Q&As from The Knowledge Base
DO-IT's Center for Universal Design in Education (CUDE) created an online, searchable Knowledge Base as part of several projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education (Grant numbers P333A990042, P333A020044, and P333A050064), and expanded through grants from the National Science Foundation (Grant numbers CNS-1042260 and HRD-0833504).
Included is a rich collection of questions and answers, case studies, and promising practices related to individuals with disabilities and their pursuit of education and careers. Below is a small sample of questions included in the CUDE Knowledge Base. Search the Knowledge Base for answers to questions related to universal design. Under type of article, select Q&A. Using additional search terms can narrow your search. Below are examples of some titles included in the Knowledge Base.
General
Distance Learning
- What are some of the barriers students with disabilities face in distance learning courses?
- What do distance learning professionals need to know about accessibility?
- What are some steps that distance learning program administrators can take to ensure the accessibility of their courses?
- What are the benefits of universal design of a distance learning course for students without disabilities?
- Where can I find resources for making distance learning courses accessible?
- What considerations should be made in order to develop accessible web-based distance learning courses?
Web Accessibility
- Are there resources to help me in planning my web accessibility training?
- Are text-only web pages an accessible alternative?
- Can I make accessible web pages using web authoring tools such Dreamweaver?
- Does CSS positioning eliminate the need for a "skip navigation" link?
- Does making our school web content accessible mean I cannot use multimedia on my site?
- How can I develop accessible web-based forms?
- How can I make web page navigation accessible?
- How can I test my website for accessibility?
- How can my educational entity deliver accessible webcasts?
- How do I make websites accessible?
- How do my choice and use of color affect the accessibility of my website?
- How can data tables be made accessible?
- How can educational entities determine if their websites are accessible?
- How does accessible web design benefit all web users?
- How well do screen readers support web accessibility guidelines?
- Is Flash content accessible?
- Is it a good idea to make "skip navigation" links invisible?
- Is it possible to develop an accessible dynamic menu?
- Is Java accessible?
- Is PDF accessible?
- Is XML accessible?
- What access challenges might visitors to a web page experience?
- What is a "skip navigation" link?
- What is the current recommendation for providing long descriptions for complex graphics?
- What is the difference between the W3C guidelines and the Section 508 standards for web accessibility?
- What is Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)?
- What is wrong with using HTML tables for layout?
- What web accessibility evaluation and repair tools are available?
- Where can I locate the results of studies that test the accessibility of web pages?
- Which set of web accessibility standards or guidelines should I comply with?
- How do cascading style sheets affect web accessibility?
Other Specific Technologies
- Are chat rooms accessible to people with disabilities?
- Are electronic whiteboards accessible to people with disabilities?
- Are frames accessible?
- Are Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) accessible?
- Are there standards or guidelines for providing audio description?
- Are there standards or guidelines for providing captions?
- Are touch screens accessible?
- How accessible are Microsoft Word documents?
- How can educational entities plan an accessible video production?
- How can I tell whether a software application is accessible?
- How do courseware products differ on accessibility?
- How do I develop accessible educational software?
- How do I make my online PowerPoint presentation accessible?
- How does accessibility differ across operating systems?
- Is instructional software typically accessible to students with disabilities?
- Is it better to caption or transcribe educational multimedia?
- Is Linux accessible?
- What accessibility features are available within the Macintosh operating system?
- What accessibility features are provided with the Windows operating system?
- What is rich media and how can I learn more about its accessibility?
- What is the difference between open and closed captioning?
- How can publishers create accessible math textbooks?
Student Services, Physical Spaces
- How can a financial aid office make services accessible to a student who is blind or has low vision?
- How can I communicate with colleagues regarding making our library accessible to patrons with disabilities?
- How can our career services office work with employers to ensure program access to students with disabilities?
- How can principles of universal design be used to construct a computer lab?
- How can printed resources in libraries be made accessible?
- How can student services offices make campus events accessible to participants with disabilities?
- How can we create more accessible campus tours?
- What accessibility issues should I address when planning student events?
- What are issues related to the accessibility of a library facility?
- Are there standards for developing or purchasing accessible fax machines, photocopiers, and other office equipment?
- How do cascading style sheets affect web accessibility?
- What is the difference between open and closed captioning?
- How can publishers create accessible math textbooks?
Contribute to the Knowledge Base
Submit questions you would like added to the Knowledge Base to doit@uw.edu.