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Disability & Disability Studies at The Ohio State University:
A Multimedia History

Working with Professor Brenda Brueggemann, psychology major Karla Kmetz documents the history and context of Disability Studies at The Ohio State University as part of the Research on Research program. Research on Research is an innovative program that partners the university’s leading researchers with undergraduate students. Supported by TELR (Technology Enhanced Learning and Research), students collaborate with a faculty member to develop a multimedia portfolio documenting research. Housed in the Digital Union, this program fosters interdisciplinary scholarly exchange, skills building, and an exciting exploration of the world of academics.

A Multimedia History of Disability Studies at The Ohio State University consists of interviews with many of the people involved in the creation of the Disability Studies program and in the University’s offices and organizations providing disability services and education. It identifies some of the key events, people, offices, and programs involved in this history. The rich multimedia portfolio is available on the web (http://digitalunion.osu.edu/r2/summer06/kmetz/) Designed to be completely accessible to individuals with disabilities the web site seamlessly combines captioned video, compatibility with voice output technologies, and state of the art design.

The disability history project was one of a dozen showcased at the Digital Union on Friday Aug. 25, 2006. During the demonstration JAWS (voice output software) was running. When asked how much longer it took to design full access into the site by President Holbrook, Ms. Kmetz replied "none at all, really. If you build it with that thought in mind to begin with, it's nothing added on at all. And it just makes it a better site all around."