Introduction to Accessible Information Technology In Education: A Webcourse

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Introduction to AccessibleInformation
TechnologyIn Education A Webcourse
Jeff WitzelTechnology SpecialistAccessITsesame_at_
u.washington.eduaccessit_at_u.washington.edu
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About AccessIT

• National Center on Accessible Information
  TechnologyIn Education
• Funded by the National Institution on Disability
  and Rehabilitation Research(NIDRR) of the U.S.
  Dept. of EducationLocated at the University of
  Washingtonhttp//www.washington.edu/accessit

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Goals and Activities

• AccessIT helps educational institutions make
  information technology accessible to all students
  and employees. In so doing individuals with
  disabilities can benefit from all
  technology-based educational and school-related
  activities.
• AccessIT facilitates the implementation of
  policies, procedures, and practices that promote
  the procurement and use by educational entities
  of accessible information technology that applies
  universal design principles and meets recognized
  standards.

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Goals and Activities

• AccessIT works nationwide with NIDRR-funded
  Disability Business and Technical Assistance
  Centers (DBTACs). By providing training, support,
  dissemination materials, and technical assistance
  to the DBTACs, AccessIT utilizes and builds on
  this existing infrastructure for information
  dissemination and technical support.
• AccessIT also provides information and training
  to educational institutions through its website
  and presentations at educational events.

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The Webcourse Overview

• Comprehensive Introductory Course, free to the
  public and viewable in your favorite web browser
• Eleven lessons
• Course includes interactive elements, multimedia,
  external links references, glossary, complex
  navigation, and review quizzes
• Fully accessible

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Potential Audiences

• Educators
• Policy Makers
• Students of technology, library sciences,
  engineering, or information sciences
• IT Specialists and Implementers
• Advocates
• Consumers
• Administrators
• Anyone one-stop shopping for a thorough
  introduction to accessibility issues

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Getting Started

• Register online athttp//access-it-online.info/
  webcourse
• Required name and email addressGuaranteed not
  to generate any SPAMor additional inbox clutter
• AccessIT will conduct a single follow-up online
  survey to assist us in maintaining funding

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Content Lesson 1

• INTRODUCTION
• define information technology, assistive
  technology and universal design
• discuss the use of information technology in
  education and some of the accessibility issues
  and solutions associated with it and
• discuss some of the standards and guidelines
  relevant to accessible information technology.

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Content Lesson 2

• ACCESSIBLE WEB DESIGN
• discuss how accessible web design often provides
  more choices for all users and why accessible
  web design is a good development practice in
  general
• identify three common web elements that can pose
  accessibility problems
• discuss the two major standards and guidelines
  for web accessibility and
• list the merits and shortcomings of using text
  only pages as an alternative to a traditional
  website.
• Evaluating a website comprehensively

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Content Lesson 3

• ACCESSIBLE DISTANCE LEARNING
• explain the characteristics of accessible
  distance learning environments
• describe some of the accessibility barriers
  instructors and students with disabilities
  experience when using distance learning tools
  and
• list steps that educational institutions can take
  to make distance learning environments more
  accessible both in the short and long term.

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Content Lesson 4

• ACCESSIBLE SOFTWARE
• discuss several common accessibility barriers
  users with disabilities encounter when using
  software programs
• understand the basic issues and complexity
  involved in testing software for accessibility
  and
• advocate for procurement of accessible software
  by educational institutions.

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Content Lesson 5

• ACCESSIBLE TELECOMMUNICATIONS
• identify ways in which telecommunications
  equipment is being used in schools
• describe accessibility barriers that students or
  employees with disabilities may face when using
  telecommunications equipment and
• identify solutions that can make
  telecommunications products more accessible and
  useable for people with disabilities.

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Content Lesson 6

• ACCESSIBLE MULTIMEDIA
• identify challenges some users may encounter when
  using multimedia
• discuss the relationship between specific sensory
  impairments and related multimedia components in
  terms of accessibility and practical solutions

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Content Lesson 6

• consider the different approaches to making
  multimedia accessible and think about multimedia
  problems in terms of creating the most robust
  experience for all consumers
• identify several components of "rich media" and
  its methods of delivery
• conceptualize the process of adding captions and
  video description to multimedia projects and
• discuss laws, guidelines and standards that apply
  to multimedia accessibility.

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Content Lesson 7

• SELF-CONTAINED CLOSED PRODUCTS
• discuss accessibility barriers related to self
  contained closed products
• describe ways to avoid or minimize accessibility
  problems and
• discuss the process of procuring accessible self
  contained, closed products.

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Content Lesson 8

• ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND THE LAW
• identify the three federal disability rights laws
  that address the obligations of public K-12 and
  postsecondary education to ensure that
  individuals with disabilities have access to IT
• explain how the obligations of IDEA, Section 504
  of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and Title II
  of the ADA apply to the provision of accessible
  IT in public education

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Content Lesson 8

• describe what guidance OCR provides concerning
  access to information
• explain the differences between accessible IT
  solutions and assistive technology solutions and
  
• explain the differences in probable outcomes that
  result when a school provides accessible
  information technology versus individual
  accommodations.

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Content Lesson 9

• IT POLICY IN EDUCATION
• describe characteristics of different approaches
  to designing accessibility policies in both K-12
  and postsecondary environments
• describe the attributes of effective
  accessibility policies and
• systematically review an accessible IT policy.

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Content Lesson 10

• PRODUCING RICH MEDIA FOR THE WEB
• understand what is meant by a "media player," and
  discuss accessibility features and functionality
  among major brand name players on the market
  today
• name several key concepts and components of
  streaming media, as well as different methods of
  broadcast and delivery and how they affect access
  for people with sensory disabilities

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Content Lesson 10

• conceptualize the process of adding captions and
  audio description to rich media projects to make
  them accessible to most users and
• consider the challenges inherent in producing and
  presenting true multi-sensory rich media
  experiences in an accessible format.

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Content Lesson 11

• ACCESSIBLE FILE FORMATS
• Discuss the extent to which popular file formats
  support accessibility
• Explain the concept of "structural integrity" and
  how it relates to accessibility of file formats

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Content Lesson 11

• Describe ways to improve accessibility of files
  created using Word, PDF, HTML, and PowerPoint.
• Describe the rationale behind DAISY and the
  National Instructional Materials Accessibility
  Standard (NIMAS) and how its implementation will
  improve the availability of accessible materials.
  
• Describe what current state and federal laws say
  about accessible file formats

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Accessibility

• Course completely formatted with CSS2 standards
• Table version available on demand
• Text Only version available on demand
• Generated from a single dynamic Dreamweaver
  template with no backend database
• Instructional designers able to add and subtract
  content with simple HTML elements within a single
  template

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Accessiblity (contd)

• All external links announced via a title
  attribute
• Hotkeys defined for easy navigation
• All documents maintain structural integrity (list
  elements, paragraphs, etc.)
• All scripted elements degrade gracefully to
  no-script environments
• All multimedia elements closed-captioned

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SCREENSHOTS

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Contact Info

• accessit_at_u.washington.edu
• sesame_at_u.washington.edu
• http//access-it-online.info/webcourse