Advocacy and Continuing Education: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 15:25, 3 December 2025

The Advocacy and Education subgroup focuses on providing resources, tools, and skills necessary for librarians, archivists, records managers, and other GLAM professionals to advocate for, as well as support accessibility within their organizations. This DAWG subgroup organizes events for presentations, demonstrations, discussions, and other learning activities for digital library practitioners working in areas relating to or intersecting with issues of accessibility and technology. Our focus is on pedagogy as advocacy, raising awareness and educating practitioners on emerging opportunities and barriers faced by disabled people, as well as ethical use of open source products, including assistive technologies.

Group Facilitators

Bryan Birchmeier, University of Michigan (2024–present)
Adele Fitzgerald, St. Joseph's University, New York (June 2021–present)
Alex Wermer-Colan, Temple University (2020–2024)
Mark Weiler, Wilfrid Laurier University (2020–May 2021)

Upcoming Events

TBA.

2026 events TBA.

Previous Events

2025-11-23: VPAT Interpretation and Scoring lead by Jane Berliss-Vincent - has recording
2025-10-02: Accessibility_Ambassadors_Project_Overview,_Recorded_10_2_25 presented by Tiffany Harris and Bryan Birchmeier
2025-05-28: Accessibility Services: ARP, Accessible Copies and Consultations presented by Bryan Birchmeier
2024-11-14: How is your ADA Title II Plan Going?
2024-07-17: Group Discussion about recently updated ADA Title II Regulations.
2024-04-24: Discussion about Advocacy Successes and Failures, not recorded.
2023-11-09: The Intersection of Copyright and Accessibility, presented by Carli Spina.
2023-10-03: DAWG Advocacy & Education Group and the DLF Cultural Assessment Group joint article discussion on Metadata and universal access in digital library environment by Wondwossem Mulualem Beyene.
2023-03-27 Article Discussion on Captioning led by Abigail Norris-Davidson - Norris-Davidson, Abigail and Emanuel, Michelle, "Caption This: Creating Efficiency in Audiovisual Accessibility Using Automatic Speech Recognition Toolkit" (2021). Library Publications. 18
2023-03-08 VPAT Interpretation presentation, led by Jane Berliss-Vincent
2022-09-29 PDF remediation presentation/discussion recording Speakers Aneta Kwak, Jonathan Milam & Mark Weiler, with additional support from Ashley Shaw, Matt Thomas & Bart Kawula
2022-05-05 Discussion of Digital Equity, led by Don Michael, Central Piedmont Community College. Recording — Slides
2022-03-24 Introduction to the Auditing Shortlist - presented by Kristen Heldmann and [Debbie Krahmer
2022-02-24 Discussed challenges of Alt text in libraries and digital collections/exhibits - discussion lead by Wendy Robertson (she/her) and Adele Fitzgerald (her/her) - links shared (Google doc)
2021-10-12 Discussed the article “Barriers to Supporting Accessible VR in Academic Libraries” by Jasmine Clark and Zack Lischer-Katz, The Journal of Interactive Technology & Pedagogy (20 May 2020))
2021-07-08: Discussion -- Reflecting on the Pandemic's Effects on Digital Accessibility
2021-04-29: Penniphurr Stevenson (she/her) led an informal learning session on using MARC to enhance records for accessibility Resources (Google doc)
2021-03-19: Abigail Sachs (she/her) led a discussion of ableism in the LIS field. Resources (Google doc)
2021-02-25: Demonstration of JAWS by Mark Weiler (sighted, JAWS certified librarian) and Daniella Levy-Pinto, a JAWS user for more than two decades in academic and professional settings. She is the projects coordinator for the National Network for Library Service (NNELS)
2021-01-27: Discussed the article "Teleconference Accessibility and Guidelines for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Users" by Raja S. Kushalnagar and Christian Vogler - https://doi.org/10.1145/3373625.3417299 - Discussion facilitator was Adele Fitzgerald
2020-10-12: Inclusive Design and Accessible Exhibits: Some Guidance for Libraries, Galleries, and Museums -- webinar by Sina Bahram -- YouTube recording

