DKC Training Site

Tag: Spring 2025

  • My UMW Site Experience

    I created a lion socialization website called Lion’s Den using UMW Sites, here is the link to it: https://teagandkc.umwsites.net/

    To explain the difference between DoOO and UMW Sites, I would say the UMW Sites is a simplified version of DoOO, with limited themes, plug-ins, and features, that is best utilized for small projects meant for only one class. Because of Sites limited themes and plug-in’s, customization and creativity are stunted significantly. Additionally, it is limited in the sense that you do not get a domain or neighborhood, you only get one house, so it is harder to expand if you want to pursue multiple projects. Because of these reasons, I would recommend Sites if someone had only one class that they anticipated needing a site for and would not mind the limited customization. Because it is simpler, it could be more useful for people who want something more user-friendly.

  • Sites@UMW

    I created my own sites@umw. Here is the link to My Sample Site. I chose to theme the website as if it were just an example to be used to model sites@umw to someone who doesn’t know what it is. I would explain the difference between sites@umw and domain of one’s own as such: sites@umw […]

  • Lexi Gudgel DKC Training 2025-02-10 18:23:54

    Bad web design Here is an example post of inaccessible, bad web design. My first example, which you may not have picked up on if you don’t use a screenreader, is that I have an empty text box. I also don’t have a properly formatted title. Second of all, I’m not listing these examples in […]

  • Accessibility

    I just watched the Office of Disability Resources video on accessibility and accommodations at UMW. I think it is so cool that our school has such a high population of students with disabilities, it shows that our school values accessibility, possibly more than other schools around Virginia. The video introduced me to the idea of digital accessibility, which is not something that I had really heard of before. I had heard of adding closed captions before but not much about things like using specific fonts and headers. I am going to look at the WCAG website to learn more about that.

    The difference between accessibility and accommodations is that accessibility is a broader goal that encompasses many disabilities being accommodated for as a baseline in society. Accommodations are more personal and given out on a case-by-case basis. For example, an accessible classroom would already have seating, technology, and a layout that was able to be used by people of many disabilities. An example of an accommodation would be a student recording lectures to help with their ADHD. I feel like an accommodation request I could encounter could in fact be recording, as stuff I would be consulting on is often complicated and some students might have trouble remembering all the steps.

    I think it is important in this line of work to make sure your instructional time is delivered alongside any accommodations an individual may need. If the person you are helping does not have a chance to fully be present because of a need of theirs not being met, they will not be able to fully take away information from your appointment. This includes making sure you are sitting in an area that is comfortable for the client, speaking clearly and loudly so they can hear and understand you, and any other request they might disclose to you. The most important part is to be flexible and understanding, so that even if you do not know how to accommodate someone at first, you can quickly adapt.

    I think this lesson was valuable especially at our school with a high rate of students with disabilities. Tune in next time to see what I am up to, and as always, stay creative.

    Teagan Stacy

  • Star Wars and all the things that entails

    Today for training I created a new site through Sites@UMW, which can be found at
    https://swlines.umwsites.net/

    It was a really odd experience, I had already used the system before to create a website for a Fashion History assignment, but that was like… 3 semesters ago… so I had kind of forgotten how different the WordPress instance was over there.

    If I had to explain the difference between Sites@UMW and DoOO to a friend, I think I would have a hard time. Something like “DoOO is a full website builder, while Sites@UMW is a bare-bones site builder.”
    I might have to go into more detail though… I’m finding rather quickly that it is awfully difficult to think of non-jargon-y ways to describe a lot of these things. How do y’all do it???

    On another note, did you know that in the deathstar 1, they put in the weapon last, but in the second deathstar, it was one of the first things to go in? Because it was meant to be a trap for the rebels, the big guy (Sheev Palpatine) (The Emperor) , decided to put in the weapon first in order to lure them there.

