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Closed
Captioning
In order to view some of the paper based tutorials, you will need to
have Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Get Adobe Acrobat Reader
Fact Sheets from Grade Project
How do Students Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Access Online
Education? Students who are deaf or hard of hearing
communicate in a traditional classroom in a variety of ways,
utilizing American Sign Language or lip-reading or
computer-aided real-time captioning. Students with hearing
impairments may also use different types of assistive technology
to connect with professors or other students, such as hearing
aids, a text telephone connecting to a relay service, or an
assistive listening system. How do Students Who are Blind or Have Low Vision Access Online
Education? Students who are blind or have low vision
participate in a traditional classroom in a variety of ways. For
some students, it may be as simple as having the instructor read
information written on a chalkboard, or having other students
identify themselves when they speak in class. Other students may
utilize note-takers, or use assistive technology devices like a
Braille notepad to take notes. How
Do Students With Seizure Disorders Access Online Education?
Students with seizure disorders may have little or no difficulty
accessing traditional classroom education. However, these
students may experience severe seizures involving loss of
consciousness and involuntary movements, or what appears to be a
lapse of consciousness. After a seizure, a student may
experience symptoms such as confusion, fatigue, muscle weakness,
headache, or pain. Additionally, students taking medication to
control seizures may experience side effects like drowsiness or
blurred vision. What Laws and Rulings Impact the Accessibility of Online
Distance Education? As usage of the computer and Internet
proliferates, there is an increasing need for information
technology, including online distance education, to be
accessible to individuals with disabilities. Several laws
provide requirements or guidance to ensure that all students,
including students with disabilities, have equal access to
online learning. Describing Graphic Files for Students with Visual Impairments
Graphic files are very commonly used in online distance
education, whether as clip art in a Microsoft Word document, a
chart in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, or as an illustration in
an HTML document. Providing a text alternative for these graphic
files provides students with visual impairments with an
opportunity to have the same level of information as other
students accessing these files. Making Adobe PDF Files Accessible for Student with Disabilities
Adobe PDF files, or Portable Document Format files, are popular
in distance learning because they provide a cross-platform
solution for presenting content, including words, images,
tables, and forms. Introduction to HTML Accessibility
Hypertext Markup Language
(HTML) is the common language of the Internet. Over 3.3 billion
files on the World Wide Web use HTML to communicate a dizzying
array of information. HTML is flexible, easy to use and
understand, and can be used to communicate information in almost
any format, from desktop computers to cellular phones. The
nearly -universal nature of HTML makes it indispensable in
distance education. Introduction to Cascading Style Sheets Cascading Style
Sheets (CSS) are an increasingly common way for website
developers to control the look and feel of their web pages. A
style sheet allows the website developer to specify the size,
font and color of text for an entire website without having to
code the information in each page. Style sheets separate the
style (or look and feel) of the document from the structure (or
the content and ordering of information). Making Email Accessible for Students with Disabilities One
industry source estimates that over 31 billion e-mails are sent
each day around the world. E-mail is so widely used in education
that most, if not all, students are assigned an e-mail address
during the registration process. In distance education, e-mail
is especially important because it may be the only way that
students can communicate directly with instructors.
The
above paper based tutorials were created by Georgia Tech:
College of Architecture via a grant from the US Department of Education,
Office of Post-Secondary Education, Grant #P333A020050. Grade
Project Fact Sheet Website:
http://www.catea.org/grade/factsheets.php
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Access eLearning
Access e learning is a
FREE, online ten-module tutorial that offers
information, instructional techniques, and practice labs on
how to make the most common needs in distance education
accessible for individuals with disabilities, and enhance
the usability of online materials for all students.
How Access e learning was designed, Accessibility and Design
Features The Access E-Learning (AEL) tutorial is a
service of the Georgia Tech Research on Accessible Distance
Education project (GRADE) in partnership with IDET
Communication Inc.(IDET). Access E-Learning is designed to
be aesthetically pleasing, useful, and most of all
accessible to the widest audience possible. To achieve these
goals, the Access E-Learning tutorial was developed to
follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG)
and the Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility
Standards (Section 508). Both sets of guidelines explain how
to make web content accessible to people with disabilities
as well as beneficial to all users.
