Original Message:
From: "Audrey Schading" <[log in to unmask]
To: <[log in to unmask]
Subject: [Acbny-l] News Release: At Chancellor Zimpher's Urging, 
Google
Upgrades Service for visually challenged
Date:
Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:48:40 -0400

 News Release: At Chancellor Zimpher's Urging, Google Upgrades 
Service
for

News-Release

At Chancellor Zimpher's Urging, Google Upgrades Service for 
Visually
Impaired Users

For Immediate Release: Thursday, Sept.  22, 2011

Contact: Morgan Hook;
[log in to unmask]
; 518-320-1311

Albany - State University of New York Chancellor Nancy L.  
Zimpher today
commended Google, Inc.  on its new initiative to increase 
accessibility
for visually
challenged users on its major Web services.

In March, Chancellor Zimpher wrote to Eric Schmidt, Chairman of 
the
Board & CEO of Google, urging the company to make their
Apps for Education
service more accessible to the visually impaired.  SUNY campuses 
began
using the service in 2010, but some visually impaired SUNY 
students and
faculty were
having difficulty with the site, which prompted Chancellor 
Zimpher to
contact Google.

"SUNY enrolls tens of thousands of blind and otherwise disabled
students, and we are committed to providing them with the same
top-quality technology that
is available to all students and faculty," said Chancellor 
Zimpher.  "It
is clear that Google shares our commitment to education and to 
students
of all
ages, and I commend the company for its prompt response to the 
needs of
our students and faculty by upgrading its education technology in 
time
for the
2011-12 school year."

In the
letter,
Chancellor Zimpher praised the service, but noted that changes 
needed to
be made "in order to fulfill our mission to provide the people of 
New
York with
educational services of the highest quality and with the broadest
possible access." The letter continued, "Technology should make 
their
educational experience
more accessible, not less so."

Google recently
announced
that it is rolling out accessibility improvements to Google Docs, 
Sites
and Calendars, including new keyboard shortcuts and enhanced 
screen
reader support.

About the State University of New York

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive 
university
system in the United States, educating more than 467,000 students 
in
more than
7,500 degree and certificate programs on 64 campuses with nearly 
3
million alumni around the globe.  To learn more about how SUNY 
creates
opportunity, visit
www.suny.edu
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