Making Information Technology Accessible

The increasing use of technology presents remarkable opportunities for all people, however information technology presents new accessibility challenges to those who have sensory, mobility, learning, and other disabilities. Without access, students with disabilities cannot take full advantage of educational opportunities and people with disabilities cannot fully participate in today's high tech world.

What's New

Improving Access for People with Disabilities
Georgia Tech article explaining how their researchers evaluate a product's usability and recommend improvements

FAQs and Materials

The Knowledge Base is maintained by AccessIT in partnership with the 10 regional Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTACs). The Knowledge Base contains answers to common questions regarding accessible information technology in education. It is continually growing to respond to increasing informational demands.

Visit our publications page for materials related to accessible information technology.

Tools

The IT Toolbox on Universal Design is intended to provide online informational resources in the area of universal design applied to educational environments. The resources in the toolbox have been selected based upon the following characteristics:

addresses a range of applications and approaches that lessen physical and teaching/learning barriers for all learners;
benefits all learners by expanding the options and avenues through which instruction occurs;
minimizes the disadvantage that inaccessible technology and electronic communication systems can present for some learners; and
maximizes the abilities and skills of all learners to become marketable in the commercial environment and successful in higher education learning environments.

Diverseability.net is a web-based feature, developed by the New Mexico Technology Assistance Project (NMTAP), that will help schools understand what universal accessible information technology is and how to develop policies that promote its acquisition and use in educational settings. After using Diverseability.net, users should be able to:

Identify and describe federal and state legislation and policy that supports access to information technology by students with diverse abilities.
Understand how Part D, Title II-Enhancing Education Through Technology of the No Child Left Behind Law can be used by states and schools to obtain information technology that is accessible to students with diverse abilities.
Identify and describe legislation that provides guidelines on designing physically accessible computer labs, libraries and media labs for students with diverse abilities.
Describe the concept of universal design of technology that supports the access of students with diverse abilities.
Identify hardware and software tools that promote access to technology for students with diverse abilities.
Understand what assistive or adaptive technology can be used to help students with diverse abilities access information technology.
Identify resources for additional technical assistance and training.

Accessible Electronic and Information Technology. This interactive guide provides post-secondary educational entites the information and technical assistance needed to create accessible Web sites. It was developed by the Oklahoma ABLE Tech Assistive Technology Project.

Information Technology in Education Accessibility Checklist
This checklist was developed to provide educational entities with a means by which they can track their progress on goals related to improving the accessibility of their information technology for students, instructors, and staff with disabilities; provide an interactive tool with which users can learn about the process of creating an accessible technology environment.

Training

Webcast Archives - Listen to or review the transcript of this archived webcast to learn about the relevant laws and regulations that can help post-secondary institutions better understand their Internet-based obligations to students with disabilities. It is presented by Dr. Cyndi Rowland, the director of Keeping Web Accessibility in Mind (WebAIM).

EASI Online Courses and the Certificate in Accessible Information Technology
EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information) has created 3 separate but interconnected programs specifically designed to support institutions making their computer and information technology systems accessible to students, staff and faculty with disabilities. Besides the Certificate program, EASI provides monthly 60-minute live Web conferences on current technology and an annual institutional membership with special networking and support features.

Introduction to Accessible Technology in Education
This course by AccessIT is recommended for anyone who wants to learn more about accessibility issues that relate to information technology and related law and policy issues in education.