EDUCAUSE2006 Podcast: Making Web Sites Accessible | EDUCAUSE CONNECT

Presentations from the 2006 EDUCAUSE annual conference are starting to find their way to the web. Among them is this one on Making Web Sites Accessible. Here are the details:

More Than Just an Internet Connection: What You Need to Know About Making Web Sites Accessible

• Gregory Fierro, Coordinator, Disability Resource Center: Manatee Community College
• Feng Hou, CIO, Manatee Community College
• Cortney Wanca, Web Master, Manatee Community College
  
  Abstract
  Institutions are accustomed to posting information on the Web, but making sure it is accessible to persons with disabilities is too often an afterthought. Get introduced to Web accessibility and its legal background to understand why you should plan ahead for accessibility. Learn the challenges faced by persons with specific disabilities and basic techniques for compliance.

YouTube - Eye To Eye: An Online Library For The Blind

Silicon Valley entrepreneur Jim Fruchterman talks with Byron Pitts in a YouTube - Eye To Eye interview. Jim is the CEO of Benetech, an Associate Member of the DAISY Consortium.
In the interview Jim says that his mission is "to use technology to help humanity." And, in the spirit of those who participate in DAISY developments, he announced "It is a badge of honor to be a geek."

This also appears as a story on the CBS Evening News - "Tech Entrepreneur Helps Blind To Read". If you visit the site, be sure to check out the related video.

If you have ever met Jim you know what an approachable down to earth nice guy he is. Don't let the MacArthur genius award get in the way of getting to know him. I especially like that he has taken on the mission of trying to convince the next generation of high-tech entrepreneurs to be socially conscious.

ATHEN E-Journal #2

A message from ATHEN President Ron Stewart:

It is my pleasure to announce that the second issue of the ATHEN E-Journal is now live and available for your reading enjoyment. The focus of this issue is Higher Education and Web Accessibility: Providing Training and Support for the Future.

I would like to thank Cyndi Rowland for all her hard work as this issues guest editor, and to Sean Keegan the ATHEN webmaster for all the effort he extended in getting it web-ready. I would also like to extend my personal thanks to each of the authors represented. I am sure you will find the articles as informative and as insightful as I have.

Ron Stewart, President
Access Technologists Higher Education Network

MATILDA ZIEGLER

Press release

NEW YORK--The Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind, the general-interest monthly that Helen Keller called a "God send," begins its second century of publication next month with a special anniversary issue.

Ms. Keller made that declaration in a letter published in the magazine's March 1907 inaugural issue, in which she also called the Ziegler, as it is known, "one of the most wonderful boons in the history of mankind." This most famous deaf and blind woman gave such high praise to the magazine because she knew how difficult it was for blind people to obtain reading matter 100 years ago.

The early 20th century was a time when neither the government nor private organizations were able to provide much support for the disabled. Of course, radios, telephones, televisions, computers and the Internet were years away. With limited prospects for entertainment and employment, intelligent blind men and women had little to do in the early 1900s.

One thing they could do was read, and the fortunate ones had books in either the braille or New York Point systems of embossed print. But one big obstacle stood between the blind and the books they so enjoyed: money. A book in raised type cost 10 times or more than the same book did in print.

As the mother of a blind son, Matilda Ziegler was aware of this group's great need for reading material, and--as heiress to a baking-powder fortune--she was in a position to help. In one of history's great acts of charity, Mrs. Ziegler decided to use her inheritance to publish a free monthly magazine for every interested blind person.

Upon hearing about plans for the magazine, thousands of blind people wrote for subscriptions. Finally, in March 1907, the Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind came into the hands of its eager subscribers, instantly attracting attention from the news media and praise from luminaries. Dozens of newspaper articles were written about the magazine, which Mark Twain described as "one of the noblest benefactions" of his lifetime. Many others agreed with his description, including presidents Grover Cleveland and Teddy Roosevelt, who both wrote congratulatory letters that appeared in the inaugural issue.

