new people coming, coming every day. And you know, I think that we really want to develop a culture on our campus that really focuses on inclusion, diversity, that we are taking in consideration, what kinds of best practices really allow students to access all things, you know, on our campus and feel authentic belonging here. There's no better feeling than showing up at a professional development and there's a video and it's already captioned, it's already turned on, I don't have to do anything special or unique. So, if there's anything moving forward, I think if each and every person on our campus can do a little part in really thinking about accessibility and as they're creating information. It might take a little time, but you're gonna cast a wider net of where that information can be accessed in the audience that is going to be using that information. So, we'll continue that work with accessibility. the other part of it is more outside our campus, but individuals with disabilities, I do know oftentimes are still struggling with accessing certain services. that might be maybe, human services, health services. But really. the Americans with Disabilities Act was written, back in, you know, some time ago that it is really important that people are still interpreting how it was intended to be interpreted. And I think through time things have changed in our culture and our life that we need to make sure that The law is continuing to move forward as well, and I think that's where the technology piece of it that, yes, individuals with disabilities do need to be able to continue to access those online landscapes, and accessibility is a big piece of that. 00:23:47 Carlos Ramos: And you mentioned the ADA, and if I understand the ADA correctly, there are provisions in there that provide more stringent regulations for certain bodies. than others. So, us in, in higher ed, we have a fairly high bar to that we have to meet. Like all of our educational materials have to be captioned. We, just for an example, whereas someone who's in, in private enterprise, they may not have to stick to that. What challenge does that pose for our students and the, and, and students at any college university that, are approaching their education with a disability that that has an accommodation, but then they go out into the world, where they may not have those same accommodations universally applied. 00:24:41 Dawn Dickey: That's a really great question. So the idea, there are definitely various layers with that. And so, employers who have X number of employees that work to larger employers, are definitely expected to making sure that they're adhering to the ADA, not, you know, discrimination, and making sure that they're providing accommodations for access. So employers are still, you know, a big part of that, especially larger employers, there's that expectation that they should be working with their employees. I think that's the law side of it, but then there's also the ethical side of it. So, if you ask me personally, I think even the smaller businesses really, the ethical side of it is, you know, you've got, you want different ways of approaching things. And if you have people who think and see things the same way in your business, you're not going to be able to get different perspectives. And individuals with disabilities bring those diverse perspectives to the table. And I think that there's rewards and benefits of hiring individuals with disabilities. And so, I always really, you know, want to encourage employers to get to know the individual. What strengths, you know, what things can they bring to the table that you feel you might be lacking. And then also, you know, what are the supports and services they may need, you know, in order to do the job. You know, all the responsibilities that are tied to that job. So there's the legal part, but then there's also, I feel, the ethical part that should be really factored into this as well. But I think in terms of higher education, I mean, obviously, you know, with the college receiving federal funds, you know, we are expecting, you know, to making sure that we're following the ADA Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. So it is really important from a legal standpoint, but also from the ethical side as well that, you know, we want to make sure that we're providing opportunity, you know, for students. there's also the public side, so movie theaters, restaurants, there is any, good services that are offered to the entire public, there is an obligation making sure that there's no discrimination or barriers, for those with disabilities as well. So I think, you know, we've got employers, the workplace, we've got the public side of things, and then we've got the educational, you know, environment, so everyone does have their own legal obligations as well as ethical, you know, with that. And so, I always really encourage individuals to think about the ethical side, you know. Use that as your foundational point because really there's great benefits interacting with individuals with disabilities and in terms of the workplace, unique perspectives, and new information that students have to bring to the table that may not be, you know, considered or thought about, previously, so I think that's always something that can be very rewarding, for employers and other individuals. 00:27:43 Sumer Beatty: So what do you have going on in your office at the moment? Do you have any projects that you're working towards? 