This is Diverse Learners Awareness Week, when Disability Services and the Office of Information Technology create forums to raise awareness at CU Boulder. 听
Jill Schneider, assistant director of Disability Services, helped to make Diverse Learners Awareness Week (DLAW) a reality by securing a CU System grant two years ago.听
Among this year鈥檚 events is an awards ceremony and dinner for students and staff who have helped the disability community. 听
CU has invited panelists to help celebrate diverse learners and encourage participation. Robert McRuer of The George Washington University was on campus Monday and Tuesday to discuss 鈥淐rip Theory and Inclusion.鈥� Slam poet Andrea Gibson will also speak and perform on the topic of inclusiveness. 鈥淪he usually focuses on topics like gender and privilege, but Gibson will be focusing in on cognitive impairments, as well,鈥� Schneider said.
CU Boulder professors and staff will hold open forums to educate the community on what diverse learners are. These sessions are focused on teaching people about inclusive language and communication techniques that should be used around people with disabilities and everyone in general. The sessions are meant start the conversation about taboo subjects by approaching them respectfully and ending stigmas.
A key part in helping diverse learners excel is making sure that learning spaces are accessible and adaptable to everyone鈥檚 needs. Universal design is a concept that educators and planners use to create spaces on campus. Although it started from physical architecture, universal design now involves removing barriers that may prevent someone from reaching academic success. Consideration is now given to the layout of seating in a classroom or ramps to access buildings, Schneider said.听
The staff at OIT and Disability Services hope that this week of awareness will also catch the attention of professors and help them to be more aware of students鈥� needs. 鈥淢eeting the needs of a diverse learner may include using multiple modes of delivering content, such as the use of captioned videos throughout a lecture or by offering a few different assignment options to meet the course requirements,鈥� Schneider said.听
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