Curb Cut http://curbcut.net open and accessible Tue, 13 Sep 2016 20:04:12 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.8.1 The Great Big List from the 2016 CSUN International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference http://curbcut.net/events/csun16-disabilities-technology/ http://curbcut.net/events/csun16-disabilities-technology/#comments Wed, 23 Mar 2016 17:38:05 +0000 http://curbcut.net/?p=580 Continue Reading The Great Big List from the 2016 CSUN International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference]]> After missing last year, I’m excited to be back at the CSUN (California State University, Northridge) Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference.

Save the Date: The 2017 CSUN Conference will be held February 27th through March 4th, 2017.

If you know of a resources that should be added to the list, please send me a note at @mactoph or mactoph@gmail.com. Thank you! Big thanks to Jennifer Sutton for helping gather many of the resources listed below! New resources will be added as they are received.

Conference Notes and Roundups

Audio and Video Roundups

Conference Presentations

Presentations or notes on presentations are listed alphabetically below.

News and Resources

Social Media

The best place to follow the conversation with the #CSUN16 hashtag on Twitter, but you will also find conversations on Instagram, Facebook, Google Plus or anywhere else hashtags are such Hashtagrify, Hashtags.org, or Twazzup (Twitter login required). You can also check-in to the 2016 Conference on Lanyrd

Vendors, Sponsors and Exhibitors

Official directory of exhibitors and sponsors

Vendor News, Announcements and Press Releases

Official Conference Stuff

The official conference website has all kinds of important things like a list of all the sessions, special announements, and a mobile version of the site at m.csunconference.org . They also have a CSUN Facebook page and Twitter account.

If you are new to the conference, check out CSUN For Newbies from John Foliot or Tips for the CSUN Conference Newbie from Deque Systems.

Accessible Conference Materials

The DAISY Consortium has generously made the conference program and other materials available in in ePub or HTML files. The NFB Newsline has the agenda available in audio format by calling the NFB Newsline number and then choosing option 5, option 5 again, & then option 1 to listen.

Events and Meetups (Formal and Otherwise)

]]> http://curbcut.net/events/csun16-disabilities-technology/feed/ 2 The Great Big List from the 2014 CSUN International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference http://curbcut.net/events/csun-disabilities-technology2014/ http://curbcut.net/events/csun-disabilities-technology2014/#comments Wed, 19 Mar 2014 20:29:16 +0000 http://curbcut.net/?p=522 Continue Reading The Great Big List from the 2014 CSUN International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference]]> Below is a collection of presentations, people, and news happenings around the CSUN (California State University, Northridge) Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference. I’m a little late to the party this year and could use your help in gathering links and resources. If you see something that should be added to the list, let me know at @mactoph or mactoph@gmail.com. New resources will be added as they come in, thank you!

Following the Conversation

You can find #CSUN14 hashtag all over the world, including Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus. You can also see #CSUN14 images, people, videos, and slide collections at Topsy, Lanyrd, and Eventifier.

You can also see the conversations happening at twazzup (Twitter login required), hashtagrify, hashtags.org.

Conference Roundups

Conference Presentations

This is the good stuff. Presenters, please take a moment to make your slides available online and let me know at mactoph@gmail.com or @mactoph. I’ll make them available below.

Huge thank you to Jennifer Sutton for help in gathering presentations this year.

Attending the Conference

Events and Meetups (Formal and Otherwise)

News and Resources

Official Conference Stuff

The official conference website has all kinds of important things like a list of all the sessions and special announements. There is also a mobile version of the site at m.csunconference.org .

The DAISY Consortium has generously made the conference program and other materials available in in ePub or HTML files. The official Conference Twitter account is @CSUNCod.

Vendors, Sponsors and Exhibitors

Official directory of exhibitors and sponsors

Vendor News, Announcements and Press Releases

Addendum

Feeling nostalgic for great big lists from CSUNs past? The 2013, 2012 and 2011 Big Lists are also still available.

If you know of something I have missed, or have any kind of correction please send me a note at @mactoph or mactoph@gmail.com and I’ll get it taken care of.

