Hello,
The following suggestions about training of people with disabilities were
prepared by the Center for Information Technology Accommodation (CITA) of the
federal General Services Administration (GSA).
----------
End User Training Considerations and Options
Training is another key element of accommodation. Both the
initial training with the new accommodation equipment and ongoing
career development training should be taken into consideration.
When new equipment has been procured, both the end user and the
technical support personnel involved in the accommodation effort
should receive training. The amount of training required varies
with the individual and the technology employed. Training may
range from computer-assisted tutorials to formal instruction. The
support personnel should be almost as familiar with the
accommodation hardware and software as the end users in order to
provide good ongoing support. Training is also necessary for
management personnel. The first line supervisor should be the
primary focus of this training. The supervisor should have an
appreciation of the accommodation taking place, the technology
being utilized, and its relation to the other tasks in the office.
For the user just learning to use a personal computer, training in
general PC use is needed in addition to the training focused on
the accommodation equipment the individual will be using with
their PC. Agency managers in charge of training should be
prepared to include employees with disabilities in the standard
training courses offered. The individual should have some
training on their accommodation add-ons prior to training on new
systems or applications. This preliminary training will allow the
employees with disabilities to focus on the application training
course itself rather than on the accommodation-related procedures.
If the training center does not offer adequate computer
accessibility on their computer workstations, the training center
will need to make arrangements for the accommodations used by the
employee to be installed on the training center PC for the
duration of the course. The training center should be prepared to
answer questions about serial or parallel port availability,
connector type (e.g. 25 pin male, or 9 pin female), and type of
monitor (e.g. EGA, VGA, CGA, or monochrome). They should also be
supportive of making the computer system available the day before
the class is scheduled to begin so the necessary accommodation
add-ons can be installed and tested. The course instructor should
take a little time prior to the beginning of the course to become
familiar with the rudimentary elements of the accommodation
packages being used.
As with any training course for any non-disabled employee, the documentation
and course notebook are an important part of the total training package. Every
effort should be made to provide documentation to the user in the most useful
format possible. Frequently requested formats may include braille, audio tape,
large print, or ASCII diskette. When an individual registering for a course
identifies their disability, they should be asked the format they prefer. The
assumption should not be made that "all blind students will want *braille or
that "all students with low vision will want large print." If video tapes are
used for training, they should be available in a captioned format for use by
hearing impaired individuals.
Additional ideas that may be useful for training center managers or managers
preparing to send an employee with a disability to a training class are listed
below.
For a student who is blind these ideas include:
- Have a reader or personal assistant with a blind person for the
first morning of training to help orient the person to the
keyboard, drive slot, etc.
- Put tactile dots on the keyboard that will be used in training to
provide home row key orientation and any special keys the
instructor will be directing the students to use during the course
of training.
- If the training center does not offer adequate computer
accessibility, have the computer support person for the area set up
the employee's screen reader and synthesizer at the training center
the day before training is due to begin.
- For braille readers, have any "cheat sheets," such as function key
assignments, available in *braille.
- For all class workbooks available in braille, the page numbers
should reference the print page number.
- Instructors should be reminded to read aloud any instructions or
material written on the board or on overheads used throughout the
course.
- Many students that are blind may want to make an audio recording of
the training for their own use. If contractor trainers are being
used, they should be aware of this and not prevent the student from
recording the course. Courses that involve materials
requiring security safeguards would be an exception.
- The instructor or class coordinator should be prepared to give
directions to the break area, restrooms, phones, etc. in a clear
manner that does not depend on visual references such as, "the room
with the blue door." Directions given stating the distance, or the
number of doorways on the left or right would be more usable by a
blind individual.
For individuals with low vision, the following ideas may be helpful:
- Large print display monitors would be a nice addition to any
training center and provide a benefit to many students that may
utilize the center. Both large print display of computer screen
contents and large print display of hard copy materials would
useful.
- Large print keycap labels would be quite easy and inexpensive for a
training center to add to one or more of their keyboards. Tactile
dots on the keyboard are also useful to many students by giving a
tactile orientation to the keyboard to supplement the visual
orientation.
