Some postsecondary institutions that promote the development and use of accessible websites on their campuses have institutionalized professional development for their faculty and staff. Reviewing what others have done can help campuses replicate successful practices.
Stephanie Ludi and Tom Reichlmayr, software engineering professors at the Rochester Institute of Technology, are working to increase the participation of people with visual impairments in computing fields.
The U.S. Department of Justice's Guide to Disability Rights Laws lists and summarizes the content of key federal legislation to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities. It includes information about the Americans with Disabilities Act, Telecommunications Act, Fair Housing Act, Air Carrier Access Act, National Voter Registration Act, Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Rehabilitation Act, and Architectural Barriers Act. It also includes links to additional resources.
The civil rights of people with disabilities were not specifically addressed in federal legislation until 1973 with the passing of the Rehabilitation Act.
My name is Christian and I'm a geography major. I have a learning disability that affects my reading and writing skills.
Due to my disability, I receive testing accommodations (extended time and computer access) through the disability services office. I recently enrolled in a geography course where my exams are given in class followed by continued lecture time. I was concerned about how I would take the extended time I needed for tests on the in-class computers and access the lecture material following the exam.
When designing web pages it is important to keep in mind the diversity of skills and abilities of the people who may visit the site. If a website will appeal to a broad audience that includes individuals with cognitive disabilities, then the website should be designed with those individuals in mind. Features that make websites easy to comprehend and navigate for everyone are often the most helpful for people with cognitive disabilities.
Basic strategies for making web pages accessible to individuals with cognitive disabilities include those listed below.
DAISY stands for Digital Accessible Information System. The DAISY/NISO Standard is the Digital Talking Book (DTB) specification for accessible digital textbooks. It is a multimedia standard that supports traditional presentation of images and text, as well as audio, content navigation, video, and animation. The DAISY specification is based on an application of Extensible Markup Language (XML) and is formally known as ANSI/NISO Z39.86 Specifications for the Digital Talking Book.
Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) are documents developed by school personnel to help guide interventions for students in special education. Well-written IEPs and IFSPs for students who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH) can be used to effectively guide instruction and track academic progress. Both itinerant and classroom teachers can play important roles in developing these documents.
Since each student's accommodation needs are unique and the student is often most knowledgeable about effective accommodations, be sure to talk with the student about what accommodations they might need.
Some specific accommodations that might be useful to a student with a health impairment in a science lab include the following:
Podcasts will pose a barrier to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing unless the information is made available in an accessible format. For audio-only podcasts, consider posting a transcript on your course website; this document will also be of value to students who are not deaf. Podcasts that include video can be captioned. Be sure to make transcriptions and captions available in a timely manner.