"The mind is a wonderful thing. It starts working the minute you're born and never stops working until you get up to speak in public." (Unknown)
The quality of your presentation is most directly related to the quality of your preparation. Rarely will you have difficulties in your presentation due to being overprepared.
"More important than the curriculum is the question of the methods of teaching and the spirit in which the teaching is given." (Bertrand Russell)
"There are two types of speakers. Those who get nervous and those who are liars." (Mark Twain)
Nervousness before a talk or workshop is healthy. It shows that your presentation is important to you and that you care about doing well. The best performers are nervous prior to stepping on stage. Below are suggestions for assuring that anxiety does not have a negative impact on your presentation.
"The greatest talent is meaningless without one other vital component: passion." (Selwyn Lager)
Keep your opening simple and exciting to engage your audience in your content.
"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." (Confucius, 451 BC)
Model accessible teaching methods that your participants can use. Incorporate universal design principles to address the needs of participants with a wide range of knowledge, abilities, disabilities, interests, and learning styles. Examples are listed below.
"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." (Albert Einstein)
If your audience enjoys and remembers your presentation, it is because you presented it in a dynamic or compelling manner.
"It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers." (James Thurber)
Avoid simply lecturing to your audience. Engage your audience in an active discussion.
"Real prosperity can only come when everybody prospers." (Anna Eleanor Roosevelt)
Include a short activity that makes an important point and encourages participation and discussion. Here's one to try. Announce that you're going to have a five-minute activity, then ask your participants to choose someone sitting nearby and share with each other two things:
Have the instructions written on a presentation slide or write them on a flip chart. Read the instructions aloud. Give participants three to four minutes (there will be a lot of laughter and lighthearted talk), and then say you're not really interested in what they do well; ask people to share things that their partner does not do well. (This usually ends up funny—participants enjoy sharing that he can't do math, he hates public speaking, she's not good at fixing things around the house.)
After the fun, make the point that, "You have experienced, in a small way, what a person with an obvious disability experiences all the time—that people first notice something they are not particularly good at (e.g., walking, seeing, hearing) and don't take the time to learn his or her strengths. A disability may impact 10% of a person's life, yet is considered a defining characteristic by others. We need to pay attention to what everyone, including those with disabilities, can do, rather than accentuating what they can't do." To emphasize the point ask participants to reflect on how they felt when you said you weren't really interested in what they do well.
This activity is short, fun, and effective. It addresses the issue of attitudes, yet does not have some of the negative elements of traditional simulations that leave people feeling like having a disability is an impossible problem with no solution. This activity is also good to use when talking about internal and external barriers to success for students with disabilities, which can include lack of self-advocacy skills (internal barrier), and negative attitudes or low expectations on the part of individuals with whom they interact (external barrier).
"Learning is an active process. We learn by doing . . . Only knowledge that is used sticks in your mind." (Dale Carnegie)
Have participants discuss case studies in small groups. At the end of this section are sample case studies that can be used in your presentation. They are all based on real experiences at postsecondary institutions. Each case study is formatted as a handout that can be duplicated for small group discussion. On the back of each activity sheet is the full description, including the solution actually employed. This version can be used for your information only or can be distributed to the group after the initial brainstorming has occurred. Participants can compare their ideas with the resolution in the actual case.
"Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic, and faithful, and you will accomplish your objective. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Be sure that your presentation covers the most important content for your audience.
"The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point, however, is to change it." (Karl Marx)
Make sure that you provide your audience with information on which they can follow up after your presentation.
"The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own." (Benjamin Disraeli)
The most important and remembered words you speak are the last ones.
"I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best." (Oscar Wilde)
Take steps to gain feedback about your presentation that will lead to improvements.
"When you can do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world." (George Washington Carver)
In summary, to give effective presentations where participants gain valuable information in a dynamic way, make sure to:
The following are a list of case studies that can be used during presentations.
My name is Caryn. I am an eighteen-year-old freshman entering a small private university. I am studying the visual arts and eventually plan to attend graduate school for a Master's of Fine Arts.
Although I'm an art major, I have to take two English courses and four semesters of a second language that are required by the university. I have a language-learning disability which makes it difficult for me to understand and organize large amounts of verbal information. Writing was my most challenging academic area in high school. I was worried that I would not be able to keep up with the course workloads and failing a course my first semester was not an option.
Initially, I did not want to disclose my learning disability. However, I was very worried about these course requirements, especially since it was my first semester of college. I contacted my advisor in the art department and mentioned my concerns. After an appointment with the disabled student services counselor where I presented documentation of my disability, we decided on the following solutions. I was able to substitute the foreign language course requirement for two courses in the social sciences. I also learned about the freshman writing lab. I set up a series of weekly private appointments with a writing tutor to review my English coursework. Also, I borrowed, from the disabled student services department, a computer equipped with a voice-to-text option. With this adaptive technology, I can speak into the computer and my speech is translated into text. Without this accommodation, my thoughts and writing can become easily disorganized or jumbled, and I have a very difficult time completing assignments.
This case study illustrates that assistance from the campus disabled student services department can help a student with a disability:
My name is Scott. I am a nineteen-year-old engineering student with muscular dystrophy. I use a powered wheelchair for mobility. An important part of the first year of my engineering program involves work on computer-aided design programs in the engineering computer lab.
Although I can use one hand to control my wheelchair, I have limited strength and movement in my hands and fingers. I cannot use a standard mouse or keyboard to operate a computer. I also cannot physically access some lab computers due to the height of the table and the position of the computer equipment.
