Black River Technical College (BRTC) Academic Advisor and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator Zachary Singleton recently presented at an Arkansas Associate on Higher Education and Disability (Ark-AHEAD) conference on artificial intelligence and accessibility in higher education.
His presentation examined how emerging tools – including automated transcription, captioning, and content-analysis systems – are transforming the creation and verification of accessible materials. While these technologies offer promising gains in efficiency and consistency, Dr. Singleton also led an honest conversation about the challenges they introduce around equity and accuracy.
Participants also engaged in meaningful discussion on strategies for partnering with faculty to implement AI in ways that are both ethical and transparent.
According to arkahead.org, Ark-AHEAD is an organization for professionals working with people with disabilities in postsecondary education settings in Arkansas. Ark-AHEAD plays a vital role in the provision of professional development and networking opportunities. They strive to respond to the rapid changes in the law and accommodation practices, the isolation felt by many disability coordinators, and the dual roles that many professionals serve. Memberships are formed from postsecondary schools: public, private, two-year, four-year, graduate, and vocational-technical colleges. Ark-AHEAD members unite in their common needs and concerns in service to students with disabilities. Ark-AHEAD is affiliated with AHEAD (National Association on Higher Education and Disability).
BRTC’s Accessibility Services Resource Center works to assist BRTC students with accommodation services. BRTC seeks to be in compliance with both the spirit and the letter of the law as stated in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
For more information about BRTC’s accommodation services contact Dr. Zachary Singleton at Zachary.singleton@blackrivertech.edu or visit https://blackrivertech.edu/students/ada-accessibility-services/.