00:27:49 Dawn Dickey: So we have several initiatives that our office is looking at working on. Obviously we really want to help students, find a sense of belonging on our campus. And so, we have a program, it's called Allies Lead to Access. So, these are, students with disabilities who have been identified, by our staff who are, great at self advocacy, you know, speaking up for their needs, communicating with others, and they, have a really, a high level of achievement on our campus. They've made their mark here on campus. They've made impressions, you know, to others. So these students, we actually are looking at doing different programming with these students and helping connect with other students with disabilities to, enhance that sense of belonging and empowerment of using services and supports and you know, sometimes when you have calming ground, you know, you can make some connections to others who really understand what you're experiencing, what you might be going through. So, we're really excited about that program and we have a great group of students who are so motivated and eager to connect with other students. And so, we have a lot of really, good ideas for new programming moving forward with that. also, in addition, you know, some other initiatives that we are, you know, really looking at is like, our office recently relocated to a new location a couple years ago. We changed the name of our office. Our goal was to really try to broaden the scope, making our services more known, more aware. And we talked earlier about You know, some individuals just might not realize that our services may be available to them, so we want to get ourselves out there. Me being here at the podcast is a great way to do that, you know, kind of spread that awareness. And I think the more that we, you know, are making our presence known on campus and collaborating with other departments, the more I think we can help with collectively working together to develop that inclusive and welcoming environment on campus. 00:30:03 Sumer Beatty: Nice. So if someone were interested in getting help, would they just stop in your office? How do students typically reach out to you? Is it email? They swing by? How does that work typically? 00:30:15 Dawn Dickey: So basically, you know, on our website, we are found under the student life section. You can find disability and access resources, any of our contact information for students, or even prospective students, families. They can contact our office through email or phone, we can set up a confidential one on one conversation, you know, sometimes that just helps students, you know, be a little bit more comfortable, you know, at least in the start, you know, having a direct one on one, you know, confidential conversation with our staff who can share, you know, what resources and supports might be available and process to register. That usually involves a two step process. it is a self disclosure, which is a form directly on our website that students can identify, you know, I have a disability, you know, here's how it impacts me, here's the type of supports that I might be looking for. The second piece is submitting documentation of their diagnosis. And that might be something, they get from their provider, or it may, if they had an IEP when they were in high school, it may be working with their high school and getting that documentation that really describes to us the diagnosis and how it impacts them. So they would follow that two step process and we'll help guide, you know, students through that process, especially for students who are just coming from high school, there's a change in how they request services, and some of them never had that experience before. So, that's what we're there for. We encourage individuals to reach out and ask questions, and we can guide them through the process and, you know, offer our support wherever we can. 00:31:56 Carlos Ramos: That's great for Penn College students, we, we probably have some listeners that are, you know, working in, in a high school situation guiding, students to, to go off to college. They may or may not be coming to Penn College. Would these types of services and processes be similar, across the, the bulk of, of colleges and universities? 00:32:17 Dawn Dickey: So I think, you know, in terms of high school students and I usually, you know, explain, you know, whatever college or university that you're going to. Really connect with the Disability and Access Resources office that's on the campus. Pretty generally across the board, there is a very similar process, which typically involves identifying, because it's a voluntary process. Students are never required to identify or register. It's voluntary, so there's always some way or form that a student cannot identify. I am interested in services because I have a disability. And then there usually is the documentation piece that comes along with that. I do encourage, you know, really looking through a lot of times schools will have guidelines on the specific type of documentation they might need. So I really encourage students to work with their high schools to go back through and look at the information they might have on file to make sure that it's going to meet the needs of what their college or their university might be looking for. For us, you know, we really do need documentation that really tells us how that disability impacts them. You know, every student's different, so, like, even if I have documentation for two students who have a learning disability in reading, They're still different. For one, it might be more, they might struggle with comprehension. For the other, it might be more reading fluency. So that documentation is a really, really important piece to us to make sure that we're understanding how that diagnosis is impacting the student. That also helps us support the student while they're here. And with self advocacy, you know, what do you know about your disability? How does it impact you? Sometimes they're not sure how to answer that. So we can use that information to really help them so that they can go out and communicate with their faculty and others on campus, you know, about what their needs might be and best ways to go about doing that. So really within, you know, high school I always talk to during open house or even