- Provide copies of transparencies, slides, or material normally
printed on the board. Provide these in large print if possible.
For individuals who are deaf, the following suggestions have been given:
- Have an adequate number of sign language interpreters so they can
be easily seen and have adequate time off between sessions.
- Prearrange for hearing impaired students to share notes taken in
class by non-hearing impaired students. This may be facilitated by
not grouping all the individuals with hearing impairments together.
Sharing notes may also be facilitated by supplying the student
designated as the note-taker with paper that produces a carbonless
duplicate.
- Prior to giving verbal instructions, the instructor should be sure
the deaf individual is looking at the interpreter. Flashing the
room lights is a simple and effective means of getting everyone's
attention.
- If verbal instructions given are lengthy or involve processes the
student will then be asked to perform, such as a computer exercise,
it may be difficult for the student to watch the interpreter and
accurately record the instructions. Preparing instructions prior
to the class and giving the student a printed copy would be
helpful.
- The instructor or class coordinator should be prepared to give
instructions to the students for the location of a public use TDD
similar to giving hearing students the location of a pay phone.
For individuals who are hard of hearing the suggestions include:
- Have the classrooms equipped with an assistive listening system.
These systems can be either permanently installed or portable.
- Be sure all the instructors understand assistive listening systems
and know they must use the microphone for the system to work.
- Instructors should be careful not to talk to the class while their
back turned is to the class, or obstruct their mouth with their
hands, a pencil, etc. while they are talking. Many hard of hearing
individuals depend on visual cues to aid in their understanding and
need to see the instructors lips clearly.
- Instructors should clearly repeat any questions raised by the class
participants prior to giving the answer to ensure everyone has
heard the question. This is particularly true if the instructor is
using an assistive listening device and the question was not spoken
through the system microphone.
- Care should be taken to minimize unnecessary outside noise that
might make hearing more difficult.
For mobility impaired individuals attending training, the suggestions include:
- Prearrange for mobility impaired students that would have trouble
taking notes to share notes taken in class by another student.
This may be facilitated by supplying the student designated as the
note-taker with paper that produces a carbonless duplicate.
- Ensure there is adequate space in the classroom to accommodate a
wheelchair or a scooter if the student uses either of these.
- Be sure all instructors know the location of the accessible
restrooms nearest the classroom location and alternate locations if
that facility is not available.
Other types of training:
In addition to standard classroom training situations, people with disabilities
may benefit from other types of training media. Training videotapes, audio
cassette tapes, one-to-one training, and training centers that specifically
focus on the training needs of people with disabilities may all be options to
supplement traditional classroom training experiences. Which type of training
is most appropriate is a decision that should be made jointly between the
manager and the individual.
Considerations include:
- The nature of the material being taught.
- Level of difficulty, length of the course, etc.
- Is it on a topic that is routinely taught, such as PC application
courses, or something unique, such as a particular piece of
accommodation equipment?
- Is the training media accessible?
- Are videotapes captioned for deaf and severely hard of hearing
individuals?
- Are audio cassettes indexed to make finding the proper section of
the tape easier?
- Is the training being done for just one individual or for an entire
group?
Although there are training centers that specifically focus on training
individuals with a disability, managers should not assume this is the training
of choice. In many cases, if the entire office is going to be receiving
training for a new system, the individual with a disability would prefer to
receive the same training as their coworkers. The training center performing
the training for the office should make every effort to ensure the individual
is properly accommodated and can attend the course with their coworkers. In
addition, the standard training centers may be the only source for some of the
courses needed by the individual.
In some cases, training that is designed specifically for people with
disabilities will be the best alternative for the individual and the manager.
If the standardly used training center is unable to accommodate the
individual's needs, or does not offer the courses needed, specialized training
may be the best alternative. Several specialized training centers exist that
charge no more for their training courses than the standard training centers.
Management and supervisory training conducted by the agency should also include
a component on accessibility and accommodation. In addition to general
"sensitivity training," managers need to be aware of the range of possible
computer and telecommunications accommodation solutions currently available.
|
