1. Premiere Provider of On-line Learning On
Accessible Information Technology

2. 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.

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

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

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

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

7. 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

8. Digital Curbcuts Ethnicity Gender Age Socio-economics Learning styles
Disabilities

9. New Yorker Cartoon

10. 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.”

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

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

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

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

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

18. 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

19. 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

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

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

22. Accessibility Checkers
Watchfire.com

23. 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

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

25. Different Content Designers
Web designers
Multimedia designers
Word processor designers
Text only providers
PowerPoint users

26. 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

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

28. 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!

29. 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

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

31. 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!