Thursday, 2:15
The next big thing in educational technology isn’t podcasts, wikis, or e-portfolios. Nope. The next big thing is accessibility—making sure that the content that you and your students create and post to the web can be accessed by people with disabilities. Some states even have policies or laws that mandate accessibility. In this fast paced, one hour session, we’ll cut through the FUD [fear, uncertainty, and doubt] and introduce you to the concept of accessibility and universal design, explain what the law does and does not say about the classroom content you post online, and introduce you to a bunch of accessibility resources you and your students can start using today.
Pasted from <http://www.ncce.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=651&Itemid=233>
What is accessibility – removing barriers for your students and the public to perceive, understand, navigate and interact with the content you create.
What are the barriers?
Visual
Blind
Low Vision
Color blind
Language Processing
Auditory
No Speakers
Deaf
Motor Physical
Fine motor
Any variety
Accessibility
is not just for impairments
Text only is not an option
It doesn’t make it boring
It’s not expensive
Benefits
Best practices
Increase your audience
Transparent
Easier to update
Streamlines so they load faster
Better compatibility
Higher keyword density
Up to 15% OF THE PUBLIC has some disability
Population is aging
CSU accessibility technology initiative
Section 508
Rehab act of 1973
Prohibits fed agencies from buying developing information technology that is in accessible to people with disabilities.
Compliance is voluntary NOT mandatory
Applies to agencies not to schools
It’s still a good thing.
WCAG Web content accessibility guidelines.
Magpie – free captioning tool.