These former presidents' letters will appear once again in the 2007 centennial issue, along with a selection of 1907 newspaper articles written about the founding of the publication. The 100th anniversary edition also will contain some items of interest reprinted from volume one, number one, of the Ziegler Magazine. In addition to a letter from the eloquent Ms. Keller, there will be "current" events from 1907, and a poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, "This, Too, Shall Pass."

Every issue of the Ziegler features a Readers Forum, which usually covers a variety of topics. But the March 2007 Readers Forum letters are about just one thing: appreciation for the magazine from its subscribers throughout the world. (Today the Ziegler goes to 91 countries.)

In the years since its founding, the Ziegler Magazine has become an institution in the blindness field, having touched the lives of tens of thousands of blind and visually impaired people. Thanks to the foresight and kindness of Mrs. William Ziegler, who established and endowed a foundation before her death in 1932, any legally blind person can receive--at no charge--the Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind, published in contracted braille, on four-track/half-speed cassette, by e-mail, and online at www.matildaziegler.org

Tales from the MIT Tech Review

Anyone interested in technology in general [and cutting edge stuff in particular] and who likes their news about such things nicely wrapped and visually appealing should check out the MIT Tech Review which is available as a website, eMail every couple of days, RSS feed and good old fashioned monthly magazine. Just in the past few months there have been numerous articles thathave caught my attention as they have a disability or access technology bent -- or they are just cool! -- as in today's eMail update with A Tool Worthy of Batman's Utility Belt: A small, powerful rope-climbing device that can carry 250 pounds at a top speed of 10 feet per second. That means that a rescue worker, or soldier, with gear can climb up 30 stories in 30 seconds. Gym class will never be the same.

Next up is an article about Pocket Projectors. This is microprojector technology that could let handheld gadgets like mobile phones and iPods display big pictures. We're not talking about big screen movies here, but imagine the possibilities of someone with low vision being able to project blackberry sized images onto a wall or table top for reading. Combine the visual enhancement with a pocket screenreader and you could provide amazing access.

As the gadgets get smaller and our lives more mobile, how we use the technology -- especially in areas such as communication -- changes along with it. Perhaps we got a glimpse of this with the CB shorthand of the 1970's. That was not widespread enough (or long lasting) to have much of an impact -- aside from forgettable pop culture. Much more entrenched in our society today is the use of text messaging (IM) shorthand and some scholars are worried about how it is degrading literacy among the next generation.

For those trying to get a handle on the whole Vista versus OSX debate - I recommend the review(s) available through the MIT Tech Review. If you want to read what others have to say - and perhaps chime in yourself - check out the lengthy comments on attched to this post.

An article about research into how machines hear touches upon how humans hear. This goes beyond mere speech input and perhaps involves synching computer+robot vision with the ability to interpret aural signals. Visually, the Tech Review recently had an article on how programmers are trying to keep disability access up to date with the Web's dynamic advances. What else would you expect from the good people of MIT. Of course, at athe same time the folks at the WWW3C are working ot make the web both beautiful and accessible, MIT has not forgotten that all aspects of universal design can be stylish.

More students across US logging on to online classrooms - The Boston Globe

Two quotes from this story caught my eye --

Online learning "is going to reinvent high school in the United States," said Ken Ellwein, executive director of the Lutheran high school, which created its online school last year. "To keep technology away from kids while they're going to school, when they have it in every other part of their lives -- it just doesn't make sense."

and

The US Department of Education plans to release a study about the prevalence of online schooling later this year. But one survey the department completed nearly five years ago found that 36 percent of school districts in the nation had students enrolled in virtual school, mostly high school students.

Personally I belive that to have a gap of 5 years between studies on anything having to do with technology in education is disgraceful! I definitely want to see these how this number (and related numbers) have grown. Speaking of Instructional Technology - the following comes from the blog EduTechie.com:

Let’s have a little competition at school and get ready for thefuture. I will use a laptop and you will use paper and pencil. Are you ready…?