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Websites
Accessible Digital Media Design Guidelines for Electronic
Publications, Multimedia and the Web Created by the
National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) -
AccessIT: National Center on Accessible
Information Technology in Education AccessIT
promotes the use of electronic and information technology
(E&IT) for students and employees with disabilities in
educational institutions at all academic levels. This Web
site features the AccessIT Knowledge Base, a searchable,
growing database of questions and answers regarding
accessible E&IT. It is designed for educators, policy
makers, librarians, technical support staff, and students
and employees with disabilities and their advocates
Working Together: Faculty and Students
with Disabilities
Faculty members are encouraged to
be responsive to the pedagogical needs of all students.
However, students with disabilities may have some additional
educational needs which they should discuss with each
faculty member. It is good to think about the broad range of
abilities, disabilities, and other characteristics of
potential students as you design your curriculum.
Accommodations and Universal Design
The best accommodations are unique to the
individual and develop from a cooperative relationship
between the faculty member and the student, sometimes with
the assistance of the campus disabled student services
office. In this area of The Faculty Room you will learn
strategies for fully including students with disabilities in
your course activities.
Accessible Web-based Distance Education:
Principles and Best Practices (Adaptive
Technology Resource Centre, University of
Toronto) Why should developers take the
time to ensure that Web-based educational resources are
based on universal design principles? There are several
factors that should motivate us to learn about accessible
design, and implement it in our online programming. The
first is a fundamental ideal that access to education is one
of our basic human rights.
Equal Access to Software and Information
(EASI) EASI is the premiere
provider of online training on adaptive technology and how
institutions can provide barrier-free computer and
information technology systems for persons with
disabilities. EASI courses have reached over 5,000 people in
more than 3 dozen countries since 1993.
ADE: Accessibility in Distance
Education The Accessibility in Distance
Education (ADE) Web site focuses on helping faculty develop
accessible online learning materials for people with
disabilities. It is divided into five major sections,
targeting common accessibility questions.
WebAim
(Web Accessibility in Mind) Screen Reader Simulation This simulation will help you to understand what it is like
for a person with vision loss or low vision to access the
Internet using a software program called a "screen reader."
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WebAim (Accessibility Features in Acrobat Reader 7 Not
everyone creates PDF (Portable Document Format) files, but
almost everyone who uses the Web uses Adobe Acrobat Reader
to read PDF's. This is the program that allows you to view
PDF files on the Web and on your computer. Unfortunately,
PDF files have not always been as accessible as they are
now. In the past, Adobe PDF files could be very
inaccessible, especially to people using screen readers...(WebAin article
in PDF format)
WebCT Course
Design and Accessibility One may have an
image in mind of a "typical" computer user, who sits at a
desk using a conventional keyboard, mouse and monitor.
However, a learner may need to use specialized adaptive
hardware or software to access the educational resources on
the Web. A vision impairment may result in the need to use
screen reader software to hear the information instead of
viewing it on a screen. Limitations in mobility could mean
that the student uses an adapted keyboard or mouse to
navigate the Web.
Adobe
online conversion tools for Adobe PDF
documents This conversion service
will convert to text Adobe PDF files that are in English and
most West European languages.
Blackboard Tutorial for an individual who uses a screen reader
The Blackboard Learning System Screen Reader Tutorial provides
users that access the Blackboard Learning System through a
screen reader with information to help them use the Blackboard
Learning System successfully. Currently, the tutorial includes
information on logging in, the portal layout, and course Web
sites.
