Unintended Consequences of ADA Requirements for Online Courses Dr. Brian Newberry California State University San Bernardino 20:23

Designing, developing and delivering accessible online courses is a good thing! It is the right thing to do. It is not always an easy thing to do. This presentation is the construct of the presenter’s current understanding of the situation and may not reflect reality nor generalize to all situations! Commitment to Accessibility 20:23

Visual Color Blindness High Contrast Avoid Red-Green-Blue Combinations Don't Use Color to Convey Meaning Make Use of a User Changeable Font Text Version Low Vision – No Vision High Contrast Make Use of a User Changeable Font Navigation Requirements Configurability – Screen Reader Compatibility Text Version Disability Characteristics 20:23

Seizure Avoid Strobes Flickering Images Fast Animations High Contrast Close Lines (optical illusions) Disability Characteristics 20:23

Auditory Alternatives to Audio Text Version Captioning Videos and Slide Shows with Audio (Multimedia) Disability Characteristics 20:23

Motor Navigability Issues Keyboard Control Instead of Mouse Internal Navigation to Skip Through Long Sections User Configurability Disability Characteristics 20:23

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973: Mandates that employers and any institution that receives Federal money provide equal access to information, activities, program and services to all individuals with disabilities Amendment to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act specifies requirements for Internet resources that are guidelines to be used. Americans with Disabilities ACT 1990 extends the equal opportunity provision to private organizations. Assistive Technology Act Laws 20:23

Establish Required Modifications and Alternative Formats Establish Who Must Pay For Modifications and Formats (Responsibility) Lawsuits 20:23

The University of XYZ is committed to providing equal opportunity for persons with disabilities. This commitment includes complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of In addition, all of the University's websites and online courses will comply with the web page design standards established by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Priority One Compliance. The university should adopt a plan, whose adoption should not extend past three years, for bringing all Internet sites and on-line courses into Priority One compliance with W3C guidelines ( or to exceed them. Instructional Material. Faculty members posting instructional materials online or utilizing course management software should plan to assure their accessibility. Laws + (Lawsuits x Lawyers) = Policy 20:23

The development of new courses and new course content, including instructional materials and instructional websites will incorporate accessible design. If incorporating accessibility is not possible or would constitute an undue burden, then a plan to provide an equally effective alternate form of access must be developed, documented, and communicated. Existing course content will be made accessible at the point of course redesign or when a student with a disability enrolls in the course. Fall Term, 2008 Policy Continued 20:23

Some universities treat Face-To-Face and online instruction differently. Face-To-Face Classes – Responsibility is the university's and services/support are matched to the student. Online Classes – Responsibility is the instructor’s and accommodations must be a part of all online materials even in classes where there are students requiring accommodations. Face-To-Face vs. Online 20:23

A Tale of Two Classes Face-To-Face Deaf Student A Sign Language Interpreter is Provided by the University to Sign Lectures etc. Online Deaf Student Instructor Required to Supply Text Alternative To Podcast Lecture. Instructor must supply closed captioning for video or slide show presentations. Blind Student Assistant provided by the University to student to interpret visual aspects of a video shown in class. Blind Student Instructor required to supply audio or text alternative to a video shown in class. 20:23

Text Version is Key Alternative Formats and Resources Web Standards W3C - HTML and CSS Multimedia (slide shows, videos) Must Be Captioned (CSUSB) Requirements and Recommendations 20:23

Dragon Naturally Speaking Automatic Sync ( HTML Validation CSS Validation Website Accessibility Validation: Current Resources 20:23

Better Online Teaching Fewer Online Classes Less Innovation in Online Classes Less diversity of resources More Reusable Media Development Unintended Consequences 20:23

Reliable and Affordable Real Time Audio to Text Transformation – Closed Captions etc. Reliable and Affordable Real Time Video and Still Picture Descriptions Better Institutional Support for Media Development Lawsuits – Lots and lots of lawsuits. What Must Be Done To Achieve Accessibility Whose Responsibility – Who Pays Do The Unintended Consequences Burden Others? Future Trends and Resources 20:23

Law, Policy, Best Practices and Doing the Right Thing calls for development of accessible materials that meet the needs of all students. Lawsuits and Lawyers Dictate Policy. Currently many institutions of higher education treat face-to-face and online classes differently in terms of how accessibility is addressed. There are numerous resources available to assist in the creation of accessible class materials. Creating online class materials can with more production overhead than teaching face to-face. Creating accessible online class materials even more so. This production overhead comes with unintended consequences including better instruction, less online classes, less innovation, less diversity of resources, more reused materials. Text is key (for now) because reliable text readers are available. In the future new technologies will help reduce some of the negative unintended Consequences. Wrapping Up 20:23

Unintended Consequences of ADA Requirements for Online Courses Thank You! 20:23