EASI Equal Access to Software and Information Barrier-Free Web Design Workshop

Let EASI help you prepare for new changes in the law that will effect your
college's or university's web pages.

Section 508, the newly revised amendment to the Rehabilitation Act requires
many web pages to be designed to be accessible by persons with
disabilities.  The law which primarily impacts purchases by the Federal
government also, according to current common wisdon, will apply to Federal
agencies in states receiving funds from the Technical Assistance Act, and
this is believed to include state colleges and universities.  The effective
date is August although this may be extended as the regulations have not
yet been finalized.

You can find some information on section 508 on the web at:
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/508/deptofed.html


So what can you do to prepare?  Look at EASI's workshop description below:
(starting June 5(
You can also find information including registration fees and you can
register online at:
http://www.rit.edu/~easi/workshops/easiweb.htm


This four-week workshop is designed to demonstrate how to create web pages
that
are both visually appealing and fully accessible to users with print
disabilities. In this context, accessibility means that the menus are readily
navigable and that the content itself is in a format that users with
disabilities can "read" independently. This workshop is largely
self-instruction
and self-paced, but it also includes frequent interaction with instructors
and
participants. It includes multimedia slides with narrated audio, video clips,
audio discussions and text and graphic materials. Besides teaching
universal web
design, it is intended to model how to use multimedia on the web in ways that
enhance access for all users. By combining multiple communication modes, the
workshop increases its accessibility for everyone. The guidelines recently
announced by the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Access Initiative are
included
in the course. The workshop focus is on accessibility features in web design
rather than being an in-depth course in HTML. It is aimed at people who
know web
design and want to understand accessibility issues, and for those wanting to
understand access issues to better talk with designers.
The workshop will be taught over the internet using an e-mail listserv to
communicate with instructors and each other. The web will provide the lesson
material.

Workshop instructors:

Richard Banks
EASI's electronic resource manager
Norman Coombs, Ph.D.
EASI chair

Lessons:
Lesson 1. Introduction: Instructors WELCOME is available for all.

This will include: advantages of the web for people with disabilities;
problems
of the web; the law and web access; the WAI (Web Access Initiative; and
instructors' and participants' introductions.
Lesson 2. Dealing with general design principles for accessibility: This will
include: layout for clarity and simplicity; design for rapid comprehension;
and
layout for navigation;
Lesson 3. Dealing with graphics and other visual features:
This will include: graphics; pictures; icons; graphical links; use of colors;
and how to provide accessibility for users who are blind, low vision or have
learning disabilities.
Lesson 4. Dealing with audio and the audio portion of video content: This
will
include: the need to provide text transcriptions for deaf and
hard-of-hearing;
the use of synchronized text with audio and video; and the use of descriptive
video.
Lesson 5. Dealing with W3 style sheets and mark up features:
This will include: cascading style sheets; HTML 4.0 markup features in
general
but especially those enhancing accessibility.
Lesson 6. Dealing with older browsers and with special screen reader
features:
This will include how to use new HTML features in ways that gracefully
transform
pages when accessed with older browsers or by special adaptive software that
reformats pages based on its HTML coding.
Lesson 7. Dealing with user control issues:
This will include an explanation of how to use the user control features of
HTML
4.0.
Lesson 8. Validation for HTML and for accessibility features:
This will include: how to validate your HTML code; how to check your pages
for
accessibility; submitting a page to qualify for continuing education units.

EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information) is a non-profit organization,
part of the Teaching, Learning and Technology Group and affiliated with the
American Association for Higher Education. Our mission is to help make
information technologies more accessible to users with disabilities.

If you are good at understanding complex, technical information, you may be
able to get all the information you need to make your site accessible from
the Web Access Initiative at:
http://www.w3.org/wai

If you want more information on EASI's workshop, write to Professor Norman
Coombs at:
[log in to unmask]

Barrier-free Web Design Online Workshop
Workshop starts June 7, 2000
http://www.rit.edu/~easi/workshops/easiweb.htm