• I will access up-to-date information - you have a textbook that is 5 years old.
• I will immediately know when I misspell a word – you have to wait until it’s graded.
• I will learn how to care for technology by using it – you will read about it.
• I will see math problems in 3D – you will do the odd problems.
• I will create artwork and poetry and share it with the world – you will share yours with the class.
• I will have 24/7 access – you have the entire class period.
• I will access the most dynamic information – yours will be printed and photocopied.
• I will communicate with leaders and experts using email – you will wait for Friday’s speaker.
• I will select my learning style – you will use the teacher’s favorite learning style.
• I will collaborate with my peers from around the world – you will collaborate with peers in your classroom.
• I will take my learning as far as I want – you must wait for the rest of the class.
• The cost of a laptop per year? - $250The cost of teacher and student training? – Expensive
• The cost of well educated US citizens and workforce? - Priceless

I am not expert on Instructionl Technology but I think that pretty much I need to knwo is right here in this list. If this doesn’t sum up instructional technology and its goals I don’t know what does!

The rebirth of Braille - The Boston Globe

This was in the Boston Globe today - The Rebirth of Braille - and has garnered some attention on the listservs. Personally I never thought Braille was dead - just in hibernation. As the digital revolution has transformed writing, publishing, and communication in general - braille sort of found itself on the back burner for a time as it was (is) expensive and sometime impractical to hardcopy print materials yet the hardware necessary to access braille was (is) expensive. However, refreshable braille displays are becoming less bulky and less expensive and the Braille software that runs them is constantly improving.

NIMAS at CAST: NIMAS Presentations

I've been tapped to present on NIMAS for a course I am taking this semester [SED SE744: Special Education Administration]. Fortunately, I have a secret weapon in my knowledge arsenal - the NIMAS listservs at CAST. Chuck Hitchcock [Chief Officer, Policy and TechnologyDirector, NIMAS Technical Assistance Center] is a regular contributor to the General Interest Group list and recently posted a link to the NIMAS at CAST: NIMAS Presentations page. This page includes all upcoming presentations by the CAST crew and some of the current handouts they use.

The Workflow Graphic depicting NIMAS/NIMAC implementation and SEA (State Education Agency) Implementation Scenarios were distributed through the listservs before being posted here. The NIMAS/NIMAC glossary is a must read -- don't be the only AMP left out of all the coolest conversations about SGML and Dublin Core at CSUN because you haven't brushed up on your acronyms. For those needing such information, CAST is now listing the primary contacts for NIMAS/NIMAC in each state.

The NIMAC site itself has much good information, including PowerPoint presentations (with audio overlay) as well as archived on-line presentations. However, one of the best presentations on NIMAS/NIMAC available on-line is the audio and transcript of NIMAS in IDEA, What You Need To Know Now webcast available through the National Center on Disability and Access to Education.

Multimedia Edition

Several items of multimedia interest cropped up recently and in looking back through the 'drafts' folder I discovered a few more that deserve mentioning. I'll start by blowing my own horn (and those of a few fellow ATHEN members).

Back in November of '06 I did a workshop at the Carroll Center for the Blind on Accessible Textbooks for Persons with Print Disabilities. This was recorded by the Talking Information Center of Massachusetts and broadcast to their listeners. I have done similar presentations at other conferences but this was my first time being recorded into a podcast [mp3 download]. Ye gads I hate the sound of my own voice, but at least I am in good company with my compadre' Brian Charlson of the Carroll Center. Speaking of multimedia, I may have posted on this before but the slide-show at Boston.com featureing Brian and Keegan on GPS Navigation Systems for the Blind deserves another look.