transition events that we participate in. Talking with, students who are in high school, if you know you're interested in coming on to college, you know, start to work on self advocacy while you're there. You know, have a little bit of practice. Get involved in your IEP team, in your meetings, and lead those meetings, you know. Really make sure your voice is known. So I think that that's really an important piece in the documentation because it can take time, especially if you haven't had an evaluation since elementary school. You know, we might need more up to date information, and that can take time. So start early, you know, reach out, look at, you know, what's needed, and start that process early so you give yourself enough time. 00:35:02 Carlos Ramos: Thank you for that. 00:35:03 Sumer Beatty: Yeah, I think that's helpful information for any parents who might be listening to, you know. I think parents are great at advocating for their children, right? So I think it's a good reminder for any parents listening and faculty too. I mean if we think about as Carlos mentioned just having that top of mind for our faculty or any teachers out there, period, to just keep your eyes open and see those students and you can identify who maybe needs a little bit of help and be there to support them. So I think those are all great reminders. 00:35:32 Dawn Dickey: Oh, definitely. And I think, you know, it's just receiving accommodations and you want to start day one, you know, ready to go, having, you know, available the resources that you might need. So often times I, I do, I may talk to families and I have students, well I never used accommodations in high school and I don't think I'm going to need them, so I'll just keep you in mind if I need to, you know. And I always do remind them that, you know, by registering with our office, it's there. You get to decide when you need them, so I encourage you to get registered. That way, when you need it, it's ready to go, as opposed to we need a couple of weeks to process that. So timeliness is really essential, and I can tell you, all students, you know, we have 16 weeks in a semester. It moves pretty quickly. So, you know, I think, you know, really focusing on your success. Starting, you know, from day one, having those resources, you know, on hand when you need them is really crucial. 00:36:32 Carlos Ramos: Yeah, I agree. I think about a couple of the classes that I teach. I teach one that has in-class exams, and so I'll be interested to see how that plays out, because I typically haven't had in class exams. But I've had plenty of students that, you know, do approach with accommodations for, you know, say, a quiet testing area or one and a half times, you know, time availability for testing. And I, and I've managed to just rework the, the courses to, you know, make sure that they're able to do what they, they can, without having to feel that they, they have to be separated out in, in, in any certain way. And I wonder how many faculty might approach that and do you know how faculty are thinking about their courses in a way that where you mentioned before about, having a universal design to a technology or, you know, I'm going to transfer this over to, to, to, curriculum design, or course design to where, you know what, it is just, it's meeting the needs for everybody. 00:37:36 Dawn Dickey: Definitely, and I think what really has strongly encouraged and pushed more universal design practices is COVID. We shifted to online learning, you know, for a period of time, you know, out of, you know, health and safety for our entire campus community. I think in turn, it has allowed faculty staff to think about, teaching tools, you know, tools and resources that maybe they haven't used in the past. And I do know there are some faculty that have continued those practices even though they're back in the classroom. But just seeing the benefits of, oh, you know, if I record my class, you know, and make that available for everyone just to be able to relisten to the lecture, you know, there's benefits to that. You know, if I can go back to a specific part of the class and relisten, make, make those connections a little bit easier that didn't happen the first time around when I heard it in class. So I think there's a lot of great benefits that, you know, universal design, you know, that it's not just, helping students with disabilities, but it's really beneficial to anybody in the classroom. And I think really developing those practices, you're going to be ready, you know, should you have a student who has unique accommodation needs and services, but also at the same time, by using those practices, even if you don't have those students needing those accommodations, you are offering a more solid and well rounded educational learning environment for all the students in your classroom. So I think that's kind of one thing. I always really stress the importance of universal design and accessibility, that building it into your day to day practice, really is going to be, there's more benefits than you even imagined. As far as, you know, being able to make sure students with disabilities have access to materials. it's really, really important that that happens. And I think, you know, it really goes back to that welcoming and inclusive environment. Something as simple as having your syllabus statement, you know, inviting students to come and talk to you, you know. Those open lines of communication can go a long way, you know, understanding exactly, you know, why a student might be struggling with something in your class, you know, communicating directly with that student, we're all unique. So I think learning directly from the student, that's even something in our office. We learn about disability, accessibility, trends from students. That's key. Listening to students and using students voice to help guide us to practices that we might need to implement. I think that's a really, critical piece when it comes to accessibility and, you know, engaging with those that are in your class. It can be really helpful. 