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Resources
HiSoftware Makes Available Flash Accessibility Tools
HiSoftware has two components that allow Flash
developers to quickly and easily validate that your
Macromedia Flash movies & presentations can be used
fully by anyone. HiSoftware is releasing these specific
components free of charge to help promote accessibility
High Tech Center Training Unit The High Tech Center Training
Unit of the California Community Colleges is a state of the art
training and support facility for community college faculty and
staff wishing to acquire or improve teaching skills,
methodologies, and pedagogy in Assistive Computer Technology,
Alternate Media and Web Accessibility. The HTCTU supports High
Tech Center programs at one-hundred and fourteen community
colleges and satellite centers. More than ten thousand students
with disabilities are enrolled in High Tech Center programs
state-wide.
National Center on Disability & Access to Education The
National Center on Disability and Access to Education (NCDAE)
monitors and promotes electronically-mediated distance education
policies and practices that enhance the lives of people with
disabilities and their families.
Pacific ADA & IT Center (Pacific DBTAC) Region IX The
purpose of the Pacific ADA & IT Center (Pacific DBTAC) is to
build a partnership between the disability and business
communities and to promote full and unrestricted participation
in society for persons with disabilities through education and
technical assistance.
ATHEN is a professional association and network for Access
Technologists in Higher Education. The purpose of ATHEN is to
collect and disseminate best practices in access technology in
the higher education environment as well as present a collective
voice for the professional practice of access technology in
higher education.
Illinois Accessible Web Publishing Wizard for Microsoft Office
Provides alternative to built-in web publishing features of
Microsoft Office, simplifies creating accessible and standards
compliant HTML versions of Microsoft Office documents, exceeds
Section 508 and W3C WCAG 1.0 Double-A disability access
conformance requirements, and validates to HTML 4.01 and CSS W3C
coding standards.
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National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) mission
is: to expand access to present and future media for
people with disabilities; to explore how existing access
technologies may benefit other populations; to represent
its constituents in industry, policy and legislative
circles; and to provide access to educational and media
technologies for special needs students.
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Usable Web 970 links about web usability
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Closed Captioning
National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) Media Access
Generator (MAGpie) Developers of Web- and CD-ROM-based
multimedia need an authoring tool for making their materials
accessible to persons with disabilities. The Carl and Ruth
Shapiro Family National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) has
developed two tools, MAGpie version 1.0 and 2.01 for creating
captions and audio descriptions for rich media. MAGpie version
2.01 can be installed on either a PC running windows
98/NT/2000/XP or a Mac OSX
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MAGpie 2.01 Free download Registration form to download
MAGpie. Since MAGpie is a free application for creating
captions and audio descriptions for rich media they request that
you provide some information regarding your plans for the use of
MAGpie for research and statistical use only. You can skip the
registration form by clicking on the link at the top of the page
and go directly to the
MAGpie 2.01download center.
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Installation Instructions for MAGpie 2.01 (It is very
important you follow their installation instructions so the
software works properly
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California Community College Chancellors Legal Opinion on Closed
Captioning of Audiovisual Materials in Video Format (PDF
file) The purpose of this advisory is to answer questions which
have been raised by college officials about the options
available to colleges to ensure that students with disabilities
are provided equal, effective and legally-required access to
audiovisual materials in video format.
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Captioned Media Program (CMP) The CMP also
acts as a captioning information and training center. The
ultimate goal of the CMP is to permit media to be an integral
part in the lifelong learning process for all stakeholders in
the deaf and hard of hearing community: adults, students,
parents, and educators.
National Captioning Institute NCI's Glossary of Captioning
Terms
Frequently Asked Question, Captioning Overview by Gary Robson
Get answers to frequently asked questions like: What are
captions? How can I see closed captions on my television? Can I
get captions with cable TV? Can I get captions from a satellite
dish?
Frequently Asked Questions, Captioning Standards and Laws by
Gary Robson Get answers to frequently asked questions like:
Will the government pay for my captioning? Does the FCC mandate
captioning on everything now? Is captioning really going away
later this year? This site does contain the following disclaimer
"I am not an attorney, and nothing on this site should be
construed as legal advice. I have attempted to assure that this
information is accurate, but there may be errors. If you require
advice regarding these laws, you should consult an attorney."
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Created
by the Teaching & Learning Center Staff @ Cuyamaca College
El
Cajon, California 92019