Inclusive Excellence in Action

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10/25/2022 Added

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Members of the Husker community demonstrate how they put inclusive excellence into action.

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[00:00:06.166]In my college, diversity, equity and inclusion are at the core of our work to
[00:00:10.566]enhance the lives of individuals, family, schools and communities and strengthen
[00:00:15.333]the relationships among them. As the college dean, my personal journey this past
[00:00:20.300]year included studying several books, engaging in meaningful conversations and
[00:00:25.399]participating on the ASPIRE leadership team. Over the past year, the college has
[00:00:30.666]worked to establish and strengthen practices that promote and enhance diversity
[00:00:35.399]through our Teachers of Color Summit, professional development on inclusive
[00:00:39.766]human subjects research and implementing the BRIDGE best practices for faculty
[00:00:44.466]and staff searches. We have much work to do.
[00:00:47.666]In the words of our own Dr. Gwendolyn Newkirk:
[00:01:06.299]I am Kwakiutl Dreyer the director and co-writer of the Bell Affair, a live
[00:01:12.533]animation feature film that dramatizes the largest escape to freedom in our
[00:01:17.900]nation's history. My work with William Thomas in History and Michael Burton in
[00:01:23.033]Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design, and the Center for Digital Research
[00:01:28.333]in the Humanities are interdisciplinary partnerships.
[00:01:32.066][movie sound] The court will now hear the petition for freedom for Daniel Bell.
[00:01:35.933]We are animating history, whereby we produce unique, compelling historical
[00:01:42.299]dramatic documentaries, combining the arts, creative writing, drama, music, and
[00:01:49.299]generally the humanities via live animation. Our productions allow the viewer to
[00:01:56.233]find the connection in their own lives in the stories we create.
[00:02:00.933]Currently, Thomas, Burton and I are in post production on "Michael Shiner,"
[00:02:06.066]an enslaved man whose diary covers 60 years of his life. Our team viewed his diary at
[00:02:13.300]the Library of Congress this summer. His daily entries speak to us across centuries.
[00:02:19.900]Animating history is bringing Shiner's words from the page to life.
[00:02:29.866]The past couple years, I learned that designing for students with disabilities
[00:02:33.566]benefits all students. This design process of reducing barriers to learning and
[00:02:38.400]serving more diverse needs is called Universal Design for Learning or UDL.
[00:02:44.099]Part of designing well is ensuring the content is accessible. All of our technologies
[00:02:49.066]have built in features that you can use to make your digital content accessible.
[00:02:53.533]These features are easy to use, but not often taught. I was inspired to unite
[00:02:58.266]several units across the university to create a Canvas site and Bridge training
[00:03:02.633]on these topics so you can learn these, too. The UDL accessibility Canvas site
[00:03:07.533]provides guides, checklists and examples of accommodations, accessibility and UDL.
[00:03:13.699]The Bridge training helps you attain basic digital accessibility skills
[00:03:17.633]through hands-on activities in one hour. Noticing the people most likely to be
[00:03:22.466]edged out by our current content design and designing with them in mind is
[00:03:26.533]inclusive excellence in action. I hope you visit the Canvas site, take the
[00:03:30.866]training and join in designing our content to support all learners through
[00:03:34.699]accessibility and universal design for learning.
[00:03:41.933]As a peer mentor, we form relationships with our first year students and help
[00:03:45.933]keep them on track throughout the semester. Many of our students are
[00:03:49.500]underrepresented minorities, first generation, or Pell Grant eligible and we are
[00:03:53.666]their biggest support system at UNL. The majority of our peer mentors are
[00:03:57.566]OASIS scholars themselves and our students value seeing people like them
[00:04:01.633]in leadership positions all across campus.
[00:04:04.066]That's inclusive excellence in action.
[00:04:06.633]When I was a freshman in the OASIS Scholars Success program, it meant so much to
[00:04:11.066]me that my mentor was a woman of color who had been through similar experiences,
[00:04:15.066]and to know that someone out there was rooting for me. If you're interested in
[00:04:19.033]the work OASIS does, I'd really encourage you to come to the Jackie Gaughan
[00:04:22.199]Multicultural Center during the school day. Our students take full advantage of
[00:04:25.899]the lounge and the study spaces, so there's never a dull moment.
[00:04:29.966]Our peer mentors are always sharing resources and opportunities
[00:04:32.833]with the students as well.
[00:04:34.399]So don't be afraid to reach out to the program if there's something you
[00:04:37.300]think would be really great we could collaborate on. In the future, I hope to see more
[00:04:41.766]collaborative events and programs between OASIS and other programs on campus.
[00:04:46.466]think we could all benefit from shared learning and further our
[00:04:49.366]campus' inclusive excellence.

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Inclusive Excellence in Action

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