NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE: Q&A WITH NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND & ASSOCIATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND DISABILITY

Authors

  • Kristen Betts Dr. Kristen Betts Chief Academic Officer Forbes Education 60 Fifth Avenue, Suite 530 New York, NY 10011

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v17i3.379

Keywords:

Accessibility, student success, disabilities, support services, professional development, online learning, online education, higher education, barriers

Abstract

Student success for online students with disabilities requires an institutional commitment to accessibility. It also requires an understanding of the benefits and opportunities as well challenges and barriers related to online learning. This question and answer session provides a national perspective from the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and the Association of Higher Education And Disability (AHEAD) on online learning, accessibility, and students success. Organizational representatives for this session include Mark Riccobono, the Director of the Jernigan Institute, NFB, and Kelly Hermann, Chairs of AHEAD's Special Interest Group on Online and Distance Learning.

Author Biography

Kristen Betts, Dr. Kristen Betts Chief Academic Officer Forbes Education 60 Fifth Avenue, Suite 530 New York, NY 10011

Kristen Betts, EdD, is the Chief Academic Officer at Forbes Education. Dr. Betts has served as the Director of Online & Blended Learning at Armstrong Atlantic State University and the Senior Director for eLearning at Drexel University. Additionally, Dr. Betts has served as the Director of the blended EdD Program in Educational Leadership & Management program for the Philadelphia campus and the founding Director of the online Master of Science in Higher Education program at Drexel University. While at Armstrong and Drexel University, she led program and campus initiatives that received distinguished statewide, national, and international awards. Dr. Betts has been a keynote speaker at conferences and government-supported events in Sweden, South Korea, Canada, and across the United States. She serves on several advisory boards and as a conference reviewer for several national and international associations. Dr. Betts is a Quality Matters certified peer reviewer and master reviewer. She is also a Higher Education Resource Services (HERS) Institute alumna and has been a reviewer for the Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks (JALN), Journal for Online Learning and Teaching (JOLT), Journal of Online Pedagogy & Course Design (IJOPCD), Journal of Tourism & Hospitality (JTH), and EDUCAUSE Quarterly (EQ). Dr. Betts publishes and presents nationally and internationally on online and blended education, student/faculty recruitment and retention, adult learning, branding, Online Human Touch, Online First-Year Experience, eAdvising, eStudent Affairs, dashboards, accessibility, cooperative education/work integrated learning, stackable credential programs, and faculty development.

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Published

2013-09-30

Issue

Vol. 17 No. 3 (2013)

Section

Integrating Accessibility into Online Higher Education

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