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To deliver preservice and inservice training to teachers about making computer labs accessible to students with disabilities, consider the following presentation example.
After this presentation, participants will be able to
Length Approximately 45 to 60 minutes.
For further preparation for this presentation, consult the Resources and Presentation Tips sections of this notebook, as well as the AccessSTEM website at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Stem/.
(Distribute handout, Equal Access: Universal Design of Computer Labs.)
Today we'll be discussing how to make computer labs accessible to all students, no matter what abilities or disabilities they have.
The objectives for this presentation are to describe the legal rights of students with disabilities as they relate to computer access, discuss how universal design principles can be used to develop accessible computer services, and discuss steps to be taken to ensure access to campus computer labs.
Everyone who needs to use your computer lab should be able to do so comfortably. As increasing numbers of people with disabilities pursue educational opportunities that require computer use, access to computing facilities becomes even more critical. The key is to provide equal access.
Assuring that individuals with disabilities have access to computing resources can be argued on ethical grounds. Some simply consider it to be the right thing to do. Others are more responsive to legal mandates. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 requires that people with disabilities be given the same access to public programs and services, including educational programs, that are offered to people without disabilities.
The ADA is civil rights legislation that reinforces and extends the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which states that "no otherwise qualified individuals with disabilities shall, solely by reason of their disabilities, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination in any program or activity of a public entity." When people think of the ADA, they often think of elevators in buildings, reserved spaces in parking lots, and lifts on buses. However, the ADA accessibility requirements apply to people with all types of disabilities and to all programs and resources offered at our schools, including those involving computers and the Internet.
Disabilities covered by legislation include but are not limited to spinal cord injuries, loss of limbs, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Cerebral Palsy, hearing impairments, visual impairments, speech impairments, specific learning disabilities, head injuries, psychiatric impairments, Diabetes, Cancer, and AIDS. The conditions listed may limit people's abilities to perform specific tasks. Some of these conditions are readily apparent; some are invisible. Some affect computer use; some do not.
Additionally, some students who have conditions with the same label may have very different abilities when it comes to performing specific tasks. For example, one student who has Cerebral Palsy may have difficulty walking. For another student, Cerebral Palsy may result in no functional use of his hands or voice. Ultimately, a student who has a disability requires accommodations only when faced with a task that requires a skill that his disability precludes. This may include computer access.
Ensuring access to computers and information technology is an important step in leveling the playing field for students with disabilities in academic programs and careers.
The rest of today's presentation will help you develop an understanding of access challenges, universal design principles, and strategies to create computer labs that are accessible to all students.
When it comes to using computer resources, students with some disabilities face access issues in one or more of three areas. The first is access to the computing facility itself. Students must be able to get to the facility and maneuver within it. Second, they must be able to access the computer. When the needed accessibility features are not built into commercial products, a wide variety of special hardware and software—adaptive and assistive technology—provides solutions. For example, people who are blind can equip their computers with software and hardware that will read aloud all text that appears on the screen.
Once computer access barriers are removed, electronic resources such as applications software and World Wide Web pages may present a third access challenge for some people with disabilities. This problem can be avoided if software and web page developers employ principles of universal design when they develop their products. The first challenge, computer lab access, is the topic of our presentation today.
(If you would like your audience to gain an overview of ways individuals with disabilities access and use computer technology, show the video Computer Access: In Our Own Words.)
We'll start by talking about principles of universal design. Designing a product or service involves the consideration of a myriad of factors, including aesthetics, engineering options, environmental issues, safety concerns, and cost. One issue that designers often overlook is universal design. In general, universal design means designing products and services that can be used by people with a range of characteristics, abilities, and disabilities.
Universal design is defined by the Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University as "the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design." At this center, a group of architects, product designers, engineers, and environmental design researchers collaborated to establish a set of principles of universal design to provide guidance in the design of environments, communications, and products.
General principles of universal design include the following: the design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities; the design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities; the design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user's sensory abilities; the design can be used by individuals with a wide variety of characteristics. Disability is just one of these characteristics. For example, one person could be male, tall, fifteen years old, a poor reader, and blind. All of these characteristics, including his blindness, should be considered when developing a product he might use. In the case of your computer lab, rather than designing your facility for the average user, design it for people with a broad range of abilities. Keep in mind that individuals using your computing lab may have learning disabilities or visual, speech, hearing, or mobility impairments.
As you plan services in your computing facility, consider all of your potential users, including those with disabilities. Make sure lab users can
Also, make sure that staff are trained to support people with disabilities and have a plan in place to respond to specific requests in a timely manner. With these goals in mind, you can make your lab accessible to everyone. Let's watch a video presentation, Equal Access: Universal Design of Computer Labs, to learn about the challenges and solutions for designing an accessible facility. Then we'll review some of the guidelines listed in your handout with the same title.
You can use the list of guidelines in the handout as a starting point for surveying your computer facility for accessibility. Designing an academic or work area that is accessible to everyone begins with the physical environment of the facility. (Read each question in the handout and discuss how your lab measures up and what improvements could be made.)
In a computer lab, it is desirable to provide options at a computer workstation that will address the needs of a variety of users. You should also have procedures in place to deal with specific needs that these general solutions cannot address. Include the students in discussions that come up with creative, simple solutions. For example, in the video presentation, you saw Mitch, whose health impairment required him to lie on his side for a month. Staff turned Mitch's monitor on its side and built a holder for his keyboard so that he could use it independently.
Remember, you don't have to do everything at once. Start small, and add to your collection of adaptive technology as you receive requests and as computer lab staff gain skills in providing training and services. (Using the list of potential products to purchase included in the handout as a starting point, make a list of products you recommend be purchased for your lab in the short term. Encourage participants to share their ideas.)
(Discuss the following and other appropriate questions with the group.)
(Consider having participants discuss a case. Choose from the Student Abilities Profiles included in the Access to Math and Science section of this notebook or in the AccessSTEM Knowledge Base at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Stem/kb.html.)
Making your computing resources accessible to all students, including those with disabilities, is a legal requirement and the right thing to do. Employing universal design principles as you plan for users with a broad range of abilities and disabilities will reduce the need for special accommodations as people with disabilities access your facility.
For comprehensive information on accommodations, a wide range of case studies, frequently asked questions, and general resources, visit the AccessSTEM website at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Stem/. This resource was developed at the University of Washington as part of a nationwide project to provide resources to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics educators and employers so that they can make their courses, programs, and worksites accessible to everyone. You can link to this resource from ____ . (Arrange to make the link from your school website before the presentation.)
Thank you for your time today and for your interest in finding ways to ensure that all of the students in our computer labs have equal opportunities to learn, explore interests, and express ideas.
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