I met with my course instructor and toured the computer lab prior to the first class. I found that I could not physically access the lab computers. An adaptive technology specialist within the university helped the lab acquire an adjustable computer table and set up the workspace at an appropriate height and location for me. The lab also acquired a trackball, which eliminated the need to use a mouse. With the trackball, I can perform mouse functions and use a virtual, on-screen keyboard. These computer accommodations were in place by the first day of class. They provided me with the full access I needed to complete required laboratory coursework as part of the engineering program.
This case study illustrates the importance of:
My name is Linda. I am twenty-two years old and an undergraduate student. I have cerebral palsy. I am applying for acceptance to a social work program in the fall. I attend a large public university and the campus is spread out over several miles. Due to my impaired leg movements and balance, I walk with a cane.
Before I can apply for admission to the program, I need to take four prerequisite classes this quarter. Only twenty minutes of passing time are available between two of my classes and the buildings are a quarter of a mile apart. No other scheduling options are available. I inquired about the campus bus system and learned that it has no direct route between these buildings. If I do not take both of these courses, I will need to delay my application for another year.
I met with the university's disabled student services counselor to discuss my situation. I did not need any accommodations prior to this quarter. Together we developed a plan. The counselor contacted the campus transportation services and arranged transportation between my classes. I contacted the course instructor and he was informed of my transportation needs and the possibility of late arrivals on an occasional basis. The instructor and I also made arrangements with another student who had taken previous courses with me to share notes or announcements that I missed when I could not arrive on time.
This situation illustrates:
A student, who uses a wheelchair and is enrolled in a special education/mentally-physically handicapped program, needed to take a required course. The class, "Health and Physical Education for Elementary Schools," was to be held in an old building which was inaccessible to wheelchairs.
While the usual procedure was to move the location of the class to an accessible building, the professor initially requested that a temporary ramp be constructed for access. This idea was rejected by facilities management due to the prohibitive expense and time of building a ramp that would meet Americans with Disabilities Act specifications. The building was slated for renovation in two years.
The class was relocated to a fieldhouse arena where three other gym classes were scheduled for the same time slot. This was unacceptable to the professor, who felt the teaching environment would be adversely affected because of excessive noise. Furthermore, since there was inadequate storage at the fieldhouse, equipment (including balance beams, assorted size balls, and other large items needed for the course) would need to be moved to the fieldhouse prior to each class session.
As a result, the professor requested the student be carried up the twenty-two cement stairs to the original classroom. This proposed solution was rejected due to student safety and institutional liability issues.
The student, professor, and office for disabled student services jointly developed a satisfactory solution. An experienced telecommunications student was hired by the office for disabled student services to film the class sessions. The student using the wheelchair met with the professor after class to obtain the video and written outline of the class session. The student reviewed the video and notes and had the opportunity to ask questions of the professor via email and telephone prior to each regular class. The class was moved to the fieldhouse arena for one day when it was the student's assigned turn to teach a class. The student chose equipment in her lesson plan that only required the professor's jeep to transport to the field house.
This case study illustrates that:
My name is Imke and I am blind. As a first-year graduate student in atmospheric sciences, I was required to enroll in a quarter-long credit/no credit synoptic meteorology lab. Most of the lab time was spent plotting meteorological data and drawing contours on weather maps. The goal was to learn about the development and structure of mid-latitude weather systems.
I needed to find a way to participate in the class and learn the necessary material without having to draw and contour weather maps.
I was unsure of the best way to participate in the class, so I approached the instructor of the course, who happened to be my Ph.D. advisor, and asked if he had any suggestions. It appeared that he had already thought about this issue. He immediately proposed that instead of attending the weekly classes, I visit his office once a week at a time convenient to both of us, so that he could explain the relevant concepts to me. I also received the instructor's class notes in an accessible format from the university's disabled student services office. This arrangement worked well. I was able to gain an understanding of mid-latitude weather systems without participating in the map drawing activities that were central to the course.
This situation illustrates that:
Dr. Sheryl Burgstahler was asked to teach a three-credit, web-based distance learning course at the University of Washington. The topic of the course was issues and strategies regarding computing access for people with disabilities, content she had taught many times in a traditional class setting.
She anticipated that individuals with a wide range of disabilities would enroll in the course. Her goal was to employ universal design principles to make the course accessible to everyone, regardless of abilities and disabilities, language skills, and learning styles.
Dr. Burgstahler ensured the course books were available in alternate versions. Students who are blind or who have learning disabilities that impact reading ability could order an audio version of the text, while other students use the printed copy.
To show examples of adaptive technology that provide access to computers for people with disabilities, she selected a series of videos produced by the DO-IT Center. These films are open captioned, making them accessible to students who are deaf and to students for whom English is a second language. They are also available with audio description, a feature that describes aurally the visual content in the tape. This version is used by students who are blind.
Lessons for the course and course discussions took place over email: a fully accessible medium. Assignments and the final exam were also submitted via email. Course webpages were designed using universal design principles, ensuring access to all students.
As a prerequisite for the course, students were required to have access to email and the Internet. As a result, the university did not need to provide computer equipment, including adaptive technology, for those with disabilities. The course could, however, be taken using campus computers and adaptive technology as required by students with disabilities. The key was to offer to students with disabilities the same services offered to others.
Students from all over the world and with a variety of disabilities have enrolled in the course. As there are no in-person meetings and the course is designed to be fully accessible, there is no way to know how many students with disabilities have completed the course. Some students with disabilities have disclosed their disabilities voluntarily, but no one has needed a special accommodation. Disabilities disclosed include learning disabilities, cerebral palsy, and blindness.
This case demonstrates how: