I forwarded this question about access to Blackboard Chat to Reidy Brown of
Blackboard, Inc.  Her reply:

Tutornet Virtual Classroom, which is a 3rd party licensed technology that
provides the Chat and Whiteboard functionality for Blackboard 5, is not
compatible with screen readers such as Jaws. We are aware of this issue, and
are including an accessible chat technology in the next version of the
Blackboard platform.  In the meantime, we do provide access to a real-time
accessible chat transcript, which can be accessed from the Archives link in
the Virtual Classroom section.

We are working to accommodate users who need access to an accessible chat
tool. We are working with the Center for Persons with Disabilities at USU,
our partner in the WebAIM project, to beta test their new accessible chat
tool. If anyone is interested in evaluating this tool, please let me know,
and
I'll work with the USU project director to arrange it.


Reidy
-------------------------------------------
Reidy Brown
Accessibility Coordinator/
Sr. Software Engineer
Blackboard, Inc.
1899 L. St., NW, 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 463-4860 x236
http://products.blackboard.com/cp/bb5/access/index.cgi
-------------------------------------------


At 02:19 PM 8/22/01 -0400, you wrote:
>Hello, listers.  A friend is enrolled in a course that will employ an
>internet application known a blackboard chat which supposedly is
>inaccessible for a screen reader (Jaws 3.7).  Can anyone point me to
>information about this type of software and, more importantly, a
>functionally equivalent AND accessible alternative?
>
>Thanks - Jon

John Gardner
Professor and Director, Science Access Project
Department of Physics
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331-6507
tel: (541) 737 3278
FAX: (541) 737 1683
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
URL: http://dots.physics.orst.edu