Back to main Digital Accessibility Group page

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 == Group Facilitators ==
-* Alex Wermer-Colan, Temple University (2020– )
+* Bryan Birchmeier, University of Michigan (2024–present)
-* Adele Fitzgerald, St. Joseph's University, New York (June 2021– )
+* Adele Fitzgerald, St. Joseph's University, New York (June 2021–present)
+* Alex Wermer-Colan, Temple University (2020–2024)
 * Mark Weiler, Wilfrid Laurier University (2020–May 2021)
 == Upcoming Events ==
-* Oct 3, 2023 02:00 PM Eastern Time
-The DAWG Advocacy and Education and the DLF Cultural Assessment Group will have a joint discussion about the article
-"[https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/LHT-06-2016-0074/full/html Metadata and universal access in digital library environment]" by Wondwossem Mulualem Beyene
+* TBA.
+events TBA.
-and also [https://accessiblelibraries.ca/subject/metadata/ Accessibility information in metadata]
-We welcome anyone from any DLF group or people not in DLF to attend.
-Please [https://sjny.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYvfuGqrTosHNPbnRhi9kf1CyXFKatJEYNZ register in advance for this article discussion].
-After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
-* xx
 == Previous Events ==
+* 2025-11-23: [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1w6KA8HtyOBcvzUqaQQlvRY6EIo2s5d5R VPAT Interpretation and Scoring] lead by Jane Berliss-Vincent - has recording
+* 2025-10-02: [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1SkinrwmFNYZjf_Z55lznayu5MQLAothf?usp=drive_link Accessibility_Ambassadors_Project_Overview,_Recorded_10_2_25] presented by Tiffany Harris and Bryan Birchmeier
+* 2025-05-28: [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bd7Ga6fZn67KZoeE3tzSOT-5nkupX2JV?usp=drive_link Accessibility Services: ARP, Accessible Copies and Consultations] presented by Bryan Birchmeier
+* 2024-11-14: [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1R0D5Y3F8jtvnS7Q1lKm1fAnRFKE-Trld?usp=drive_link How is your ADA Title II Plan Going?]
+* 2024-07-17: [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1aL1fmSgh9dy2jWM_n_WGI43avqZh7pZ7?usp=drive_link Group Discussion about recently updated ADA Title II Regulations].
+* 2024-04-24: Discussion about Advocacy Successes and Failures, not recorded.
+* 2023-11-09: [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xt85Hzog_rBh3CPQJ96herPkzjenJu5hx3CXaAuGfNc/edit?usp=drive_link The Intersection of Copyright and Accessibility], presented by Carli Spina.
+* 2023-10-03: DAWG Advocacy & Education Group and the DLF Cultural Assessment Group joint [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11wwjvpFWtH8MExd_lMbZa4cQKGkvu5z1?usp=share_link article discussion on Metadata and universal access in digital library environment] by Wondwossem Mulualem Beyene.
 * 2023-03-27 [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lQMrMICgFmFB39HuPTFRLrJnS0NS777a?usp=share_link Article Discussion on Captioning] led by Abigail Norris-Davidson - Norris-Davidson, Abigail and Emanuel, Michelle, "Caption This: Creating Efficiency in Audiovisual Accessibility Using Automatic Speech Recognition Toolkit" (2021). [https://egrove.olemiss.edu/libpubs/18/ Library Publications. 18]
-* 2023-03-08 [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RGNzUM3yqX-fVqHwJRYCUsjztmT4SEjD_-u4b9Bkfmo/edit?usp=share_link VPAT Interpretation presentation], led by  Jane Berliss-Vincent
+* 2023-03-08 [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RGNzUM3yqX-fVqHwJRYCUsjztmT4SEjD_-u4b9Bkfmo/edit?usp=share_link VPAT Interpretation presentation], led by Jane Berliss-Vincent
 * 2022-09-29 [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1srjUFiK9T1 PDF remediation presentation/discussion recording] Speakers Aneta Kwak, Jonathan Milam & Mark Weiler, with additional support from Ashley Shaw, Matt Thomas & Bart Kawula
 * 2022-05-05 Discussion of Digital Equity, led by Don Michael, Central Piedmont Community College. [https://drive.google.com/file/d/10FQgc8pfeo0o2fsUmsdz-6ycCQ_aK-ZQ/view?usp=sharing Recording] — [https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/113Z29wQjNsbgE1Gb4V8iPfKIRnqZo848/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=108709593258990269422&rtpof=true&sd=true Slides]