Transformative Practices

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TransformativePractices

• STRENGTHENING THE DS OFFICE
• FOR NEW POSTSECONDARY REALITIES

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As music and art have transformative powers
to give us fresh perspectives and enriched
lives, so too may the force of innovative
educational concepts inspire and energize and
engage us to improve the lives and success
of vulnerable populations everywhere. ?
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New Challenges
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• Students with intellectual disabilities
• Elimination of developmental education in
  state institutions
• Shifts to learner-centered practices in
  student service responsibilities
• Online education accessibility and
  accommodations
• Changes in barriers to program admission
  (e.g., medical programs)

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• Influx of veterans with disabilities
• Explosion of competing post-secondary
  priorities and initiatives
• Tighter budgets
• Changing technologies
• Greater accountability, better outcomes
  expected

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On-going Challenges
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Standard Practices Best Practices

• Eligibility
  Broader eligibility options
• Accommodations
  Improved or inventive use of technology
• Accessibility
  Greater integration of UD principles
• Awareness
  On-line tools
• Resources
  Volunteer programs

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New Ideas in Best Practices
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From Beyond the Americans with Disabilities Act
Inclusive Policy and Practice for Higher
Education, (Part IV) Examples of Best
Practices

1. Partnerships with funding sources
   (foundations, community resources, etc.)
2. Rewarding achievements in Universal Design
3. Transition or bridge programs for high
   school students
4. Strategic partnerships with community
   employment services, employers
5. Partnering with facilities departments to
   address accessibility and updates

Vance, M. L., Lipsitz, N. E., Parks, K.
(Eds.). (2014). Beyond the Americans with
Disabilities Act Inclusive policy and practice
for higher education. Washington, DC NASPA
(Student Affairs Administrators in Higher
Education).
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From Beyond the Americans with Disabilities Act
Inclusive Policy and Practice for Higher
Education, (Part IV) Examples of Best Practices

• Well-designed websites and policy handbooks
• Study abroad support through partnerships
• Links between student services and academic
  departments to connect dots regarding
  students who may have very different types
  of needs beyond disability (e.g.,
  international students)
• Support for students who face conduct
  hearings
• Experiential learning opportunities across
  academic and students services departments
  that address multiple identities (e.g.,
  gender, ethnicity, disability, etc.)
• Bringing exposure to inclusiveness to
  highest levels of administration

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Organizing Best Practices

• Challenges for Students

• Best Practices

• Unprepared
• Emotional Stress
• Lack of access to learning learning
  opportunities
• No self-advocacy or independence
• Limited health wellness options
• Issues with housing animals

• Summer Prep Program
• Collaborative support program
• Faculty on-line staff partners
• Experiential internship opportunities
• Wheelchair basketball program
• Clear policies supported across institution

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Organizing Best Practices

• Challenges for DSO

• Best Practices

• Funding
• Size of Staff, their skills, inclusiveness
• Updated technologies
• Meeting accommodation requests
• Competing campus priorities
• Services or programs

• Creative partnerships
• Universal design options
• Faculty On-line staff partners
• Community resources
• AHEAD affiliates, listservs
• Administrative support

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Another Option Each of the best practices may
tend to address very specific needs however,
another option might be to take a comprehensive
approach, one that strengthens the role of the
DSO at the institution to get the support needed
to handle the challenges and improve outcomes. A
comprehensive approach may be able to transform
the nature of the DSO and empower it to find
comprehensive success across challenges.
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Transformative Practices
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Transformative Practices

• Transformative Practices are sets of
  strategies that eventually result in the
  following
• Change the nature of the service
• Change in the way others view the service
• Change in outcomes/success of students and the
  mission

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Transformative Practices
Essentially, the DS Office is no longer
seen as a provider of services as much as
a center for innovation
engagement
exploration

inspiration
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Transformative Practices
The potential effects of transformative
practices include ? Additional funding
other resources ? Greater support for
mission ? Sustainable partnerships and
collaborations ? Enthusiastic student
independence and greater motivation ?
Improved academic success and completion

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Transformative Practices
The potential effects of transformative
practices include ? An environment
where inclusiveness prospers ? Working
models of universal design ? A welcome
place for community partnerships ? A
place to celebrate diversity in arts and
culture ? A place sought out by
students without disabilities but who want
to become engaged.