00:40:30 Sumer Beatty: Given that Penn College is a hands-on institution, are there any, does it, you're shaking your head again, yes, so I'm just thinking, how does that, what impact does that have on what your office offers? 00:40:46 Dawn Dickey: I think the hands-on learning, I know students that I work with really love that type of learning, and so that's where, you know, we do have specific majors and, you know, the learning environment that we have on our campus really does attract, you know, students who really, need that type of learning, so like, yes, you're going into the lectures. You're learning the theory behind things. But then being able to go into the lab and applying what you're learning, it just really helps with retention and, you know, really just understanding, you know, the theory part of it a lot more because they're able to apply it to real world scenarios and equipment and tools. And so that's, definitely one thing that I know that we do have specific majors and programs and the hands-on learning that really attracts a lot of students. Sometimes, you know, first time I meet with students, you know, what brought you to Penn College? And it oftentimes goes back to the hands-on learning that we have on our campus that, that is the style of learning that a lot of our students really do benefit from. So, it's what makes me really excited about what we have to offer here at Penn College. 00:42:01 Sumer Beatty: I would like to ask you about a final takeaway, but I don't know where we are time wise, if there's anything we'd like to cover that we haven't covered yet? I 00:42:10 Carlos Ramos: think we're good, unless there's anything else that, Dawn, that you want to bring in before you get to a final takeaway? 00:42:16 Dawn Dickey: My entire life really has been, you know, really impacted on just various levels, and my interactions with others, technology that I've used, and so it's something very near and dear to my heart. But I think also there's nothing more rewarding than being able to talk to former students who come back and say, you know, I'm working with the federal government, here's what I'm doing. And, you know, here's how my experience at Penn College has impacted me in using services and supports, and You know, we love hearing from, you know, former students. We have had a lot of, students who were commencement speakers also, you know, having disabilities. And so, they've made lasting impressions on not just our office, but others here on our campus. So, it's so rewarding, too. I love my job. You know, I love working with individuals with disabilities. I think that there's such great, potential and I love seeing them go out and making their own impact on other people in their lives and, you know, I think just kind of spread the wealth a little bit, you know, I think that's really something that is very valuable and I just really, really thoroughly enjoy, you know, the work that I do in disability and access to resources. But I think, you know, along with that, you know, a word, a message, you know, really get to know the students, you know, on our campus. So whether you are, you know, working in the front lines, you know, front desk area, and you have students stopping by, or faculty members, or dining services, you know, the more that we get to know our students, the more that we're going to learn from them, I can tell you, I learn something new every day. Sometimes students come in, and I, I know artificial intelligence now is, just really going through the roof, and I'm hearing students tell me things that I've never heard of. And then find myself Googling things. So I look at it as, you know, any opportunity that you can to get to know the students, you know, get to know how you can communicate best with them, what methods of communication work best and more ideal. You know, some do better with, you know, sitting down speaking in person, some do better with maybe an email, where everything is kind of documented for them. So really adapting, you know, and being flexible and comfortable and meeting the needs of our students that we're working with. So get to know students, ask questions, and learn from them. That's what I really encourage, you know, and that's why I use my own disability, any chance that I have, you know. I'm an open book. So I always tell people, if you have questions about things, don't be afraid to ask, you know, I'm here to, you know, talk to you about what I know and what my experience has been and, you know, maybe you'll learn something from that, maybe not, but, I think the more that we keep those open lines of communications and we can really learn how we can work best together and support each other. 00:45:20 Sumer Beatty: That's great. Thank you so much. We really appreciate having you here with us today. 00:45:25 Dawn Dickey: Absolutely. 00:45:26 Sumer Beatty: It's been fun. 00:45:27 Dawn Dickey: I might need to come back for a second podcast in the future. 00:45:34 Sumer Beatty: Thank you. 00:45:34 Carlos Ramos: Thank you, Dawn. 00:45:35 Dawn Dickey: Thank you both so much. 00:45:38 Sumer Beatty: Thanks for hanging out with us today. 00:45:40 Carlos Ramos: Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you'd listen to your podcasts. 00:45:45 Sumer Beatty: Check out our show notes for bookmarks to your favorite sections and links to resources that we mention in today's episode. 00:45:51 Carlos Ramos: You can also find past episodes and see what's on deck for upcoming ones at pct.edu/podcast. 00:45:58 Sumer Beatty: And of course. We are open to your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions. So send those over at podcast@pct. edu. 00:46:06 Carlos Ramos: It's been real. 00:46:07 Sumer Beatty: Catch you next time.