Lesson 1: What is accessibility and why does it matter?
Objectives
Upon completion of this lesson, participants will:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of accessibility, by defining accessibility and explaining how it relates to online teaching and learning.
2. Explain legalities and ethical issues in regards to accessibility, by citing references in their discussions.
Module 1: Introduction and Pre-Assessment
Ice Breaker Activity
This ice breaker activity will help develop our learning community. This ice breaker activity will assist you in introducing yourself to the rest of the class. Please think of one word that best describes you or your life. Post your word as the subject in the discussion forum and then explain why you chose this word in the body of the forum. Next week, after everyone has posted their words and descriptions, review your classmates’ posts and find someone who posted a word that resonates with yours. Then reply to that classmate and try to find at least two additional nouns that the two of you have in common. (Engaging the Online Learner by Rita-Marie Conrad and J. Ana Donaldson)
Pre-Assessment Activity
To get started complete the K and W sections of a KWL Chart (Know, Want to know, Learned) I want to know what you already know and any questions you might have about students with disabilities need for accessibility under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Law. You will complete the L section later. A template is provided at the link below.
Module 2: What is Accessibility
"Accessible" means that individuals with disabilities are able to independently acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services within the same time frame as individuals without disabilities, with substantially equivalent ease of use. Higher Education Accessibility Lawsuits
Effective communication is another very important Title II ADA standard. Under chapter 13 effective communication states that whatever is written or spoken must be as clear and understandable to people with disabilities as it is for people who do not have disabilities. The point is you want to provide people with disabilities the same equality in communication as a person without a disability would receive.
Communication with people who have hearing, seeing, speaking, writing, or reading difficulties may need different accommodations than those without.
Under Title II providing equal access with auxiliary aids and services allows for effective communication to be delivered. There are many devices and services that can help reach equal access. Some of them include, screen readers, note takers, qualified interpreters, CART computer-aided real-time transcription, written materials, large print materials, and closed caption decoders. These mentioned are just a few of the many available. To be in compliance you need to have a good understanding of these standards and how you can obtain them quickly if needed. These services need to be accessible for those who are blind or have low levels of vision, and for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. If an aid or assistance is requested, the person with the disability has the right to choose which method they prefer. They will know best what works for them. All employers who interact with the public either in person or by telephone need to know how to effectively communicate with them. This is important with TTY’s (teletypewriters) and telephone communications, especially in emergency situations. People who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech impairments use this telephone relay service. It is so important to stress the issue of equality in every aspect of life. Equality should be a household word when dealing with citizens with disabilities.
In the 21st century everyone in the world is advancing technologically. Websites and navigating the internet is an everyday function for most individuals. Those with disabilities have the right to do so as well. For equality purposes, websites should be accessible for the disabled. For individuals with disabilities to have equity in learning they need to have equal access. Many people with disabilities use assistive technology that enables them to use computers. Some barriers individuals are facing are; images without text equivalents, documents posted in PDF format, specified colors and font sizes, and videos or other multimedia that lack features in order to be accessible. HTML tags in the programming process of web design can help by using the “alt” tag which will provide a brief description of images that screen readers can understand. A “longdesc” tag which is used to provide long text descriptions can be spoken by screen readers. Another solution would be to add a refreshable Braille display to your website, which is an electronic device that will translate standard text to Braille characters. It will use devices such as rounded pins on a refreshable display to create Braille text that can be read by touch. Poorly designed websites create these barriers for people with disabilities just as poorly designed buildings prevent some people with disabilities from entering. A compliant website requires the use of all senses including seeing, hearing, and touching in order for everyone to reach equality in accessing the information and services provided.
Watch Video Below:
Social Model Animation Video
A Personal Look at Accessibility in Higher Education
Group Discussion
In your own words define accessibility and give examples of how this relates to online teaching? How may it affect online learning? Give examples from the readings to support your ideas. Post your responses to the discussion forum. Be sure to read at least four students posts and provide feedback to at least two of your classmates posts.
Why Does Accessibility Matter?
As educators, we build various teaching tools and information about our subject matter into our courses because we think it is important to our students’ learning. It follows that we would want all of our students, including those with disabilities, to have access to these tools, information and materials. In the United States, we are also governed by two federal laws that require program access and accessible courses: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. In New York, we are also bound by the accessibility guidelines pertaining to technology included within Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. As you create materials for your online course, ensure that they are in line with these standards and guidelines. Conforming to these standards will benefit students with disabilities, and will help all of your students to access and use the content of your online course.
