I realize that you may not be in a position to enforce accessibility laws
regarding information access.  However, if software solutions are
non-existent and scripting or Windows access solutions are the only
effective alternatives, then the child has a right, through her parents,
to have the school district implement these solutions.  Section 35.160 of
Title II of the ADA requires communications with people with disabilities
to be as effective as those provided to others.  I believe the arguement
can be made that adding scripts that permit navigation by the blind
student would be in compliance.  Also, if software in windows allows the
child to preform the tasks accessibly that her sighted peers can do with a
MacIntosh, then it could I believe be successfuly argued that learning
technology is imporrtant and beginning to use Windows will be a
transferable skill that will be used in later grades and in the job world
later.  It will be dificult to use cost as a defense here as the law
expects accessibility to have been considered from the start.  Expenses as
a result of poor planning are usually not allowed as a cost devense.  

Enforcement of accessability laws is complaint driven.  The parents can
file a complaint with the Office for civil Rights in the U.S. Department
of Education.  More info is available at http://www.ed.gov/ocr 

kelly 




On Sat, 14 Oct 2000, Karyl Loux wrote:

> I received lots of good advice for the help I requested for using a MAC without using the keyboard.  The main response from quite a few folks was to check out OutSpoken.  I already knew of OutSpoken and it doesn't meet our needs.  Let me clarify a little, and once again ask for any and all opinions and advice.
> 
> I work with young children in public schools.  For older children, I do use OutSpoken, but the little ones do not need to access the computer itself.  The teacher loads up the software, and the children interact only with it.  They never see the desktop, nor the other choices of opportunities in the computer.  Now, the MAC has its own speech and sound, and the software usually does too.  In some cases it is so visual that the student without vision can't access it anyway.  But, some allow mouse clicks for responses that could be a response to an auditory stimulus.  Unfortunately, lots of these softwares don't allow options to the actual mouse.  The children I'm speaking of can be as young as 5 years old.  The schools and their systems have chosen MACs, and there really isn't any option.  Further, they are on networks and the network administrators are very unenthusiastic about me creating scripts to use something like Click-It.  I have a 5 year old, exceptionally bright, student with no vision.  I don't think it is suitable for her to have to have a big switch device or a different keyboard then her peers when she exceeds them in intellectual abilities.  That is why I am looking for alternatives to mouse operations that don't require big devices.  Software or scripting approaches is my preference.
> 
> I think it is a real shame that the Apple manufacturers, and the software writers for the device haven't bothered to consider this.  Being able to use the tab to cycle through visual screen based buttons really isn't a huge programming chore.  The use of hot-key choices is another option that is really missing.  I  think that with the predicted stronger enforcement of accessibility laws in educational environments, it may end up diminishing Apple sales to public schools.  If they and the software companies that write for them can't get on board with accessibility for all, it is not a good thing.  (Just my humble opinion.)
> 
> So, does anyone have more advice?  How about a good keyboarding program for MACs used by 5 to 9 year olds without vision?  Once again, I do appreciate whatever help anyone can provide.
> 
> Karyl
> 


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