Bridging the digital divide and leveling the playingfield is the topic of a
four-week online workshop, Barrier-free Information Technology starting
Monday, November 27.

Schools, colleges and businesses are using computers in almost everything
they do.  For students and professionals with disabilities, this is a
two-edged sword.  Poorly designed systems can create new barriers to their
participation in society, but good universal design can empower them to
participate as equals.

EASI: Equal Access to Software and Information has delivers online
workshops to provide institutions with what they need to know to create an
open, accessible information technology system and has already delivered
this material to some 4,000 people in more than 3 dozen countries.
Delivered entirely online using e-mail, web pages and a discussion board,
participants can both work independently at their own pace and also
participate in group discussions with colleagues while simultaneously
having contact with 2 experienced instructors always available for personal
feedback and guidance.

Now is the best time to start planning to make your institution fully
accessible to students and professionals with disabilities.  The longer you
postpone making important design choices, the more it will require
expensive patching up a system.  Building it right from the ground up works
better and costs less.  Three continuing education units are available from
the Rochester Institute of Technology for successful completion of the
workshop.

For registration fees and an online registration form, go to
http://www.rit.edu/~easi/workshop.htm and select the link for Barrier-free
Information Technology.

A full syllabus is available at the above url, but here are the major
topics to be covered:

Lesson 1: Introductions and definitions:
What will I learn by the end of this workshop?

Lesson 2: Reasons to Adapt Your Information and Computer Systems
What are the benefits for me and for others?

Lesson 3: Computer input problems and solutions
How do people with disabilities input information into a computer?

Lesson 4:  Computer output problems and solutions
How do people with disabilities get information out of a computer?

Lesson 5: Compensatory Strategies and Disability Etiquette
Other ways to "skin a cat" with a computer.

Lesson 6:  Access to print information
Digitizing print to make it accessible via a computer.

Lesson 7:  Access to physical facilities and staff training
Technology requires human support to be fully successful.

Lesson 8: Planning for an Accessible Campus or Institution
        How do I get from here to there?

Beginning Monday, November 27 and running for four weeks.

Norman Coombs
CEO of EASI Inc.