Looking for someone who can make big lists (among other things)? Christopher Phillips on LinkedIn

]]> http://curbcut.net/events/csun-disabilities-technology2014/feed/ 9 Unconditional Love – Hit Me With Your Best Shot http://curbcut.net/disability/unconditional-love-hit-me-with-your-best-shot/ Wed, 19 Mar 2014 04:37:57 +0000 http://curbcut.net/?p=515 Continue Reading Unconditional Love – Hit Me With Your Best Shot]]> In Act 2 of a This American Life podcast titled Unconditional Love parents Dave and Karen Royko talk about life with their son Ben who has autism. Listening to their story, it is obvious that they love Ben very much. It is also obvious that love is hard. The opening dialog between Dave and Karen:

Dave Royko

People say all kinds of things to me and my wife as parents of an autistic son, and they mean well.

Karen Royko

People would sometimes say to me, in public, or in therapy waiting rooms where there’s a lot of interaction with parents and they would say, you’re a saint. And I would just think, well, Jesus Christ. What am I supposed to do, beat the [BLEEP] out of him? What else would you do? Well, we have to take a lot of antidepressants. That helps.

Dave Royko

God bless medication. People would often say, I couldn’t do what you’re doing. I know when people would say that, I mean, it’s really a compliment. But it would sometimes though, feel like, yes, you would. Unless you’re really a [BLEEP] person and not cut out to be a parent, you would be doing the same thing. The only difference is, we have to do it. It always felt like a little whiff of this crap, like God never gives you more than you can handle.

Karen Royko

You just want to kick those people in the teeth don’t you?

Dave Royko

If that sounds harsh, here’s what it’s like for us….

The rest of the story is authentic and raw as Dave and Karen share their vulnerability with the world. Listen to the entire story or read the transcript.

]]> The Great Big List from the 2013 CSUN International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference http://curbcut.net/events/csun-disabilities-technology2013/ http://curbcut.net/events/csun-disabilities-technology2013/#comments Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:30:59 +0000 http://curbcut.net/?p=462 Continue Reading The Great Big List from the 2013 CSUN International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference]]> Time again for the CSUN (California State University, Northridge) Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference. Once again, I’m dusting off Curb Cut and will be posting a whole bunch of links to try and capture the knowledge, feeling of community and spirit of an incredible gathering people talking about lots of really important stuff.

If you know of something I have missed, or have any kind of correction please send me a note at @mactoph or mactoph@gmail.com.

Conference Reflections

Conference Presentations

This is my favorite part of the great big list. Please encourage your presenters to share their slides online, send me a link or the actual presentation and I’ll make them available below.

Media (Audio, Video, and Images)

Events and Meetups (Formal and Otherwise)

Conference Roundups

News and Resources

Social

You can find #CSUN13 hashtag all over the place. For Twitter check out Twitter, Easy Chirp. You can visual the conversation using twazzup, hashtagrify, hashtags.org or HashParty.

You can also see image, video, and slide collections at Topsy, Lanyrd, and Eventifier.

Official Conference Stuff

The conference website has important things like a list of all the sessions and other official information. There is also a spiffy mobile version available.

If you prefer your formats alternative, the DAISY Consortium has generously made the conference program and other materials available in in ePub format and as a downloadable file.

There official Conference Twitter account is @CSUNCod.

Vendors, Sponsors and Exhibitors

Vendor News, Announcements and Press Releases

Attending the Conference

Last year Deque put together a list of Tips for the CSUN Conference Newbie that are still helpful or you can check out their 2013 Guide to CSUN compiled from a Twitter conversation.

Blind Bargains has created a Guide to Attending #CSUN13 on a Budget. SAS has created an accessible map to help blind participants navigate the conference. For all of your San Diego accessible travel needs @AccessSanDiego has you covered.

Addendum

Waxing nostalgic? The great big lists from 2012 and 2011 are also still available.

Follow @mactoph for updates to the list in the coming weeks and months.

]]> http://curbcut.net/events/csun-disabilities-technology2013/feed/ 10 Disability Models and Web Accessibility http://curbcut.net/accessibility/disability-models-and-web-accessibility/ http://curbcut.net/accessibility/disability-models-and-web-accessibility/#comments Sat, 20 Oct 2012 04:09:22 +0000 http://curbcut.net/?p=456 Continue Reading Disability Models and Web Accessibility]]> Outstanding overview of the models of disability and accessibility from Martyn Cooper.

The social model… is important in accessibility considerations because it recognises the importance of the context of the users and supports the view of accessibility as a relationship property; in the case of web accessibility the relationship being between the diversity of users and the web resource or application.