When making course content accessible, it benefits all learners. We must create a path, so that all learners can succeed. There are ethical and pedagogical reasons why accessibility matters, but this is a reminder of the legal reasons why accessibility matters.
Legal History Timeline
Legal Cases
2013
Louisiana Tech
- Inaccessibility of course materials
South Carolina Technical College System
- Inaccessibility of Web sites
2012
University of Montana
- Inaccessibility of Web content and services (class assignments, live chat and discussion board, videos without captions, and an inaccessible registration system.)
Florida State University
- Inaccessibility of E-Learning
2011
Northwestern University
- Inaccessibility of Google Apps.
(While Google is working to make its platform more accessible, it has yet to complete this task.
New York University
- Inaccessibility of Google Apps
(Wile Google is working to make its platform more accessible, it has yet to complete this task.
2010
Penn State University
- Inaccessibility of Web site and course materials
2009
Law School Admissions Council
- Inaccessibility of Web content and LSAT preparation materials.
Settlement included an agreement to make Web content and services conform to WCAG 2.0 AA within 5 months.)
Arizona State, Princeton, Reed, Pace, Darden School of Business and Case Western:
- Inaccessibility of Kindle textbook technology
Higher Education Accessibility Lawsuits
Laws and Legislation
2011
There was much misunderstanding and limited action taking place, thus a follow up to the DCL was needed. The OCR posted a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) on May 26, 2011 which stated,
From this point further all materials and tools used in the classroom must be accessible to all. A university needs to be fully accessible to individuals with disabilities. Technological advances need to be used to the benefit of all students and must be accessible to all, unless the benefits of the technology are provided equally through other means.
All paper documents must be available electronically. A student with learning or reading disability may need material to be read to them. As new technology is integrated into the learning environment we need to be considering the law pertaining to equal access for all individuals with disabilities.
FAQ#5: States the school can be held responsible for a faculty or staff member noncompliance!
FAQ 11: “The DCL states that where accessible technology is not available, a school can comply with Section 504 and the ADA if it provides students with disabilities “accommodations or modifications that permit them to receive all the educational benefits provided by the technology in an equally effective and equally integrated manner.”U.S. Department of Education
To read the entire FAQ’s, please visit, the U.S. Department of Education
2010
In June 2010 the Office of Civil Rights(OCR) wrote a Dear Colleague letter (DCL) to all College University Presidents regarding the use of technology. It was stated: “It is unacceptable for universities to use emerging technology without insisting that this technology be accessible to all students. Providing individuals with disabilities full and equal access to educational opportunities is as essential today as it was when the ADA was passed. Ensuring equal access to emerging technology in university and college classrooms is a means to the goal of full integration and equal educational opportunity for this nation’s students with disabilities.” U.S Department of Education To read the entire letter please visit the U.S. Department of Education
2008
ADAAA is the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act which was signed into law September 25, 2008 and this law became effective as of January 1, 2009. The reason for the ADAAA was because “when Congress enacted the ADA in 1990, it expected that the definition of being disabled under the ADA would be synonymous with the definition being handicapped under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and that this “expectation” has not been fulfilled.”(Dunleavy, Gutman) ADAAA also states that “an impairment does not need to prevent or significantly restrict performance of a major life activity to be considered a disability. What is considered impairment must be construed in favor of broad coverage of individuals to the maximum extent permitted by the terms of the ADA. Mitigating measures (i.e. medication and assistive devices like hearing aids) must not be considered when determining whether someone has a disability, with the exception of ordinary eyeglasses or contact lenses. The term major life activities includes major bodily functions, such as impairments that are episodic (such as epilepsy) or in remission (such as cancer) are disabilities, if they would be substantially limiting when active.”
The ADAAA now looks at court cases in distinction of whether discrimination has occurred rather than looking at whether or not the individual qualified as being disabled. Previously courts were getting hung up on “what is and what is not a disability”.[3] With ADAAA in effect the definition of disability now has different meaning. Substantially limited was loosened, major life activities were expanded, consideration of mitigating measures was largely eliminated, and remission or episodic impairments are counted.
