Premiere Provider of On-line Learning On Accessible Information Technology

My Goal for You Today Norman Coombs nrcgsh@rit.edu My goal is for you to understand that you have the power to change the lives of students with disabilities with the most level learning space in history and prepare them to lead rich and full lives after graduation.

Presentation Will Cover: Adaptive IT technology Why adapt & for whom? Electronic curb cuts Web accessibility Online content accessibility

Twenty Years What’s a historian want with a computer? Communication tool Compensatory device Teaching is communication Computers don’t have to be impersonal

Why Adapt for Disabilities? It’s the right thing to do It makes economic sense It’s the law Do it for yourself

It’s the Law Voc Rehab 504 IDEA ADA Voc Rehab 508

It’s the Law Equal education based in VR 504 and IDEA Rights to effective, timely, equivalent communication based in ADA Procurement standards based in VR508

Digital Curbcuts Ethnicity Gender Age Socio-economics Learning styles Disabilities

New Yorker Cartoon

E-learning and Ethnicity “What I like about this way of having class is that you are judged for what you say rather than for being Red, White, Yellow, Black, Deaf, Blind or Green.”

E-learning and Gender Computer game designers found that girls do well at relational games while boys do well with action games Females also do well with distance learning that is interactive

E-learning and Shyness “In class I am afraid of sounding stupid and getting ‘crazy looks’, and I get tongue-tied. I can talk here more freely.” Where there’s no stage there’s no stage fright

E-learning and Learning Styles Work independently Work at your own pace Work at your own time of day Potential to present material in both visual and auditory formats

Types of Disabilities Blind Low vision Motor Impairments Learning Disabilities Deaf Hearing Impaired

Types of Software Screen readers Screen magnification Onscreen keyboards Other keyboard alternatives Voice recognition OCR software

Who Has A Disability? Functional definition of disability A disability is a mismatch between the person and the interface

Web Guidelines and Standards Web Access Initiative guidelines Web Access Initiative quicktips Section 508 Federal standards

Web Advantages and Disadvantages For blind users For low vision users For users with motor impairments For users with visual and cognitive processing difficulties For user with hearing impairments

Simulating a Disability In your browser turn off “show images” Instead of the mouse, use tab and enter key for navigation Navigate with the mouse using your left or other hand

Quick Tips Summary Images and animations Image maps Multimedia Hypertext links Page organization

Quick Tips Summary Graphs and charts Scripts applets and plug-ins Frames Tables Check your work!

Accessibility Checkers www.access-board.gov www.w3.org/wai www.aprompt.ca www.cast.org/bobby Watchfire.com

E-learning Accessibility Access to the courseware equals access to the physical building Access to the content equals access to the class lectures and discussion in the physical classroom

Access to the Courseware Courseware systems are concerned to meet the 508 standards and increasingly also the WAI guidelines: Blackboard eCollege WebCT HorizonLive

Different Content Designers Web designers Multimedia designers Word processor designers Text only providers PowerPoint users www.rehab.uiuc.edu

Special Needs Blind and graphics, images, charts and PDF. Deaf and audio and audio of video Deaf and clear, direct writing LD and short clear content, clear simple structure of content

Your Attitude Is Important Do not just be politically correct! BUT REMEMBER: Students with disabilities are students who happen to have a disability

Students Not Technology It’s about people Not about technology As you travel through this life whatever be your goal Keep your eye upon the doughnut and not upon the hole!

EASI Courses www.rit.edu/~easi Barrier-free Info Tech Barrier-free Web Design Advanced Web Design Barrier-free E-learning Train the Trainer LD & Accessible IT Business Benefits of Accessible Design

EASI Synchronous clinics Summer Institute Special offer: Series of free, Web conferencing, interactive, voice-chat presentations Easi.cc/cbox/free.htm (password is “online”)

Thank You Thank you for caring enough to make the world of information technology a better place for me and for thousands of others just like me!