Read Models of Disability and their Relation to Accessibility

]]> http://curbcut.net/accessibility/disability-models-and-web-accessibility/feed/ 1 The Great Big List from the 2012 CSUN International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference http://curbcut.net/events/the-great-big-list-from-the-2012-csun-international-technology-persons-with-disabilities-conference/ http://curbcut.net/events/the-great-big-list-from-the-2012-csun-international-technology-persons-with-disabilities-conference/#comments Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:34:40 +0000 http://curbcut.net/?p=381 Continue Reading The Great Big List from the 2012 CSUN International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference]]> Here’s the thing- 2012 California State University, Northridge (CSUN) Center on Disabilities Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference is a really big deal. It is a gathering of people and ideas unlike any other in the world.

As a follow up to the 2011 Great Big List, below is a collection of people, ideas, presentation and other resources from the 2012 conference. If you see anything I’ve missed or that should be corrected please send me a note at @mactoph or mactoph@gmail.com. Thanks!

Round Ups

Conference Presentations

Photos

Blog and News Coverage

Video Interviews

Podcasts

Getting Ready and Attending the Confernece

Vendors, Sponsors and Exhibitors

Following the Conversation

Official Conference Stuff

Vendor News, Announcements and Press Releases

Side Conversations

Other Resources

Not Attending?

Besides following the conversation online, Jeffrey Stark has offered to answer your questions from the conference or you might consider following the lead of this “Wish we could be at CSUN” commiseration event” in Canberra Australia.

Thank you!

Thank you to the following people for sending me tips and resources, please remind me if I forgot you: Jared Smith, @blindbargains, Mika O Pyyhkala, Jennison Ascunsion, Jon Hassell.

]]> http://curbcut.net/events/the-great-big-list-from-the-2012-csun-international-technology-persons-with-disabilities-conference/feed/ 7 Picture a Day, Cancer and Disability http://curbcut.net/disability/picture-a-day-cancer-and-disability/ http://curbcut.net/disability/picture-a-day-cancer-and-disability/#comments Sat, 07 Jan 2012 16:23:34 +0000 http://curbcut.net/?p=373 A photographic essay of someone acquiring a disability. For me, it served as a beautiful reminder of the thin line between the sometimes meaningless categorizations of people who are temporarily able bodied and people with disabilities. Enjoy.


(warning: brief nudity and graphic medical imagery)

Jeff’s Website

]]> http://curbcut.net/disability/picture-a-day-cancer-and-disability/feed/ 1 The Benefits of Captions http://curbcut.net/accessibility/the-benefits-of-captions-legit/ http://curbcut.net/accessibility/the-benefits-of-captions-legit/#comments Sat, 12 Nov 2011 00:17:46 +0000 http://curbcut.net/?p=363 Continue Reading The Benefits of Captions]]> Many accessibility efforts to make information more accessible to users with disabilities provide benefits to all users. Calling out these benefits can lead to a decision for accessibility in spite of the benefits provided to users with disabilities. Captions are a great example,here are a few lists outlining some of those:

Even if you are a callous jerk who doesn’t care about the 3.5% of the general population who are deaf or hard of hearing, there are other benefits commonly cited in the above lists:

  • Increased usability for everyone.
  • Education and literacy benefits.
  • Increased search engine traffic.
  • Search captioned video to find specific video segments.
  • Access to audio information in a noisy environment.
  • Helpful in learning a second language.

Those all make a lot of sense, but I wanted to find some specific examples and research to back up those assertions. Here is what I found:

Increased Usability for Everyone

I don’t have hearing loss, but I always turn on captions when they are available and apparently I’m not along. In 2006, Ofcom (the regularity authority for the UK communications industries) published a report with the following blurb on the number of people who use subtitles:

In the UK adult population as a whole, over 7.5 million people (18%) are estimated to have used subtitling at least once, of whom over 6 million people would have no hearing impairment. 39% of those with a hearing impairment say that they have used it, equating to just over 1.4 million people. Amongst case study respondents with a hearing impairment, 49% said that they used it to watch all, most or some programmes, a figure that rose to 76% for those with a severe or profound hearing loss. (Section 2.20)

Muffled audio, thick accents or whatever– captions make audio easier to understand.

