ATHEN Survey on IT and Accessibility

The Access Technology Higher Education Network (ATHEN) is conducting a survey regarding higher education institutions' practices, procedures, and policies for addressing information technology accessibility needs of students.

The deadline for participating in the survey is Friday, May 16.

The survey is located here: http://www.athenpro.org/survey/

Since accessibility is often the responsibility of many groups andindividuals across campus, this survey has been divided into the following six sections:

1. Assistive Technology Products - to be completed by the person most knowledgeable of assistivetechnologies that are available to students at your institution.

2. Information Technology Accessibility - to be completed by the person most knowledgeable of procurement policiesand/or procedures related to accessibility of information technology at your institution.

3. Web Accessibility - to be completed by the person most knowledgeable of web accessibility efforts at your institution.

4. Multimedia Accessibility - to be completed by the person most knowledgeable of efforts to ensure multimedia (video, podcasts, etc.) is accessible at your institution.

5. Alternative Format Production - to be completed by the person most knowledgeable of practices and procedures for providing print materials in alternate formats for students at your institution.

6. Staffing and Salaries - to be completed by the person most knowledgeable of position descriptions, salaries, qualifications, etc. for all positions whose primary focus is assistive technology or IT accessibility at your institution. Alternatively this section can be completed by individual staff members regarding their own positions. Please coordinate completion of this section with others from your institution.

Time Necessary for Completion:
With the exception of Section 1 (Assistive Technology Products), each section of the survey is brief, and is expected to require approximately 10 minutes to complete. Section 1 is expected to require approximately 30 minutes to complete.

Please help us by (a) completing any sections that are applicable to yourposition, and/or (b) recruiting the best people at your institution to complete the sections that apply to them.

The survey is located here: http://www.athenpro.org/survey/
Please Note: All survey participants will need to create an individual account in order to participate.

The deadline for participating in the survey is Friday, May 16.

Results will be published in the upcoming ATHEN e-Journal, and will be announced first in a pre-conference session at the AHEAD Conference 0n July 14 in Reno, NV. The session is titled "Creating Intersections that Connect Students with Disabilities and High-Tech Careers". This is an all-dayCapacity Building Institute, and there will be plenty of opportunities to discuss the implications of the survey results.

Questions and comments should be directed to:
ATHEN Vice-President Terry Thompson
Technology Accessibility Specialist
DO-IT, Accessible Technology
UW Technology Services
University of Washington
tft@u.washington.edu
206/221-4168