Now then ... enough about me ... how about these podcast and video stars from among the ATHEN membership. First up is Dan Comden of DO-IT in a video detailing the Universal Design of Computer Labs (available on Google Video). Produced by the Research Channel.org, this 11 minute video does an excellent job of covering the basics. Speaking of Google Video - it was pointed to me recently that do-it-yourselfers can caption and subtitle their own videos when they are put up on the web.

Dan Comden also makes an appearance in a podcast at the EmpTech site where he discuses automated tactile image production software being developed at the University of Washington. You can link directly to the podcast here [mp3 format] and also link to further information on the project. Also available through EmpTech is a podcast interview with ATHEN President Ron Stewart [mp3 format] regarding the use of electronic documents in various formats, including Daisy. This is actually a mirror download of the interview originally done for the Disability 411 podcast. The podcast includes a transcript of the conversation with Ron -- the info is great but those of us who know Ron know that listening to his delivery is half the fun.

The use of podcasts in education is definitely expanding as a recent story at CNN.com describes - Publishers cater to growing use of MP3s for schoolwork describes efforts at community colleges and universities through the use of iTunes and audible.com. Unfortunately, this story 9as per usual) misses the point of accessibility in regards to these efforts. When it comes to accessibility in podcasts, the processes and technology necessary to make them so is readily available. A good pair of tutorials on making podcasts and vodcasts accessible is available through the High Tech Center of the College of the Redwoods. And from the Napa Valley Register comes a story about the growing number of students using MP3 players as a study tool.

If you are interested in checking out more podcasts on technology and access issues, check out our list of favorites in the right column of this blog -->

Listening to the Library

A story on NPR caught my eye (ear) in part because they interview someone from the Montgomery County Public Libraries system in Maryland. This is my 'hometwon' of sorts and I fondly recall the branch out in Potomac as a backup to the library in my High School (or when I just felt like being around books ... you ever get that feeling?).

The story on NPR : Downloading Audio Books Gains in Popularity discusses the increase in popularity of audiobooks - especially those downloaded from commercial sites (such as Audible.com) and within the holdings of library systems. The former requires a paid membership and the latter a library card. As good as this is for readers (listeners?) of general material, it is not likely that specific textbooks will be available anytime soon - so don't shut down your E-Text production services quite yet.

eBook versus E-Text Updates

Time now for a roundup/update of recent eBook activities and information - we'll start with the latest in the EduCause "7 Things You Should Know About ... " series on "... E-Books". From the EduCause site:

E-books offer new ways for readers to interact with content. An e-book that abandons the notion of reading from front to back, for example, encourages readers to take an active, self-directed role in how they learn. E-books
incorporating audio, movies, and simulations facilitate deeper understanding of
subject matter, while annotation features let users customize a text.

Before we go any farther, I should point out the differences [in my experience] between eBooks and E-Text [my preferred spellings]. In general, there are technical differences between the more generalized commercial eBook and the academically based E-Text. Though both can be described as digital and accessible­, the former is designed and distributed for a commercial purpose and the latter for an academic purpose. The former is not designed nor designated to be useable by individuals with print disabilities (though availability does not preclude such individuals from enjoying access) while the latter is specifically designed and designated to be used within the academic environment by individuals with a variety of disabling conditions.

In 'The soundproof book: Exploration of rights conflict and access to commercial ebooks for people with disabilities' (2002), Kerscher & Fruchterman describe these differences as more than merely semantic, but having to do quite literally with the misunderstandings and misperceptions of our society as to how individuals with disabilities can (and do) connect with the world most often taken for granted by those without disabilities. In other words, far too often in our society are these terms inaptly interchanged. What it comes down to, in general, is the individuals ability to access the material in a manner suited to their needs.

Unfortunately, the eBook as described in the above EduCause quote sounds like the ultimate educational panacea, but in present reality comes off as a pretty wrapping for most students and a hard shell for the majority of those with disabilities. But enough of my soapboxin' ... On with the roundup ...