See Also: The hearing majority of captioning viewers from Joe Clark and WETA’s Captions Increase & Sustain Their Video Viewership from Peter Crosby at DotSUB.

Education and Literacy Benefits

I also try to turn captions on for my kids:

Increased search engine traffic

While these benefits may occasionally be overstated as not all captioned video is indexed by all search engines, there are definite SEO benefits from captioned video for at least some services/search engines. If nothing else, posting the video transcript with the video will ensure that your video content can be indexed by search engines.

We can only hope that as search engines take advantage of captions to deliver more relevant video content to users I hope it doesn’t lead to a rash of captioned videos of video spammers yelling about cheap online pharmaceuticals and work from home opportunities.

Search Captioned Video to Find Specific Video Segments

This video from Hulu demonstrates this idea very well (ironically, it’s uncaptioned):

You can try it out for yourself by doing to the Hulu Captions Search page.

On a completely unrelated sidenote, there is a great story of how the husband of a Deaf woman had a brother with a friend who was a programmer at Hulu helped to get captions rolling at Hulu.

You can also see this functionality at the DO-IT Video collection., CaptionBox is a jQuery plugin that allows you do add some of this functionality to videos on your site.

Access to Audio Information in a Noisy Environment

I’ve often heard the face that the most common use of captions is when they are turned on for televisions in a restaurant or gym. I looked pretty hard and can’t find any hard data to verify that assertion, but I know that I appreciate caption being turned on when I eat out. Unfortunately it’s been awhile since I’ve been to a gym so I can’t speak to that. Also, those children I mentioned earlier who I turn on captions for the educational benefits? There are four of them and they can be noisy- captions are a godsend when my wife and I are watching a show with the kiddos in the room.

Helpful in Learning a Second Language

Here are a few academic articles on this topic with fancy words, complicated charts, the works:

That’s It

What did I miss?

]]> http://curbcut.net/accessibility/the-benefits-of-captions-legit/feed/ 1 Explanation of Autism from a Blogger with Autism http://curbcut.net/disability/autism/explanation-of-autism-from-a-blogger-with-autism/ Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:06:46 +0000 http://curbcut.net/?p=358 Continue Reading Explanation of Autism from a Blogger with Autism]]> You may feel like you know it when you see it, but do you know exactly what autism is? Lisa Daxer writes in her post titled How to Diagnose Autism, “autism really is a complicated subject”. You should take her word for it, Lisa has Asperger’s syndrome. In the post shed does an incredible of outlining some differences “between autistics and neurotypicals” in three categories:

  • learning and cognition
  • sensory processing
  • language/communication.

In the end she acknowledges that:

… Unfortunately, it’s just not possible. Autism is a complicated diagnosis to make and a complicated subject to study. The more traits you have, the more likely you’re autistic.

In general, a diagnosis of autism is made when someone determines that you have a lot of autistic traits, and that these traits mean you need help with something, and that a diagnosis would help. But defining autism–the essential cognitive style–is a project I think we’ll take decades to finish.

If you’re not already following Reports from a Resident Alien, take a moment to do so now, here are just a few of my favorite posts that have helped me to better understand what it means to have a disability:

Read How to Diagnose Autism

]]> A Credo of Support http://curbcut.net/disability/a-credo-of-support/ http://curbcut.net/disability/a-credo-of-support/#comments Wed, 03 Aug 2011 19:46:46 +0000 http://curbcut.net/?p=344 Continue Reading A Credo of Support]]> Must watch video for anyone who knows anyone with a disability:

Read by People with Disabilities

Read by a Narrator

Full Text

Throughout history, people with physical and mental disabilities have been abandoned at birth, banished from society, used as court jesters, drowned and burned during The Inquisition, gassed in Nazi Germany, and still continue to be segregated, institutionalized, tortured in the name of behavior management, abused, raped, euthanized, and murdered.

Now, for the first time, people with disabilities are taking their rightful place as fully contributing citizens.

The danger is that we will respond with remediation and benevolence rather than equity and respect. And so, we offer you:

A Credo for Support

Do not see my disability as the problem.
Recognize that my disability is an attribute.

Do not see my disability as a deficit.
It is you who see me as deviant and helpless.

Do not try to fix me because I am not broken.
Support me. I can make my contribution to the community in my own way.

Do not see me as your client.
I am your fellow citizen.
See me as your neighbour.
Remember, none of us can be self-sufficient.

