[1030] in resnet
Re: Special Needs
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Wolf Shipon)
Wed Mar 27 10:21:56 2002
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Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.4.33.0203270949570.11267-100000@beast>
Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 10:07:51 -0500
Reply-To: Resnet Forum <RESNET-L@listserv.nd.edu>
From: Wolf Shipon <shipon@TCNJ.EDU>
To: RESNET-L@listserv.nd.edu
In-Reply-To: <3CA1D6E6.95E11D2F@widener.edu>
Dear Anne,
I feel compelled to respond to your question. I have been working in I.T.
for more than four years, and my internship for my master's degree in
counseling has me working with our college's disability support services
office, so I address this question from both angles.
Everyone on this list has to think seriously about students with
disabilities in planning for the future. It's not a question of whether;
it's a question of when. The answer should be yesterday, and since most
of us didn't do the planning and implementation yesterday, we're playing
catch-up. Most of us just deal with situations as they arise because
universal design for access principles are sort of a new idea.
There are several areas which need to be addressed:
1) Physical facilities: Students with disabilities need wheelchair-
accessible workstations and computer tables that are adjustable. Your
institution probably has designated someone as the ADA compliance officer.
It would be best to partner with that person.
2) Electronic accesssibility of websites: Section 508 of the
Rehabilitation Act requires institutions in receipt of federal funding
make the electronic distribution of information accessible to people with
disabilities. Most often this means website design must be intelligible to
screen-reader software packages. A great resource for an introduction to
this topic is www.access-board.gov
3) Universal design principles: In future planning projects, it is much
less expensive in the long run to include accessibility as part of the
original design. Access should be the keyword, instead of accommodation.
In other words, we should be ordering the word processors that have
built-in speech, magnification and word prediction according to this
principle. Our standard images should have accessibility tools enabled so
that a technician doesn't have to make a special trip when someone
requires screen magnification. A library should have at least one
workstation set up with screen reader programs and headphones, or a
program like Kurzweil 3000 or WYNN and a scanner for people whose vision
impairment or learning disability makes auditory input of written material
much more accessible.
These are just some of the considerations that might get you brainstorming
about ways to achieve your goals regarding students (and faculty/staff)
with disabilities. I would recommend partnering with your ADA compliance
and your disability support services officer. Another great resource for
higher education is AHEAD -- the Association for Higher Education and
Disability -- of which your disability support services officer is
probably already a member. The website is www.ahead.org.
Hope this helps!
Wolf
On Wed, 27 Mar 2002, Anne M. Pollack wrote:
> Good Morning All,
>
> I know this question is beyond the scope of resnet but I am certain many
> of us have encountered students with special needs - either connecting
> in the resident halls or using campus computing.
>
> I am specifically interested in any adaptive technology resources,
> products, services or policies that you have in place. We are expanding
> the offerings of adaptive technology resources to meet student needs and
> proactively comply with ADA requirements. I know as more applications,
> services move to a web based environment the traditional demands for
> those with special needs will increase.
>
> Thanks for your time,
> Anne
>
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>
>
Wolf Shipon
Instructional Technology Specialist
The College of New Jersey
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