Emerging Technologies Initiative: Horizon Project

The New Media Consortium (NMC) in collaboration with the Educause Learning Initiative (ELI) present the 2006 Horizon Report. This report highlights six technologies that the underlying research suggests will become very important to higher education over the next one to five years. A central focus of the discussion of each technology is its relevance for teaching, learning, and creative expression.

What the report fails to do - and I am not trying ruffle anyones feathers, just making a note - is mention how any of these technologies can be made available and accessible to students, faculty, staff, and members of the general public who have disabilities. Just file this under items of interest we should be aware of should they come up in conversation with others while collaborating in our academic environments. As Access Technologists we need to think outside of the assumed boundaries of software and hardware for the disabled and get involved in all aspects of campus technology innovation.

If you see your campus moving towards some new initiative and seeking feedback don't hesitate to speak up and ask how all members of the community can take part. Bring up issues of universal design and accessibility. For example - a section of this report discusses content delivery via mobile phone. Recently on the listserv of the National Association of Blind Students (NABS) there has been a rather lengthy discussion of the present state of accessible cell phones.

In my experience some committee heading in this direction would find itself heading in one of two directions - either towards this project with no consideration of inclusion or away from the proposal because they do not know how such services can be made accessible. By viewing our positions as consultants in such matters we can join the discussion and inform the decision makers that yes, indeed, options exist that will allow everyone to take part in new learning initiatives.

Regardless - the report is worth reading and has enough links to keep even the biggest webbie busy for quite a while. The 2004 & 2005 reports are also available.