Accessibility: Making it all worthwhile

Thanks to Sean Keegan for bringing this blog and especially this entry to our attention:
ThePickards » Blog Archive » Accessibility: Making it all worthwhile

I highly recommnd reading not only the blog post - but also the links within the posting. This is good stuff and speaks to the heart of web accessibility issues as well as the language of accessibility overall.

I also appreciate this blog because it provdes me one of those moments that validates my academic work. I currently have an article submitted to the Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability that speaks directly to the need clarity in language - especially where terms such as "access" or "accessible" are used in conjunction with "digital." I also have a couple of presentation proposals in the works that are based upon this article. Here is the gist of the article and presentations - here's hoping it fids it's way through the various mazes:

Definitions of the terms digital and access are generally taken for granted within educational vernacular. Their meanings, however, are altered by the context of their use and as society gravitates towards ubiquitous computing and germinates the attitude that access to digital content at all times by all persons is a universal truth, these concepts as they relate to individuals with print disabilities become increasingly unclear. The purpose of this article is to examine and define the terms digital and access in the context of individuals with print disabilities making use of electronic versions of text based materials within the academic environment. The reader will be introduced to conceptual understandings of how these terms operate within continuums of meaning and how the context of use directly impacts definitions with the expectation being that having a shared vernacular will assist educators, researchers and perhaps legislators to develop a shared meaning for the
improvement of access to education.