You can count on EASI supporting such activities in any way possible.
At 11:24 AM 2/14/02 -0600, you wrote:
>Hi everybody!
>
>We so often only talk to ourselves about accessibility. Is anybody else
>interested in focusing on web accessibility (web sites, virtual reference,
>web CE, etc) and working together to bring our message to "big ALA" and the
>rest of the library community?  If so, we need to get some strategies
>together to pursue as a group and individually. Maybe even a "tag line" we
>can all use - so the same message gets repeated?
>
>Audrey
>-----Original Message-----
>From:   Schmetzke, Axel [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
>Sent:   Wednesday, February 13, 2002 2:55 PM
>To:     [log in to unmask]
>Subject:        Re: virtual reference and accessibility of services to
all--open
>letter
>
>Perfect, Audrey!  You added exactly what was missing in my letter. (I
>didn't want it to get too long--and I was getting tired.)
>
>And Ellen--thanks for your supporting comments!
>
>Axel
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Audrey J. Gorman [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2002 1:53 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: virtual reference and accessibility of services to
>all--open letter
>
>Axel,
>
>Excellent! I've added my voice to yours in addressing the College of
>DuPage
>and Richard Dougherty, as follows:
>
>Dear collleagues:
>
>Virtual reference is indeed a topic of vital interest to the profession
>and
>should be to all of us who call ourselves professional librarians. For
>that
>reason, I want to add my voice to that of Axel Schmetzke in speaking out
>for the inclusion of information on accessibility in this teleconference
>and in subsequent discussions. As Mr. Schmetzke points out, this
>information and its implementation in libraries is crucial to the
>intellectual participation of people with disabilities. But the need
>goes
>far beyond that subset of humanity, large though it is.
>
>Accessibility is really about better customer service for all. Yes, it's
>essential for people with disabilities. From a business and service
>perspective, it is also useful for expanding a customer base. As a
>marketing bonus, it truly makes life better for all. Here are two common
>examples of this principle:
>
>Curb cuts: Designed with people with mobility disabilities in mind - not
>even the whole range of people with disabilities. Modified with textured
>surfaces to assist people who are blind or visually impaired. Used by
>parents with strollers, travelers with rolling luggage, shoppers with
>grocery carts, and, yes, kids with skateboards and scooters, to name a
>few.
>Would any of us want curb cuts restricted to use by people with
>disabilities?
>
>Media captioning: (And this one addresses intellectual access) Created
>for
>people who are deaf or hearing impaired. Helpful for people with
>auditory
>processing difficulties. Used most extensively in bars, especially loud
>sports bars, and by people who want to watch television in bed and not
>disturb their partner.
>
>Please let me know if I can be of assistance in adding information on
>accessibility issues into the lively discourse on virtual reference.
>
>Audrey J. Gorman
>Access for All
>Naperville, IL, USA
>[log in to unmask]
>Phone: 630-717-7336
>Mobile: 630-661-9062
>
>Member
>Education and Outreach Work Group
>Web Accessibility Initiative
>World Wide Web Consortium
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From:   Schmetzke, Axel [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
>Sent:   Monday, February 11, 2002 8:40 PM
>To:     [log in to unmask]
>Subject:        virtual reference and accessibility of services to
>all--open
>letter
>
>Open letter to Richard M. Dougherty, host of a recent teleconference on
>Virtual Reference Services offered through the College of DuPage. Part
>One of this teleconference took place on Feb. 8.  Part Two is scheduled
>for April 19. Information about this conference is available at
>http://www.cod.edu/teleconf/virtual/index.htm.
>
>Dear Sir,
>
>I have followed your program on Virtual Reference Services with much
>interest, as I did with the numerous other library teleconferences
>provided by the College of DuPage. This series of teleconferences is a
>great means for professional development, and while I do not always
>agree with the positions taken by the guest experts, I leave these
>conferences with much to think about.
>
>I would like to make one critical comment with regard to the coverage of
>the virtual reference services theme during the teleconference: the lack
>of consideration for the needs of people with disabilities.
>
>As was pointed out by the panel members, the "virtualization" of
>reference services is an attempt to recreate online what has been in
>existence physically for many decades. With the passing of Section 504
>of the Rehabilitation Act and the American with Disabilities Act, much
>effort has been directed towards re-designing physical space so that it
>becomes accessible to people with disabilities. It is imperative that
>the same effort is made with regard to the creation of virtual space. As
>a new environment is created online, we must ensure that the needs of
>all potential beneficiaries are met. Unfortunately, no such concern was
>expressed by any of the experts. Following the wide-spread practice of
>judging the merits of new online resources without considering the needs
>of all potential users,  accessibility for people with disabilities was
>not even included on the list of "additional concerns," which was
>briefly discussed during the program. The one item that came closest,
>concern for the "clientele," does not capture this issue. No matter who
>the users may be-young students, old students, community members
>etc.-services must not exclude by design, or by lack of consideration
>during the design, users with disabilities.
>
>It is obvious that web-based virtual reference services, with their
>emphasis on a visual mode of communication, fully meet the needs of
>people with hearing impairments. But what about those with visual
>impairments, or those who have difficulty manipulating a mouse? Can
>current virtual reference systems, including the one demonstrated during
>the video conference, be used by people relying on alternative
>keystrokes to navigate the screen? Is the chat feature, and the search
>screen that the librarian pushes onto users' monitor, accessible to
>blind users who employ screen reading software?
>
>In a recent article on the accessibility of Online Chat Programs
>(www.webaim.org/articles/chats), Jared Smith concludes that, at the
>moment, "few are fully accessible to those with disabilities." Most chat
>interfaces, he further explains (rather optimistically, I believe),
>"could easily be made accessible with a few modifications and design
>changes."  If the author is correct, who, I wonder, is going to make
>these design changes if the leading experts discussing this technology
>are not bringing up the issue? Software manufacturers will not bother
>with it unless libraries explicitly demand it. And if Jared's Smith
>optimism turns out to be far stretched (a distinct possibility), must we
>not also ask which traditional service systems should be left in place
>as alternative means for those who cannot take advantage of chat-based
>technology?
>
>As was pointed out during the conference, about a thousand libraries
>have implemented chat-based virtual reference service systems during the
>past year or two-inaccessible as they are likely to be at this point in
>time. Let us make sure that the next thousand libraries insist on an
>inclusive solution-before they rush out and purchase non-inclusive
>software packages and while they, as consumers, still hold the financial
>power over the companies which market them.
>
>I would appreciate if you would share my comment with your guest
>panelists. Perhaps it would be possible to address this issue, for a
>minute or two, during the second part of the program scheduled for April
>19.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Axel Schmetzke, Ph.D.
>Associate Professor & Moderator of AXSLIB-L
>Library
>University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
>900 Reserve
>Stevens Point, WI 54481
>[log in to unmask]
>Tel: 715-346-4658
>
>
>
>
> << File: ATT00000.html >>
>
Norman Coombs, Ph.D.
Cell (949) 922-5992
Professor Emeritus, Rochester Institute of Technology
http://www.rit.edu/~nrcgsh
CEO, EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information)
        http://www.rit.edu/~easi