Apparently Google does not feel it has enough of the eBook market and is planning a coup. According to the Times-OnLine "The internet search giant is working on a system that would allow readers to download entire books to their computers in a format that they could read on screen or on mobile devices such as a Blackberry. With 380m people using Google each month, the move would give a significant boost to the development of e-books and have a big impact on the publishing industry and book retailers. "

I would most heartily welcome this were it not for the issue of the print inaccessibility of books within the Google Book Search (fmr. Google Print Project) as this paper titled Comments on Accessibility of Google Print and Google’s Library Project points out. [blog post with download]. However, since this paper was written, Google has made it clear that providing a complete internet/digital library is not their intention. The Book Search is designed to increase book sales by providing just enough of the title being searched to make the end-user go out and purchase their own copy. Need an example -- do a search for Old Yeller and check out what portion is missing. You can see for yourself that one would want to go get the book for themsleves (out of the library or from a bookstore) just to find out what the heck happened!

Anyway -- the way I see it, as long as Google keeps improving the Scholar Search and it doesn't crash my Personalized Home Page -- I guess I can forgive them for the accessibility issue.

Admittedly the eBook v. E-Text debate can be confusing - especially with a concrete to establish what these terms mean. this is all further muddled by the NIMAS protocols and publishers trying to figure out where they fit in and what they are supposed to do. A pretty good synopsis from the publisher perspective was presented at the Joint IDPF/Association of American Publishers (AAP) Meeting in November, 2006. Under the theme Managing and Delivering Digital Assets, the speakers tackled the topic of utilizing emerging standards to leverage publishing assets: practical application of workflows from production to distribution. Specific to the interests of this blog, Ken Brooks of Thompson Learning spoke about Delivering Digital Files: What Publishers Can Do To Get Started. The PPT is well worth reviewing.

Another resource worth mentioning is the NIMAC site under NIMAS. Herein are several presentations (static and audible) that provide information on many aspects of NIMAS & NIMAC.

'IM starving' - The Boston Globe

This article on students using IM to order ahead at local eateries caught my eye not just because it speaks of using low-level everyday technology in a new way, and not because it focuses on BU students (although it is interesting to see one of my favorite lunch spots mentioned), but more because I was able to quickly determine the positive implications for individuals with disabilities. IM is most often spotlighted as a tool used by the Deaf community. But here we can imagine how it can be used by students with other issues. For example -

• A student with a mobility impairment. Rather than standing in line to order food they can IM their order ahead of time and head straight to the pick-up counter.


• A student with ADHD who has difficulties focusing on over-the counter menus or making up their mind in a crowded and noisy eatery. Using a take-out menu (hard copy or web based) they can take their time choosing what to order from outside the restaurant.


• A student who is blind can use their screenreading software to read the menu off the web and order accordingly. Consider this - if the eatery has Wi-Fi and the student can use their PDA with speech to have the menu read to them while standing in line to order.

Individuals with disabilities being able to use portable technology to communicate with service personnel in realtime -- now that is what I call Universal Design!

Vista ...

Well folks -- it's here and there is no getting around it. No ... not the new Microsoft OS per se' ... but the fact that computers in general are on an inevitable collision course towards a crisis of identity. It's getting difficult to tell them apart. I know this firsthand because a couple of months ago one of my student staff who has been beta testing Vista on his Mac had it up and running side by side with OSX and had to point out to me which was which. In fact, there have been quite a number of reports of how much Vista makes a PC look and act like a Mac [video]. Of course, some in Bill's world, such as New York Times technology columnist David Pogue, see this as little more than Sour Grapes [video].

Bill gates has most assuredly come out in defense of the system. He appeared on The Daily Show [video] the day Vista was released and made a splash in Newsweek / MSNBC. I watched the interview John Stewart and one of the commercials between halves was for the iPod and the Newsweek story has one of the new "I'm a Mac/PC" ads. Those of you wanting a change of pace - check out the UK [Brit-Speak] versions of these. They are smashing!