  • 2/5/25: Sites @ UMW

    • Share a link to the subsite you created:
    • If you had to describe the difference between Sites@UMW and DoOO to a friend who knew nothing about them (but knew you could build websites) what would you say? Basically what non-jargon way would you simply and quickly describe the difference.
      • The main difference between the two sites is that DoOO has much more customizability, while Sites is less customizable. However, this leads to DoOO being more confusing to learn and time consuming to adjust.
      • You can also take your domain from DoOO while you cannot take it from Sites.

  • Introduction to Accessibility

    I completed the Introduction to Accessibility module! I learned a lot of new things, such as more information about how a screen reader will react to certain features of my website. What I believe the difference to be between accommodations and accessibility and this: accessibility means taking simple steps to make something more inclusive for […]

  • 2/4/25: Accessibility

    • What is something new you learned about as it relates to the concept of accessibility?
      • I didn’t really learn anything as most of these were things I assumed most people knew. I experience it directly so I’ve grown used to it.
    • In your own words, what is the difference between accommodations and accessibility?
      • Accessibility is the basic ability to be able go to and participate in events, such as ramps and bus lifts. Accommodations are specific changes for a person in order to make the task at hand more accessible to the individual.
    • What kind of accommodations requests do you think you might encounter as a consultant? Feel free to ask one of the current consultants for any experiences they may have had.
      • I think we will likely encounter finding compatibility with screen readers or with reading of websites.
    • What do you think you should consider in the work that you do and its impact on individuals with disabilities (either directly or indirectly)?
      • As I am actively disabled, I know that it will likely be important for reading websites. It is more difficult to read specific fonts and font sizes, and screen readers cannot read all fonts.

  • Sidebars, plug-ins, and gradients, oh my

    I started off by customizing my sidebar to display my recent posts. I wanted to keep my sidebar simple and not to crowded so that is all that is on there for now, however, this might change in the future. Then while looking for a plugin I got distracted and decided to revamp my site by adding a gradient to the background. These two aspects added a new layer to my futuristic look. I wanted to find a plug-in that gave me more creative abilities to create an even more customized site. I stumbled upon one specific to my theme that added a homepage header. I tried it out, adding an artistic photo of a tree and one of my favorite quotes that I though matched my futuristic yet natural vibes. I then did some revising of my header and footer and landed on the current set-up which I am really loving.

    There are two appointment types that I am looking forward to, the photo and video editing projects. I have always been interested in these fields and am excited to become more of an expert in them. Overall, I have learned quite a bit in WordPress already, and eager to learn more.

    Thanks for keeping up with my journey, and as always, stay creative.

    Teagan Stacy

  • Accessibility! Part 2???

    RANTING AND RAMBLING AHEAD, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED (I’M SORRY)

    More might be added later, who knows (not i)

    What a surprise!! The disabled girl has more thoughts on accessibility! I wanted to separate this post from the other because these are more personal thoughts, generally unrelated, and I didn’t want to write a post that was 87 years long.

    I know that they don’t really touch on it in the video / presentation because it’s meant to be sort of a short overview, but there is SO MUCH more when it comes to disability.

    For example: The Models of Disability

    Since Disability Studies became a more acknowledged field of study, there’s been a lot of research into different models and perceptions of disabled people and disabled society.

    The Northeastern University Library has a decent page on this: Models of Disability – Disability Studies

    There are different types of models, and then different models under those types. Deficit models, like the Medical model referenced in the presentation, are models that view disability as a deficit, or a negative aspect of someone’s identity. They often are oriented toward FIXING a perceived issue, and often blame difficulties caused by disability on a person, their health, and/or their past.

    Another type of model is the social type. These models, such as the social model, or the human-rights model, view issues caused by disability as a failure of the society / system that has made it difficult. These models do NOT consider disability a failing of the individual, and often do not consider it something that must be fixed, but rather accommodated for and/or made normal*.

    * “made normal” as in no longer considered out of the norm / weird / an extenuating circumstance. I do not mean “make everybody disabled”