WebCT home page [1] does not currently meet section 508 regulations. There
are many images that do not have ALT text.
Jon
[1] http://www.webct.com
At 01:24 PM 7/23/2001 -0400, David Poehlman wrote:
> For Immediate Release
>WEBCT DELIVERS ACCESSIBILITY WITH NEW RELEASE OF LEADING E-LEARNING
>SYSTEM
>-- New Release Provides Access for Those with Disabilities and
>Complies
>with Section 508 of Rehabilitation Act --
>Vancouver, BC - June 25, 2001 - WebCT, the world's leading provider of
>integrated e-learning systems for higher education, announced today a
>new
>version of its e-learning software, WebCT 3.6, in both Standard and
>Campus
>editions. WebCT 3.6 includes a number of features and revised
>interfaces
>that increase the openness and accessibility of the software including
>full compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and
>recent amendments. Company executives made the announcement at the
>Third
>Annual WebCT User Conference, which opened here today. More than one
>thousand administrators, IT professionals and faculty members from all
>over the world have gathered for the Conference.
>WebCT is committed to making certain that online courses are open and
>accessible to people with disabilities. As a result, the Company has
>released WebCT 3.6, which complies with Section 508 of the United
>States
>Rehabilitation Act of 1973, enabling people with disabilities and using
>
>assistive technologies, such as screen readers, to fully use the
>software.
>WebCT has worked with the Adaptive Technology (ATRC) at the University
>of
>Toronto on Section 508 compliance requirements. WebCT 3.6 enables
>faculty
>or course designers with disabilities to use assistive technologies
>with
>WebCT in their course creation and delivery. In addition, WebCT 3.6
>makes
>it easier for faculty and course designers to create courses that are
>compliant with Section 508.
>Section 508 is a part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which requires
>that
> electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained,
>or
>used by the Federal government be accessible to people with
>disabilities.
>WebCT 3.6 compliance with Section 508 allows any Federal government
>organization to use the software for their e-learning programs.
>"WebCT's commitment to accessibility is important because it is
>critical
>that digital information be easily transformed from one format into
>another, depending on the needs of the user," said Laurie Harrison,
>education coordinator for ATRC. "For example, learning resources in
>accessible formats may be displayed on any size of monitor or in any
>size
>of font, rendered as audio output by text-to-speech software, or
>translated into a tactile format for access via refreshable Braille
>display. This flexibility ensures that students with disabilities are
>empowered to independently access information and education."
>Since the advent of e-learning, students and faculty have realized the
>power of online courses to break down barriers - ethnic, gender,
>socio-economic, learning styles and disabilities. Many students report
>that their class discussions and projects have been liberating because
>they are able to focus on the thoughts of their classmates, free of
>those
>barriers. For disabled students, online courses provide a special
>freedom.
>For many, online courses are the only way they can participate. For
>others, the freedom to work at their own pace, and respond in
>discussions
>with their own voice and at the same speed as other students is the
>first
>time they have been able to participate as fully as other students.
>However, courses must support their needs and the assistive
>technologies
>used by these students in order to provide this experience.
>Professor Michael Pless of St. Petersburg Junior College has just
>completed the creation of a WebCT course he will offer this fall using
>JAWS 3.7, a screen reader supported by WebCT. "Online courses are
>critical
>for many reasons including their ability to let all students
>participate
>equally, especially those with often-stigmatizing physical
>disabilities,"
>said Professor Pless. "I think it is vitally important for faculty as
>well
>to have the same access to education and technology tools. I am
>excited
>about teaching online; my world has expanded considerably with the
>online
>course I'll offer this fall."
>In addition to releasing WebCT 3.6, WebCT has also created a help desk
>for
>customers who have questions regarding accessibility or need
>assistance
>developing an accessible course. Dr. Glen Low, director of educational
>technology and development, heads WebCT's work in accessibility and
>works
>with ATRC to provide consulting resources to WebCT customers.
>"WebCT has long been committed to providing open access to e-learning
>for
>all students and faculty. The fundamental promise of e-learning is
>that it
>breaks down the barriers of the classroom and even the campus to
>provide
>access to many new learners. It was critical to us to create software
>that
>supports that mission and to help institutions deliver on that promise
>in
>their e-learning programs," said Carol A. Vallone, chief executive
>officer
>of WebCT.
>Other Enhancements in WebCT 3.6
>& Test Interoperability 1.1 format. This support of the IMS standards
>for
>content and assessment allows schools to easily share course materials
>with other IMS-compliant software as well as the flexibility of
>importing
>IMS-compliant courses created outside the WebCT environment.
>Enhanced Calendar -- WebCT 3.6 provides a centralized student calendar,
>
>enabling students to view a single calendar with information for all
>their
>WebCT courses. As institutions continue to expand their e-learning
>programs, more and more students are taking multiple online courses.
>This
>integrated calendar allows them to view and manage a single calendar
>for
>all those classes.
>Palm Calendar Support -- Palm users will be able to view the WebCT
>calendar integrated directly into the Palm Date Book when they are
>away
>from their computer.
>Additional Operating System Support -- WebCT 3.6 provides support for
>customers using Red Hat Linux 7.1 and Compaq Tru 64 on UNIX version
>5.1.
>Improved System Management -- WebCT 3.6 provides automation
>functionality
>for end-of-year tasks required of administrators. These include
>archiving
>and restoring courses as well as assigning courses to categories.
>About WebCT
>WebCT is the world's leading provider of integrated e-learning systems
>for
>higher education. More than 2,211 colleges and universities worldwide
>are
>using WebCT's products and services to transform the educational
>experience for their students. Consortia in 16 American states, four
>Canadian provinces, two Australian territories, the French National
>Center
>for Distance Learning, the Association of Jesuit Colleges and
>Universities, the Japanese National Institute of Multimedia in
>Education,
>and the Consortium of Distance Education have licensed WebCT for their
>member institutions, making it a de facto standard in higher
>education.
>More information about WebCT can be found at www.webct.com/company.
># # #
>For more information, contact:
>Brenda Wheeler
>Bob Donegan
>Wheeler Baird Group
>WebCT
>973-762-8683
>781-309-1162
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>
>Obstacles don't have to stop you.
>If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up.
>Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.
>Michael Jordan
>
>Regards Steve,
>mailto:[log in to unmask]
Jon Gunderson, Ph.D., ATP
Coordinator of Assistive Communication and Information Technology
Division of Rehabilitation - Education Services
MC-574
College of Applied Life Studies
University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign
1207 S. Oak Street, Champaign, IL 61820
Voice: (217) 244-5870
Fax: (217) 333-0248
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
WWW: http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~jongund
WWW: http://www.w3.org/wai/ua
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