Over the past 21 years ADA standards have continued to change. There are many standards you must follow to be in compliance. Compliance means “the state or fact of according with or meeting rules or standards.”Ability Magazine Some of these standards include designating an ADA coordinator, having grievance procedures, communicating effectively, and creating an accessible website. It is best to follow these standards to ensure that your company is not discriminating on the basis of disability. All services, programs, and activities must be accessible and usable by individuals with disabilities to ensure equality in life.
1998
Section 508: Establishes requirements for electronic and information technologies developed, maintained, procured or used by the Federal government. Section 508 Webpage Compliance was signed in to law by President Clinton in 1998. It is an amendment to the Workforce Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, open new opportunities for people with disabilities, and encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals. Inaccessible technology interferes with an ability to obtain and use information quickly and easily. The law applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology.”Section508.gov Any business that uses emerging technology must follow section 508 standards. These standards cover all electronic and information technology such as those used for communication, duplication, computing, storage, presentation, control, transport and production. This also includes all computer software, networks, peripherals, and other types of electronic office equipment. Software applications and operating systems must be able to interact with on screen readers or convert to braille. Keyboard navigation must be able to be used. Multimedia such as presentations, image maps, style sheets, scripting language, plug-ins etc. must be useable as well. As you read earlier there are many case studies that show injustice in both public places and in schools for individuals with disabilities. Fact2 Online Accessibility
1990
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, State and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications. It also applies to the United States Congress. To be protected by the ADA, one must have a disability or have a relationship or association with an individual with a disability. An individual with a disability is defined by the ADA as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment. The ADA does not specifically name all of the impairments that are covered. This act covers equal opportunity for all citizens for transportation, employment, public accommodations, government services, and telecommunications. The ADA recognizes and protects the civil rights of people with disabilities. It covers physical conditions that affect mobility, stamina, sight, hearing, speech, emotional illness, and learning disorders. ADA.Gov
Title II: State and Local Government Activities- covers all activities of State and local governments regardless of the government entity’s size or receipt of Federal funding. Title II requires that State and local governments give people with disabilities an equal opportunity to benefit from all of their programs, services, and activities (e.g. public education, employment, transportation, recreation, health care, social services, courts, voting, and town meetings).
1975
In 1975 the Education for all Handicapped Children Act was passed. This act stated that all handicapped children shall receive free appropriate public education. They renamed it IDEA, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Before this act, citizens with disabilities were denied education due to their social status.Ability Magazine
1973
Rehabilitation Act of 1973- The Rehabilitation Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs conducted by Federal agencies, in programs receiving Federal financial assistance, in Federal employment, and in the employment practices of Federal contractors. The standards for determining employment discrimination under the Rehabilitation Act are the same as those used in title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Ability Magazine
Section 504: “No qualified individual with a disability in the United States shall be excluded from, denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under”Fact 2 Online Accessibility any program or activity that receives Federal financial assistance or is conducted by any Executive agency or the USPS.
1968
Fair Housing Act
In 1968 the Civil Rights Act introduced the fair housing act which prohibits discrimination, although no mention was made for those with disabilities. Ability Magazine
1964
Civil Rights Act
In 1964 President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act prohibiting discrimination of any kind. In 1965 the voting rights were passed. Equality was becoming a stronger issue. [[ http://www.infoplease.com/spot/civilrightstimeline1.html%7CCivil Rights Timeline]]
Reflection Activity
Answer the following questions below. Post your answers to the discussion forum.
- What is the most recent law that supports students with disabilities and why was it enacted?
- What are some reasons why accessibility is important?
- Why does accessibility matter?
Course Home Page: Creating Accessible Online Learning Materials, Focusing on Accessibility
Lesson 2: How do you make course content accessible?
Lesson 3: How do you verify and apply accessibility practices?
References
http://commons.suny.edu/fact2onlineaccessibility/why-does-accessibility-matter/
http://uwf.edu/svodanov/legal/ADAAA-Tip.pdf
http://www.esghr.com/Blog/tabid/169/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/254/ADAAA--Definition-of-Disability-Expanded.aspx
Section 504 Compliance Handbook
http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?fuseAction=Laws
http://www.thefreeDictionary.com)
http://www.ada.gov/pcatoolkit/chap2toolkit.htm
For a reference below is a link to the FACT2 Accessibility Page Glossary of Terms. This may come in handy along your journey in this class and thereafter.
http://commons.suny.edu/fact2onlineaccessibility/glossary-of-terms/