[Cato] campus visits

Jess Thompson jess.thompson at sbctc.edu
Fri Feb 16 16:42:31 PST 2018


Hi all,

I made my visit to Wenatchee yesterday and wanted to share what I learned and how I'm approaching the visits.

In terms of the role we play during the visit, we're not there to present, but just observe and take in what the team is working on/has accomplished. I reviewed Wenatchee's action plan beforehand so that I had a sense of their goals. The other colleges' action plans are linked below.  The questions I had were mainly around what have they been able to accomplish and what are areas where they feel stuck. I was also curious to hear about the workgroups and if there are any challenges around leading these groups.

Action Plans:


  *   Olympic<https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gg0XC1WipwJDgrXWCDmzZ6_PkI5E4Pdg>
  *   South Puget Sound -- still finalizing
  *   Whatcom<https://drive.google.com/open?id=15MaLc3atuUIlKWE482DufARp5G0uY2ki>
  *   Renton<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JjtRas-0ZvoHBHocbie58veTId2VygCQ/view?usp=sharing>
  *   Highline<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ymRtPAo9anjKuuXALffExwj2V35uM3Dk/view?usp=sharing>
  *   Everett<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Z2gDas6Tj9dZ2nI9GTbPwRJk3UltOL9b/view?usp=sharing>
  *   Wentachee<https://drive.google.com/open?id=1wj9W1q-vjZ3jPSTgrC8jZbc8309rY0eE> (Contingencie<https://drive.google.com/open?id=1eJKvpdhnUmPyxwNMlqmMx4NeWOkzHoPg>s, prioritization<https://drive.google.com/open?id=1dRM4zqyHucO8wHGTsH_0SonabvMKQj4I>)
  *   Lower Columbia<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CmX_dEOo_79mzCMLHejXCjoeZSLceHhBPMV80x87UwE/edit?usp=sharing>
  *   Cascadia<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nrycW_4dYFmnimlgxT7JrLlYvaS78MfG/view?usp=sharing>


I did meet with Wenatchee's lead afterwards to talk more frankly about some of the challenges, not just around accessibility, but around managing a group/task force. Here are my notes from the meeting.<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MDEsFsjuR6v_w69hrdA8GnHzwUniZuVVcQr__wXsnGg/edit?usp=sharing>

Perhaps more importantly, I'm following up with an email where I'm pointing out the things that I think they should share at the Spring Convening (giving sort of a pat on the back). I'm also then sharing the one pager and request for input. It might be nice if we all send the teams we visit something similar - it shows we paid attention, we get to recognize their work and wrap it into an action item for the convening, and then deliver the one-pager. The team emails can be found on this spreadsheet<https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hGGKyQgmMCg7GDUyDO45wRgpfqou7lbefHbNNUYbBac/edit?usp=sharing>.  Here's my email:

Hi Wenatchee Access360 team!

I wanted to thank you for welcoming me yesterday and allowing me to be part of your workgroup meeting. It was really great to see involvement from different areas of campus and to hear about the progress you all are making.

As I mentioned during the meeting, we'll be asking teams to share their progress at the Spring Access360 Convening. I'd encourage you all to share the ways in which you've used the grant funds to support this work and the different methods of communication you all have planned (I like that you all are coming at it from different angles, including a central web spot and/or hotline). I'd also think folks would like to hear about how you've added knowledge of accessibility into your job descriptions and have been able to make accessibility training mandatory - all of those things are great successes that I think deserve some recognition.

I'd also like to share a one-pager that CATO has put together: Request for Feedback<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xDs-krD6r2RisbzscazrmVqe1h44sHfGE0XYXIZp_gI/edit?usp=sharing>. We've been tasked by the presidents' tech workgroup to develop a model for greater centralized support around accessible technology. We're visiting various councils and commissions, and we'd especially like to get input from Access360 schools since they're really leading the way for our system. Perhaps you can review this one pager and the presentation linked within and discuss at your next meeting what type of model would best support your work. We're eager to hear your thoughts!

Thanks again for your time and dedication to this work,
Jess



Jess Thompson
Program Administrator, Accessible Technology Initiatives
Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges
1300 Quince St SE | PO Box 42495 | Olympia, WA 98504
p: 360.704.4327|c: 253.229.8591
jess.thompson at sbctc.edu<mailto:jess.thompson at sbctc.edu> | www.sbctc.edu<http://www.sbctc.edu/> |https://accesswa.blog/
Current Projects<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KXjxctpTAa2R06iRksMrjaeiCkphAJzqkwX-awvJh9g/edit?usp=sharing>

Keep in the accessibility loop by joining the CTC Accessibility listserv<https://goo.gl/forms/CP1GHPl6Pe1ipD6q1>!

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