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The Result of Transformative Practices
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Theoretical Frameworks or Principles
________________________________________
of Transformative Practices
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Theoretical Frameworks or Principles
PRINCIPLE Students Staff Campus Community
ABILITIES/POTENTIAL Identify and tap into talents, skills, abilities, and qualities that have potential. Identify and tap into talents, skills, abilities, and qualities that have potential. Identify and tap into talents, skills, abilities, and qualities that have potential.
REVERSE INCLUSION Use the abilities you have discovered and create leadership opportunities for their use. Use the abilities you have discovered and create leadership opportunities for their use. Use the abilities you have discovered and create leadership opportunities for their use.
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS Build relationships on esteemed respect as the basis for partnerships and collaborative efforts. Build relationships on esteemed respect as the basis for partnerships and collaborative efforts. Build relationships on esteemed respect as the basis for partnerships and collaborative efforts.
INTEGRATION OF POTENTIAL Bring potential of students, staff, campus and community together through activities, events, and programs. Bring potential of students, staff, campus and community together through activities, events, and programs. Bring potential of students, staff, campus and community together through activities, events, and programs.
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Theoretical Frameworks or Principles
ABILITIES/POTENTIAL
The EC (Engagement Center) is primarily focused
upon the ABILITIES of students and staff and
seeks to optimize these in academic and program
planning. There is also potential on campus and
in the community that also needs to be identified
and tapped.
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Theoretical Frameworks or Principles
REVERSE INCLUSION
The EC plans its activities, meetings and events
around the principle of REVERSE INCLUSION. In
other words, the activities of the EC are
designed to draw those who want to be included
with individuals with disabilities because they
are taking the lead in ideas, innovation, new
technology, service, cooperative learning, etc.
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Theoretical Frameworks or Principles
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
The EC is continuously in the process of BUILDING
RELATIONSHIPS for partnerships and collaborations
on the basis of esteemed respect a generous
mutual respect and seeking of the others
advantage. GREAT things happen from these
relationships because there is collegiality and
motivation to bring something to the table, to
make something happen.
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Theoretical Frameworks or Principles
INTEGRATING POTENTIAL
The EC integrates the three other principles when
creating activities, events and programs. In
other words, the EC uses INTEGRATION OF POTENTIAL.
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The Personal Innovation Center

• (The EC at one of largest educational institution
  in the US)

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The Personal Innovation Center

• Disability services an Employment Program
• (2003 renovation) Advisement offices, a Tech
  Lab/classroom space, and a large employment
  services space
• Disability, Perkins Grant, Employment Program
• Accessible corner of campus

• Programs
• Facility
• Funding
• Location

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Transformative Programs
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The Berger Art Gallery
A hallway in the middle of the Center A sign
language interpreter who was a sculptor Students
with exceptional talent A community member who
donated 12,000.00 The new World School of the
Arts takes on an exhibit for the blind. Gallery
Exhibit Receptions
Abilities Reverse inclusion Relationship
building Events and Programs
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The AOA
Community disability agencies looking to network
(about 5). Recognizing and supporting their
agency/program successes. Invitations to major
agencies such as the IRS, the SSA, the School
Board, now over 60 community agencies.
(aoasf.org) Meetings designed to be purposeful
for all and only common interests and initiatives
discussed, not advocacy or legal issues
discussed. Create an annual Abilities Awareness
Day Fair/Forum. Project one emergency
preparedness for students and the community of
vulnerable populations. 50,000.00 funding. Now
expanding to other communities.
Abilities Reverse inclusion Relationship
building Events and Programs
The Association of Agencies
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The Digital Tech Studio
Need for an employment training program. The
Vice President for Education of Apple made a gift
of an iPod. The gift inspired an Apple-based
assistive tech training center. A video editor
comes along. A graphic artist comes along. A
web designer comes along, a musician comes along.
More of the same. The Digital Tech Studio
creates Video Training Modules. Other campus
departments seek out our expertise and quality
productions for video production and media
materials. Funded for Entrepreneurships by the
Business Leadership Network (BLN). Funded for
paid Internships.
Abilities Reverse inclusion Relationship
building Events and Programs
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Outcomes
? Funding from internal and external sources
(including multiple grants), all used to benefit
our students and create quality events. ?
The highest completion rate of any campus. ?
A students with disabilities organization that
won the Presidents Service Excellence Award for
completing the most community service hours of
any group at the College. ? Faculty and
student services colleagues requesting to work
more closely with the Center as a resource for
the professionals. ? Comprehensive
Administrative support to be innovative.
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Outcomes
? A staff of 40, some from grants and paid
internships. The majority of staff are
individuals with disabilities. ? A free
training program for students with intellectual
disabilities. ? Each year at an annual
Awareness Day event, the Center sponsored one of
the largest events held by the campus, and
attended by the Campus President, all the
administrators, much of the faculty, the Provost
and the College President. (The campus serves
approximately 16,000 students.) ? The Center
was asked to provide comprehensive services to
veterans. ? No additional funding for
disability or veterans services for more than 5
years!
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Applying Transformative Practices
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Principles ? Practices ? Outcomes

• The principles behind transformative practices
  must be meaningful first
• The DSO leader must decide whether a commitment
  can be made to seeing abilities during times of
  student stress, confusion, even frustration or
  anger.
• The DSO leader must decide whether reverse
  inclusion makes sense and whether a commitment
  can be made to an investment in this concept.
• The DSO leader must also decide whether there is
  the inclination to build the kind of
  relationships that are necessary to bring about
  meaningful outcomes.

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Principles ? Practices ? Outcomes

• The practices require a considerable investment
  in time and energy along with a clear vision of
  needed outcomes
• The DSO leader might need to establish something
  very small and manageable to begin to see that
  the practices can work.
• The DSO leader will need to let the potential of
  the students, the faculty and staff and the
  community in the local context guide what kinds
  of activities, events and programs to create.
• The DSO leader will always need to keep the
  needed outcomes in mind before the activities,
  events and programs move in their own direction.

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Lets make more music! Be transformative.

• with hopes of working with you to build on the
  transformative practices introduced.

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Ken Marquard, Ph.D. Coordinator of Research and
Graduate Programs José María Vargas
University Pembroke Pines, FL dr.kenmarquard_at_gmai
l.com marquardk_at_jmvu.edu