Be sure that the library's web pages and other electronic and information resources are designed to be accessible to people with disabilities. Consider these items in ensuring accessible information technology.
John has a severe learning disability that affects his ability to read. He uses a text-to-speech system to read computer screen text to him. He is attending his first semester at a small, private college. Each student at the school is given an email account for academic use. The directions for establishing and using the email account are available in printed format and on the computing services website.
John was having difficulty accessing the electronic information at the computing services website with his screen reading software.
Libraries should take steps to assure that their facilities, resources, and services are accessible to patrons with disabilities. To prepare library staff to work with individuals who have disabilities, address the following questions:
My name is Sue and I have low back problems. I attend college on a large urban campus and use a motorized scooter for mobility.
Because of the size and design of my scooter, I cannot reach the door handle of my geology classroom door without assistance.
Student services organizations often host presentations, career fairs/exhibits, and interviews between students and employers. These activities should be designed so that they are accessible to all students, including students with disabilities. Provide them in a wheelchair-accessible location with accessible restrooms nearby.
You can create a more accessible campus tour by incorporating the following suggestions into your tour plans:
Universal design is the process of creating products that are accessible to people with a wide range of abilities, disabilities, and other characteristics. Universally designed products accommodate individual preferences and abilities; communicate necessary information effectively (regardless of ambient conditions or the user's sensory abilities); and can be approached, reached, manipulated, and used regardless of the individual's body size, posture, or mobility.
People with disabilities continue to face challenges in accessing the full range of opportunities available to people without disabilities. Specifically, barriers to standard computer software limit opportunities in education and employment for some people with disabilities. For example, a part of a multimedia tutorial that uses voice narration without captioning or transcription is inaccessible to students who are deaf. Similarly, an educational tutorial program that requires the use of a mouse is inaccessible to a student who cannot use this device.
The World Wide Web has rapidly become the dominant Internet tool, combining hypertext and multimedia to provide a network of educational, governmental, and commercial resources. Much of its power comes from the fact that it presents information in a variety of formats and also organizes that information through hypertext links. Because of the multimedia nature of the web, combined with the poor design of some websites, many Internet surfers cannot access the full range of resources this revolutionary tool provides. Some visitors experience the following:
People without disabilities may have temporary and/or situational limitations that are similar to the limitations imposed by disabilities. For example, people who cannot access graphics due to computer system limitations are in a situation similar to that of students who are blind. A noisy environment that prohibits the use of audio features imposes constraints similar to those faced by students with hearing impairments. Those for whom English is a second language experience reading difficulties similar to those experienced by people with some types of learning disabilities.