Do not try to modify my behavior.
Be still & listen. What you define as inappropriate may be my attempt tocommunicate with you in the only way I can.

Do not try to change me, you have no right.
Help me learn what I want to know.

Do not hide your uncertainty behind “professional” distance.
Be a person who listens and does not take my struggle away from me by trying to make it all better. Do not use theories and strategies on me.
Be with me.
And when we struggle with each other, let that give use to self-reflection.

Do not try to control me. I have a right to my power as a person.
What you call non-compliance or manipulation may actually be the only way I can exert some control over my life.

Do not teach me to be obedient, submissive and polite.
I need to feel entitled to say No if I am to protect myself.

Do not be charitable towards me.
The last thing the world needs is another Jerry Lewis.

Do not try to be my friend. I deserve more than that.
Get to know me, we may become friends.

Do not help me, even if it does make you feel good.

Ask me if I need your help.
Let me show you how you can assist me.

Do not admire me.
A desire to live a full life does not warrant adoration.
Respect me, for respect presumes equality.

Do not tell, correct, and lead.
Listen, support, and follow.

Do not work on me.
Work with me!

Credits

In Memory of Tracy Latimore
Written by Norman Kunc and Emma Van der Klift
Copyright 1995 Norman Kunc & Emma Van der Klift

Purchase

Copies available through NormEmma.com

]]> http://curbcut.net/disability/a-credo-of-support/feed/ 1 2011 AHEAD Conference and Changing Attitudes http://curbcut.net/disability/2011-ahead-conference-and-changing-attitudes/ Fri, 15 Jul 2011 17:51:44 +0000 http://curbcut.net/?p=341 Continue Reading 2011 AHEAD Conference and Changing Attitudes]]> I’m attending the Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) Conference in Seattle this week. Many of the sessions are typical fare for a disability conference, but I’ve found a strand of conversations pushing the conversation beyond where many disability advocates in attendance are comfortable. I love it.

The conference brings together professionals from disability service offices that provide support to students with disabilities in colleges and universities.

Here are some of the questions that were asked:

  • How do disability simulations used for disability awareness reinforce existing power structures and negative stereotypes?
  • How do disability service offices act as the gatekeeper rather than door opener?
  • Why is so much time spent evaluating and diagnosing disability that could be spent on creating more accessible environments for everyone?
  • How is the disability rights movement similar and different from movements of other oppressed groups?

There was a great discussion on the power of language where the power of words was affirmed, but Alberto Guzman put the language discussion into perspective when he said, “If the goal is to be politically correct, then we should just forget about it”.

There is tremendous value in examining our own ideas and perceptions. There was a palpable energy felt as as ideas and attitudes were challenged and changed. I will leave this conference with a renewed sense of purpose and direction in the work that I do.

The presentations from the AHEAD conference can be found on the AHEAD Conference website.

]]> The Great Big List from the 2011 CSUN International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference http://curbcut.net/events/the-great-big-list-from-the-2011-csun-international-technology-persons-with-disabilities-conference/ http://curbcut.net/events/the-great-big-list-from-the-2011-csun-international-technology-persons-with-disabilities-conference/#comments Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:14:45 +0000 http://curbcut.net/?p=307 Continue Reading The Great Big List from the 2011 CSUN International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference]]> Below is a collection of reviews, presentations and other links the from the 2011 CSUN International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference. If you have anything that I’ve missed, let me know at @mactoph or mactoph@gmail.com. I’ll keep adding stuff as long as I get it.

Overall Conference Experiences

Pre-Conference Sessions and Keynote

Presentations and Notes from Wednesday through Friday Sessions

Twitter

Lots of great Twitter conversation throughout, the official hashtags was #csun11.

Thursday Night Tweetup

Video

Audio

Vendors and Product Sites and News

Official List of Conference Exhibitors

Other Links & Resources

]]> http://curbcut.net/events/the-great-big-list-from-the-2011-csun-international-technology-persons-with-disabilities-conference/feed/ 7 How to Eat an Elephant: Tackling Web Accessibility in a Large Corporation http://curbcut.net/events/how-to-eat-an-elephant-tackling-web-accessibility-in-a-large-corporation/ http://curbcut.net/events/how-to-eat-an-elephant-tackling-web-accessibility-in-a-large-corporation/#comments Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:56:15 +0000 http://curbcut.net/?p=302 Continue Reading How to Eat an Elephant: Tackling Web Accessibility in a Large Corporation]]> Presentation from the 2011 CSUN Technology Conference.
Presenters: Primarily Elle Waters and Lisa Barnett of Humana, Wes Dillon and Preety Kumar of Deque Systems, Inc and Sharron Rush of Knowbility, Inc. were also on the stage.

