Speaker(s)
Session Details
Join us in this interactive session as we present the exploratory case study of the Do IDEA Lab pilot program, Accessible Player Profile (APP) Cards. This session discusses Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) strategies, explores IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) principles, and progresses session participants through the pilot program’s design, implementation, findings, and implications.
Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) principles challenge the far too often present needs-based approach to addressing social inequities and development within communities. Seminal research (Kretzmann & McKnight, 1993) identifies institutions (e.g., universities, government, nonprofits, etc.) as having “focused exclusively on the needs, deficiencies and problems” of communities when designing and implementing community development initiatives (Garcia, 2020, p. 68). In juxtaposition, ABCD principles assert that a community is developed in its entirety through the involvement of insiders who invest their expertise, and in consequence themselves, into the process. Thus, the ability for community development to occur is consequence to the efforts and investment of its residents–that is, community development begins from the inside out (Kretzmann & McKnight, 1993).
America’s favorite pastime was modified to accommodate athletes with visual impairments and blindness in a sport called beep baseball (“Beep Baseball in a Nutshell,” 1976; 2018). Since its inception, beep baseball has led the sector of the industry in developing and implementing emerging technology to create access to the sport, enhance the competition of the sport, and promote athlete identity-salience. Session attendees will learn about the sport of beep baseball through the exploration of its history, equipment, and emerging technologies. Additionally, this session discusses the Do IDEA Lab pilot program, Accessible Player Profile (APP) Cards. Attendees will learn about the interdisciplinary collaboration between program participants with areas of expertise to include community advocacy, recreation and sport management, and emerging technology education. Program participants will discuss their respective areas of expertise and contribution to the culminating project, the production of baseball cards for Atlanta, Georgia’s beep baseball team – the Atlanta Chaos.
Keypoints
Disability Areas
Assistive Technology, Research, Teaching about Accessibility in Curriculum, Uncategorized, Universal Design for Learning
Speaker Bio(s)
Jennifer Johnson
Dr. Jennifer A. Johnson (she/they) has their doctorate in Kinesiology, Sport Administration from Georgia State University (2019) and research interests in allyship development and blind sport. Dr. Johnson is currently working on a blind sport ethnography (Blindsight) heavily based in practitioner experiences and environments with applications in higher education. Dr. Johnson currently serves as the coordinator of Aquatics, Safety, and Student Development with Recreational Services at Georgia State University, their three time alma mater (Go Panthers!). In addition, Dr. Johnson volunteers with the Georgia Blind Sports Association and serves on the executive board of CAM’s Vision Foundation 501(c)3.
Aaron Lichkay
Aaron Lichkay (he/him) has a masters of Public Administrations with a concentration in Nonprofit Management from Georgia State University and is currently the Executive Director of Citizen Advocacy of Atlanta & DeKalb (CAAD). CAAD works to build a more caring community through initiating and supporting one-to-one advocacy relationships to address social devaluation and risk of abuse, neglect, and social isolation of people with developmental disabilities. Aaron is also the founder of Do IDEA which works to reduce barriers to and provide assistance for community Action around Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility. IDEA labs integrate emerging technology with principles of Asset Based Community Development to generate social impact projects.
Jeremiah Long
Jeremiah Long (he/him) is the Executive Director and founder of Wedge Inc, a nonprofit for helping underrepresented people learn emerging technology. With a speciality in emerging technology education, Jeremiah’s recent work includes founding Ai startup Ai For Kids dot App, Blockchain project: Immutable Access on the Flow Blockchain, founding NFTATL, and building The Atlanta Voice Newspaper’s digital media platform. Jeremiah has experience leading award winning project teams with other diverse news outlets, including The Dallas Weekly; launching multiple Web3 and NFT projects, and speaking on stages across the US about representation in the Web3 space. Jeremiah is also a dedicated artist, creator, and educator with expertise in 3D, virtual reality, augmented reality, animation, filmmaking, music production, design, and smart contract development. His focus is on mentorship, storytelling, community building, and inclusive entrepreneurship in the Web3 community.
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