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Accessible
IT Technical Bulletin: August 2004
The Northeast ADA &
IT Center at Cornell University provides training, technical assistance and
materials on the ADA and accessible information technology throughout New
York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This monthly
technical bulletin is part of our dissemination efforts and if you do not wish
to receive this document or would like others from your organization added to
our list, please call 1-800-949-4232 or reply to this message. Thank
you
Breaking Down Barriers: K-12 and Beyond
(CD)
The ADA and IT Technical Assistance Centers have created
an informational CD on how accessible electronic and information technology
can break down barriers for students with disabilities and improve educational
and employment outcomes. This CD is available, free of
charge, by calling our office, 800-949-4232 or emailing us at
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
The use of technology is widespread in
schools and employment settings. It has the potential to maximize the
independence, participation and productivity of students with
disabilities. Call us for a copy of this CD to learn about the
advantages of accessible information technology and how you can advocate for
use of accessible and universally designed technology in your
school.
Creating Accessible Online Course Content:
Version 2.0 of the Accessible Web Publishing Wizard for Microsoft
Office
If you have been using the Office Accessibility Wizard
to make your online PowerPoint presentations accessible, then you will want to
download the new release, Version 2.0. The new version provides
additional features for Powerpoint and new support for Word and Excel.
Navigation controls generated by the wizard are available in German, Italian,
French and Spanish.
The license to the full version 2.0 will
cost $39.95 US dollars, with discounts for purchasing multiple copies.
Site licensing of the wizard is also available at additional discounts.
A demo version is available for you to try before you buy. The revenues
are being used to support future features and enhancements to the
wizard.
A sample of the new Powerpoint output can be found at:
http://cita.rehab.uiuc.edu/software/office/demo/index.html
More
information on the wizard can be found at: http://cita.rehab.uiuc.edu/software/office
aDesigner:
A new tool from IBM for evaluating the accessibility of web
pages
Recently, IBM announced it is previewing a new tool
called aDesigner, which helps developers ensure that Web pages are accessible
and usable by the visually impaired.
The tool looks at such elements as
the degree of color contrast on the page, the ability of users to change the
font size, the appropriateness of alternate text for images, and the
availability of links in the page to promote navigability. The tool also
checks the pages compliance with accessibility guidelines. The result of this
analysis is a report listing the problems that would prevent accessibility and
usability by visually impaired users. In addition, each page is given an
overall score. With this information, Web developers get immediate feedback
and can address these obstacles before the pages are published.
Read
more about AlphaWorks aDesigner or download the software, visit http://www.alphaworks.ibm.com/tech/adesigner
courseGenie
courseGenie
is a tool that operates as an add-in to Microsoft Word. It allows a Word file
to be exported as a standards compliant (IMS or SCORM) content package for
dropping in to the most popular course management system products (WebCT,
Blackboard and others). Such content conforms to WAI (and hence Section 508
and SENDA) Accessibility Guidelines.
Many teachers, faculty, staff, or
trainers in education, business, or government don't have the necessary time
or the necessary skills to put their course or training online in an
accessible format. courseGenie from Connected Learning in the UK allows the
conversion of a Microsoft Word document to various types of HTML. courseGenie
allows the user to assign text in the Word document as a specified part of an
HTML document. In order for the HTML to be accessible the Word document must
be created accessibility to output accessible HTML. If you're not sure how to
create an accessible word document you can view WebAIM's Word tutorial for
more information.
The courseGenie website, www.coursegenie.com, states, "With
courseGenie you can write a complete course as one Word document and
automatically generate an online course including navigation, pop-ups,
hyperlinks, self-test questions, audio and video, with export to plain HTML,
WebCT Content Module or IMS formats." A free 30-day trial is available from
the Web site so you can see for yourself if courseGenie works for
you.
Captioned Media Program
This free,
federally funded lending library service of captioned movies and videos has
been in existence for many years. Organizations and schools can order
either on-line or by mail to receive videos for viewing. Schools can order
ahead of time and request specific titles for specific viewing dates, which is
excellent in terms of reasonable accommodation. You may access the
catalog of offerings from their website: http://www.cfv.org/
The Captioned Media
Program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and administered by the
National Association of the Deaf.
FREE!! Second Toolkit
from State Educational Technology Directors Associations (SETDA)
available
From the State Educational Technology Directors
Association (SETDA) comes the second annual "SETDA National Leadership
Institute (NLI) Toolkit: States Helping States Implement No Child Left
Behind." The online toolkit is intended to address the compelling issues
facing state ed-tech leaders as key implementers of the sweeping federal law.
The latest NLI report, which educators can access free of charge online,
tackles five major topic areas: building partnerships and leveraging
resources; technology leadership skills for the 21st century; data collection
and data-driven decision making; high-quality professional development; and
virtual schools. The report also includes examples of best practices and
highlights some of the ways educational technology is making a difference
across the United States.
You can obtain the toolkit at http://www.setda.org/toolkit2003
or from the Northeast ADA&IT Center at 800-949-4232 on a CD-ROM.
HP and VisuAide Launch Maestro -- First Handheld PC
for the Blind
ATLANTA --(Business Wire)-- June 30, 2004 --
Personal Digital Assistant for the Blind and Visually Impaired Built Using
Visuaide Assistive Technology and The HP iPAQ Pocket PC as a Platform
HP (NYSE:HPQ)(Nasdaq:HPQ)and VisuAide today showcased "Maestro" - the
first mainstream handheld PC for the blind and visually impaired. Built on the
HP iPAQ Pocket PC h4150 platform, Maestro is the most affordable and compact
personal digital assistant available to the visually impaired. Maestro
features text-to-speech technology and a tactile keyboard membrane over its
touch screen so the visually impaired can use essential information-access and
communication applications without using a stylus.Read the full article at http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2004/Jun/1053486.htm.
Third
Edition: A Resource Guide, Assistive Technology Funding in New York
State
This booklet was developed by the New York State Office
of Advocate for Persons with Disabilities, Technology Related Assistance for
Individuals with Disabilities (TRAID) Project, to guide New Yorkers with
disabilities, their families, service providers, equipment suppliers and
advocates in their efforts, to obtain funding for assistive technology devices
and services from the most appropriate sources as expeditiously as
possible.
The format of this booklet is consistent with the first two
as they were concise and easy to understand. It familiarizes the
reader with common terminology and discusses the various factors that can
determine individual eligibility for funding from a variety of sources in New
York State.
For a free copy of the Third Edition of the Resource
Guide, please contact the Northeast ADA&IT Center at 800-949-4232 or you
can access it online at, http://www.advoc4disabled.state.ny.us/TRAID_Project/resoucetext.htm.
Northeast ADA&IT Center
201 ILR Extension
Building
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
1-800-949-4232
(TTY and voice)
NY, NJ, PR, USVI
www.northeastada.org
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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