Elle and Lisa were charged with coming up with an accessibility plan for Humana and went through a number of the challenges, successes and things they wish they would have known. Humana is big Fortune 100 (and moving up) company with 29,000 employees, 140+ web properties, 11 million customers in the US.

Here are the full slides from the presentation:

CSUN 2011: How to Eat an Elephant: Tackling Web Accessibility in a Large Corporation

View more presentations from Nethermind

(alternate formats coming later..)

Here are a few takeaways I came away with from the presentation:

  • Present accessibility as the solution to problem of the group you are presenting to (i.e. accessibility as a way to enforce coding standards).
  • One person pushing a cause in an oddity, two people is a trend.
  • Work to align accessibility goals with the goals and mission of the company.
  • When relevant, tout the non-accessibility requirements of accessibility such as better SEO, better mobile experience).
  • Look to information security as a model to how accessibility might be implemented in your organization.
  • Develop a library of acessible code snippets.
  • Plant a lot of seeds and cultivate what grows, identifying interested stakeholders along the way.
  • As an accessibility expert, don’t wait around for someone to tell you what to do, take the initiative.
]]> http://curbcut.net/events/how-to-eat-an-elephant-tackling-web-accessibility-in-a-large-corporation/feed/ 1 Comparing Notetakers and Mainstream Alternatives http://curbcut.net/mobile/comparing-notetakers-and-mainstream-alternatives/ Thu, 17 Mar 2011 01:21:03 +0000 http://curbcut.net/?p=285 Continue Reading Comparing Notetakers and Mainstream Alternatives]]> Presentation from the 2011 CSUN Technology Conference.
Presenters: Anne Taylor, the Director of Access Technology at the National Federation for the Blind and Michael Barber, Michael Barber, President National Federation of the Blind of Iowa

Comparison

Anne began by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of mainstream devices such as the iPhone and iPad versus dedicated devices such as the The Braille Sense Plus, BrailleNote, Pac Mate, and Sendoro GPS devices.

It may be unfair to critique Apple and their iOS when they are doing so much in the area of accessibility, but as the current market leader and with their accessibility efforts they are the only experience that can even be compared with dedicated notetaker devices.

Advantages of Dedicated Devices

  • You don’t have to worry whether functionality is accessible or not, it’s going to be accessible.
  • More tuned into the needs of the blind community.
  • Accessibility is the bread and butter for those companies.
  • More training agency resources in the industry focused on the dedicated devices (than iOS devices).

Disadvantage of the Dedicated Devices

  • They are more expensive to purchase and users who are blind have less buying power than the sighted population.
  • More expensive to maintain- changing the battery in one (unnamed) device cost $400.
  • Lag time in development compared to mainstream technology.
  • Lack of versatility in what you can do (there’s no app for that).
  • Tools are not as powerful (i.e. advanced functions in Microsoft Word).

Advantage of Mainstream (iOS) Devices

  • More affordable.
  • They keep pace with technology better (i.e. using iOS devices to control appliances).
  • Wide availability, better distribution channels.
  • Less expensive to maintain.
  • Great compatibility with other mainstream devices- one device for the sighted and the blind.
  • Easier to find support from other people who have similar devices.

Disadvantages of Mainstream (iOS) Devices

  • The accessibility documentation and training can be difficult to find.
  • Accessibility is great on iOS devices and is woven into Apple’s culture, but it is still a secondary feature.
  • Accessibility provides access to text, not braille. Third-party soulutions are available, but support for Braille integration is still weak.
  • Less understanding of the needs of the blind community.
  • Individual applications may or may not be accessible.

Summary

Anne asked whether or not mainstream devices were able to adequately replace dedicated device. While some blind users already have already replaced their dedicated devices for a mainstream device, the needed functionality still isn’t there yet for many users.

