Patricia Kahn, AVP, Office Technology Systems Linda John, Director, Academic Computing Mark Lewental, Director, Library and Media Technologies VDI and NJVID The Solution to Universal Design for Students with Accessibilities

About College of Staten Island Services Available for Students with Disabilities Moving Towards Universal Design Environment VDI and NJVID Experience Q&A Agenda

Approximately 14,000 students About 1700 Student Computers Open/Teaching labs – 46 computers dedicated for accessibility 5 Labs in Accessibility Center Accessibility Population – 8 visually impaired students – 6 hard of hearing students – 100 registered with learning disabilities Smart Classrooms About College of Staten Island

 Duxbury Braille Translator *  Read/Write Gold *  MathTalk *  MathType *  Jaws (Lab; Library)  Kurzweil (Lab; Library)  ZoomText (Lab; Library)  J-say Pro *  Dragon * * Available at Office of Accessibilities only Software Available for Students with Disabilities on Campus

Challenges – Easy access – Lab location – Licensing – Image on all computers – Copyright – Closed captioning Moving Towards a Universal Design Environment

Solution: VDI and NJVID – Access accessibility software from any location – Leverage software for other purposes – Respect anonymity and independent learning Instructional videos on how to use VDI Instructional videos on how to use accessibility software – Provide ability to offer courses to branch campuses – Low cost solution to close captioning Moving Towards a Universal Design Environment, continued

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) The practice of hosting a desktop operating system within a virtual machine (VM) running on a centralized server.VM VDI is a variation on the client/server computing model, sometimes referred to as server-based computing.client/server The term was coined by VMware Inc. VMware Components of the desktop are virtualized, which allows for a highly flexible and more secure desktop delivery model VDI Explained

Secure streaming Embedding media Closed captioning Searchable metadata Commercial video service LMS integration Supports media types Active Directory integration for Single Sign On Training material and learning guides Excellent support Features of NJVID

VDI provides the cloud environment SSO with AD integration Access accessibility software anytime anywhere: home, any lab, any computer NJVID enhanced end user support A combination of both platforms is an equation for success VDI and NJVID

CSI received grant funding to support the development of a universal design environment Set the stage for expansion to other CUNY campuses – Lessons learned – Resources needed Create a VDI environment Networking and VMWare Decide on software, licensing, and configuration Training and support Documentation and video captioning on how to access software AD integration College Assistant Deployment and Implementation

Selected software to be placed in VDI environment – Kurzweil – ZoomText – NVDA (replaced Jaws) Documentation and tutorials – How to access and use VDI – How to access software – Instructional videos to represent all accessibility needs (hearing, visual, and learning disabilities) Training Assessment – Surveying students and faculty at the end of the semester Student Technology Initiative VDI Pilot

@ VDI and NJVID environments Let’s Take a Look

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