EASI Online Course: Barrier-free Information Technology, Mar 3-31
Syllabus and registration at http://easi.cc/workshop.htm
This course can be taken as a single course or as one of the required basic
 courses required for the Certificate in Accessible Technology.

Who is responsible to provide students with disabilities with efficient
access to the computer and information technology facilities used in
today's schools and colleges?  Frequently, each department tries to shove
the job off on someone else.  "Where does the accessibility buck stop?"

The Office for Civil Rights has said that students with disabilities belong
to the institution and not just to a disability-related office, and meeting
their needs is an institution-wide responsibility!  However, instead of
being an additional burden, meeting their needs can help strengthen
campus-wide communications and cooperation.

 Computer and information technology is rapidly becoming integral to our
 daily lives. On one hand, this holds the promise of enhanced independence
 for students with disabilities. On the other hand, depending on the design
 of the particular applications being used, it threatens to create needless
 barriers for such students possibly even preventing them from completing
their education. This basic course in adaptive information technology is
excellent for administrators, ADA officers, disabled student services
staff, student affairs staff, information technology staff, instructional
design staff, librarians and all faculty.

 Course lessons and Assignments
 Lesson 1: Introductions and definitions
 Part 1 introduction to the workshop;
 Part 2 basic definitions
 Part 3 E-mail and listserv discussion lists
 Lesson 1 Assignments: Participant introductions.

 Lesson 2: Four reasons to provide barrier-free educational technology
 Part 1 it's the right thing to do;
 Part 2 it makes economic sense;
 Part 3 it's the law;
 Part 4 participants should do it for themselves
 Lesson 2 Assignment: Sharing relevant information.

 Lesson 3: computer input problems and solutions
 Part 1 Computer-related definitions
 Part 2 Alternative input systems for people with motor impairments
 Part 3 Alternative input devices for other disability groups Part 4 Lesson
 2 Assignment Using Windows access features

 Lesson 4: Computer output problems and solutions
 Part 1: Output issues for users who are blind
 Part 2: Output issues for users who have limited vision and users who have
 visual or cognitive processing disabilities
 Part 3: Output issues for other disability groups

 Lesson 4: Revisiting previous assignments
 Lesson 5: Compensatory Strategies and Disability Etiquette
 art 1: What is a compensatory strategy?
 Part 2: Do I have to be politically correct?
 Part 3: Etiquette tips for service providers
 Lesson 5 Assignment Disability-related resources on the World Wide Web

 Lesson 6: Access to print information
 Part 1: Creating and adapting electronic texts
 Part 2: Problems related to Braille and tactile drawings
 Part 3: Creating texts for the web
 Lesson 6 Assignment: Create 2 simple texts for use on the web

 Lesson 7: Access to physical facilities and staff training
 Part 1: Physical access to the computer itself
 Part 2: Designing a model accessible work station
 Part 3: Training the technology support staff
 Lesson 7 Assignment: What do you have to know?

 Lesson 8: Planning for an Accessible Campus or Institution
 Part 1: Implications of decentralized computing
 Part 2: Who do you need on your team? Part 3: Looking at One Example
 Lesson 8 Assignment: Developing a 12-18 month plan

EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information) is a non-profit
organization, and our mission is to provide universities, schools and other
institutions with the knowledge to make their information technologies
accessible to users with disabilities.  http://www.rit.edu/~easi






        -------------------------------

                Norman Coombs, Ph.D.
CEO EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information)
http://www.rit.edu/~easi
                http://easi-elearn.org