Other Resources Mentioned

]]> Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials in Postsecondary Education Update Session http://curbcut.net/standards/advisory-commission-on-accessible-instructional-materials-in-postsecondary-education-update-session/ http://curbcut.net/standards/advisory-commission-on-accessible-instructional-materials-in-postsecondary-education-update-session/#comments Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:09:02 +0000 http://curbcut.net/?p=275 Continue Reading Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials in Postsecondary Education Update Session]]> Presentation from the 2011 CSUN Technology Conference.
Presenter: Gaeir Dietrich, Director of the High Tech Center Training Unit

Full Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials in Postsecondary Education Update Session PowerPoint Presentation available here

Background on the Commission

The Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials in Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities was established under the Higher Education Opportunity Act and they held their first meeting on September 27, 2010.

The basic goal of the commission is to:

indentify ways to improve the opportunities for postsecondary students with print disabilities to access instructional materials in a comparable timeframe as the instructional materials for nondisabled students.

The commission is working to identify barriers and systemic issues as well as consider technical solutions. However, Gaeir acknowledged that whatever solutions exist today will likely not be the solution three years from now. As an example, the California Assembly Bill 422 passed in 1999 requires publishers to provide electronic text for students with disabilities for certain colleges and universities in ASCII format (no bold, italics or other formatting).

Six Areas the Commission is Considering

Accessible Formats With Comparable Timeframe and Costs

How students with print disabilities may obtain instructional materials in accessible formats within a comparable timeframe and at costs comparable to the costs of such materials for nondisabled students.

Feasibility of Standards

The feasibility and technical parameters of establishing standardized electronic file formats to be provided by publishers of instructional materials to producers of materials in accessible formats, institutions of higher education, and eligible students.

National Clearinghouse

The feasibility of establishing a national clearinghouse, repository, or file-sharing network for electronic files used in producing instructional materials in accessible formats, and a list of possible entitites qualified to adminiser such a clearinghouse, repository, or network.

Market-based Solutions

The feasibility of establishing market-based solutions involving collaborations among publishers of instructional materials, producers of materials in accessible formats, and institutions of higher education.

Universal Design

Solutions utilizing universal design.

Low Incident, High Cost Materials

Solutions for low-incidence, high-cost requests for instructional materials in accessible formats.

Four Task Forces

Gaeir was clear that they are still early in the process and the ideas express are simply a snapshot of their current thinking.

Task Force One

Led by Tuck Tinsley of the American Printing House for the Blind.

This task force is considering high-cost & low-incidence materials such as braille and tactile graphics as well as instructional materials in the areas of:

  • science,
  • technology,
  • engineering,
  • mathematics,
  • foreign languages, and
  • graduate studies.

They are also considering best practices, the definition of print disability (based on functional limitations) and the definition of instructional materials. Their report will include current data that shows that approximately 1% of all students have some type of print disability.

Task Force Two

Led by Jim Fructerman from Bookshare and Benetch.

This task force is looking at technology Issues, the possibility of a file repository, a standardized format and a federated search.

This group so far has recommended that it is not feasible to recommend a standardized file format. However, they are recommending a single repository and they do recommend a federated search to consolidate data and adding metadata to files pertaining to accessibility.

Task Force Three

Led by George Kerscher of the DAISY Consortium and the RFB&D

This task force is looking at market model solutions, E-pub and DAISY formats, Web solutions, Open Educational Resources (OER), Digital Rights Management (DRM) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

Considering the market model solutions, they are looking to find where market needs and the needs of users with disabilities overlap. Gaeir mentioned the example of text messaging that is replacing TTY services for many people.

Task Force Four

Led by Maria Pallante of the Copright Office

They are looking at the legal framework, copyright, the Chafee Amendment, the Americans with Disabilites Act and Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act, and State Higher Education E-text laws.

There are difficult issues to resolve in this area, but they are feeling that any rework of copyright will not pass the legislature. They are looking at how there can be an appropriate balance between copyright law and civil rights law. Because the exceptions under the Chaffee Amendment require that a learning disability be organic based, they are also working on providing guidelines that include current brain research on the organic basis of learning disabilities.

Wrap Up

Gaier is really excited about DAISY, but she mentioned that most students are still requesting Word or MP3 files in postsecondary settings because those are the formats that they are used to. She feels like this will change as the younger generation grows up using DAISY.

The commission is planning on having a rough draft of their report at the AHEAD Conference in July.

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