Let the Software Do the Work Faculty and course designers are frequently overwhelmed with the work of creating and modifying courses for online delivery, and having to make that content accessible for students with disabilities is just one more burden. However, they do want to provide meaningful learning experiences for all of their students including those with disabilities. There are now recognized guidelines and standards for what is meant by online accessibility, but how can faculty and other content providers do this without their becoming skilled HTML programmers? Designing Accessible Course Content Using Familiar Software is a mont-long, instructor-led course starting January 10 which is provided by EASI that shows how you can do it! http://easi.cc/workshops/dacc.htm Modern learning management systems simplify the process of uploading content online and organizing it to facilitate learning. These systems also permit the content designer to continue preparing content with familiar tools such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF, and these systems do the work of transforming the content to be compatible with the courseware. Unfortunately, these courseware and creation tools do not automatically walk the content provider through the steps of creating an accessible output. The purpose of Designing Accessible Course Content Using Familiar Software is to introduce course registrants to the process of using these familiar tools in ways that result in content that will be highly accessible for students with disabilities without their having to become experts in HTML or in information technology. Course Lessons: Lesson 1: Introduction Lesson 2: Accessible web checkers Lesson 3: Adding accessibility for pictures and graphics on the web Lesson 4: Powerpoint accessibility for the web Lesson 5: Word and Excel accessibility for the web Lesson 6: Creating accessible PDF Lesson 7: Delivering accessible content using video and audio conferencing Lesson 8: Adding captions and audio description to Internet multimedia Faculty are busy, and they want to focus on their subject area and not on delivery technologies. Providing them with the guidelines and standards they need to comply with in order to achieve accessibility will usually not work. They won't invest the time and energy into learning the technology. Only when the creation or authoring tools make it easy for them will we see significant progress towards having online course content be truly accessible. While this ideal world is not yet here, this course will walk participants step-by-step through simple steps and adaptations that make creating accessible content a reasonable possibility. Registration and syllabus for the course presentation starting Jan. 10 are at: http://easi.cc/workshops/dacc.htm January 10 is also the starting date for the online course, Train the Trainer which is a down-to-earth introductory course for support staff who are responsible to train end users on using adaptive computer technology. Registration and syllabus are at: http://easi.cc/workshops/train.htm ------------------------------ EASI Is the premiere provider of online courses on designing accessible information technology: (a package of five courses will earn the Certificate in Accessible Information Technology) http://easi.cc/workshop.htm ** Also check our monthly interact Web conferences on accessible IT: http://easi.cc/clinic.htm Norman Coombs, Ph.D. CEO EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information) 22196 Caminito Tasquillo Laguna Hills CA 92653 home: (949) 855-4852 Cell: (949) 922-5992 E-mail: [log in to unmask] http://www.rit.edu/~nrcgsh --------------------------- Check out EASI New Synchronous Clinics: http://easi.cc/clinic.htm EASI Home Page http://www.rit.edu/~easi Online courses and Clinics http://easi.cc/workshop.htm Check the EASI Library Web http://www.rit.edu/~easi/lib.htm >>> Error in line 8 of AXSLIB-L.MAILTPL: unknown formatting command <<< -> . . . . . . . . . <-