Teach Access Names Buffalo State First Academic Hub in Eastern United States

Buffalo State University's School of Education offers students an abundance of tools for success, which means faculty members not only stay apprised of needs in the education world but also consistently provide teachers-in-training with the experience necessary to meet them. Recently, Angela Thering, a lecturer in the Higher Education Administration and Adult Education Department, sought an opportunity to provide one such skill by applying for a grant from Teach Access, a nonprofit organization that bridges the gap between academia and industry in the field of digital accessibility. She was also an advocate for Buffalo State to become Teach Access's second academic hub-and its first in the eastern United States.

Since its founding in 2016, Teach Access has reached more than 500,000 students on its mission to "develop a future of employees who design technological products and services with accessibility in mind."

The Buffalo State partnership is especially significant because this is the first time a Teach Access hub will be housed in a school of education, which Thering said is a perfect fit.

"Establishing a Teach Access Hub at Buffalo State directly supports our mission to 'empower students to succeed and inspire a lifelong passion for learning,'" she said. "Instructors who participate in the Teach Access Pilot Program will enhance their skills in accessible design, enabling them to teach students practical techniques for creating their own accessible digital learning experiences. As a result, Buffalo State students will have the opportunity to gain access to a comprehensive 'digital accessibility toolkit' to apply in their future classrooms."

Rolando Méndez, director of education at Teach Access, said, "We are thrilled to partner with Buffalo State to equip faculty with fundamental accessibility skills, ensuring they can effectively teach these vital competencies to the next generation of educators."

This fall, Wendy Paterson, dean of the School of Education, will invite faculty members to participate in a pilot program where they will complete a Teach Access survey and online course, create curricular materials to teach accessibility within their own courses, participate in community-building activities, and share best practices by presenting work or promoting accessibility at institutional events.

"Buffalo State University has always been known in our community and in the wider world as 'the teachers college,'" Paterson said. "In that capacity, we were also one of the first universities to offer study in exceptional education. Our Exceptional Education Department has led the way on exploring and addressing many issues relating to access and accommodation. This newest partnership, combining technology and online learning with service to persons with disabilities, is simply another way that our 'teachers college' will help our instructors reach all students and learn the importance of using technological access to reach all children."

Teach Access also connects its cohort members with leading accessibility and disability experts and provides funded initiatives and special programming.

"This program prepares the next generation of a diverse group of content developers-from teachers to computer programmers-to design accessible digital products," Thering said. "By intentionally including digital accessibility content across a range of courses, Buffalo State University students will be better prepared to design inclusively, with digital accessibility as a primary goal."

Logo courtesy of Teach Access.