Information Technology

& Disabilities

1994-2005

Norman Coombs

Beth Coombs

EASI’S COMMITMENT!

• EASI: Equal Access to Software & Information sponsored the ITD e-journal

• EASI believes that students and professionals with disabilities have the same right to information as anyone else!

EASI’S MISSION

• EASI's mission is to serve as a resource by providing information and guidance in the area of access-to-information technologies by individuals with disabilities. We stay informed about developments and advancements within the adaptive computer technology field and spread that information to colleges, universities, K-12 schools, libraries and into the workplace.

EASI’S ACTIVITIESBesides the ITD e-journal, EASI activities include:• Several free and fee-based Webinars• Online courses leading to the Certificate in Accessible

Information technologyBarrier-free Web DesignBarrier-free Information TechnologyBarrier-free E-learningCreating and Repurposing More Accessible DocumentsAccessible Streaming MultimediaTrain the TrainerSpecial Topics

• 3 listserv discussion lists

HISTORY OF ACCESSIBLE IT• Editors: Tom McNulty & Steve Noble• ITD mirrors the history of information

technology and its accessibility• Early issues reflect computers that were

text-based, command-line systems like DOS Unix, TRS, Commodore and Apple

• Networking used email listservs, FTP, Telnet and gopher with text-based, menu-driven browsers such as Lynx

COMMON THEMES IN ITD ISSUES

• Science and math• Graphical user interface• Library accessibility• K-12 accessibility• DAISY document format• Legislation and policy• Distance learning

ITD VOL. 1 1994

• There were 25 articles by authors from the US, Australia, England, Ireland and Hungary

• ITD had 5 regular departments:

Job Accommodations

K-12 Education

Libraries

Online Information and Networking

Campus Computing

SOME ARTICLES IN ITD V1N1-3

• Building an Accessible CD-ROM Reference Station

• C-Note: A Computerized Notetaking System for Hearing-Impaired Students

• Rehabilitation and Remediation in Educational Disability: The Use of the Direct Access Reading Technique

• Technotes: Speech Synthesis • Technotes: Braille Displays

ITD V1N4: SPECIAL ISSUE ON MATH

• Books for Blind Students: The Technological Requirements of Accessibility

• A Graphical Calculus Course for Blind Students

• Ensuring Usability in Interface Design: A Workstation to Provide Usable Access to Mathematics

• Mathtalk: Usable Access to Mathematics• (STEM articles are frequent topics in ITD)

RFB SCIENCE & MATH SYMPOSIUM

• In 1994 Recording for the Blind, (Now Learning Ally) sponsored a symposium to bring together experts on Science and Math accessibility which was described in ITD V1N4

• Math and Science Symposium at Recording for the Blind

• AsTeR: Audio System for Technical Reading

1995: ARE GRAPHICS A THREAT?

In the second year of the ITD e-journal, there were 3 articles reflecting the growing awareness of the problems posed by graphics• Access to GUIs: Setting Accessibility Standards for

Computer Systems • The Rise of the Graphical User Interface • Leveling the Road Ahead: Guidelines for the Creation

of WWW Pages Accessible to Blind and Visually Handicapped Users

1995: LIBRARY ACCESSIBILITY

• Information Technology and Access to Libraries: A Special Issue

• Enhancing Library Service for Patrons with Disabilities Through Staff Sensitivity Training and Specialized Bibliographic Instruction

• What is the Internet Public Library, and Why Should I Care?

• Access to Library Internet Services for Patrons with Disabilities: Pragmatic Consideration for Developers

1996 HAD 2 SPECIAL STEM ISSUES

Articles included:• Adding Audio Description to Television Science Programs• Technology and Hands-on Strategies for Teaching

Science and Mathematics to the Special Education Population

• Accessible Internet Based Mathematics • Aeronautics Materials for 4th-7th Grade Children • Teaching Science, Engineering, and Mathematics to Deaf

Students• Teaching Science to the Visually Impaired• Assistive Technology and Learning Disabilities

OVERVIEW OF ITD 1997

• In 1997, ITD articles included more articles on library access including one on library and the law

• It also included several articles on teaching science and math

• ITD V5 editorialized that "There's a very human element to teaching and learning, and no matter how technical the material is ... teaching and learning strategies that focus on the person must be incorporated into the mix or the technology will not be successful.“Its articles were all on science and math

• ITDV6 included articles on science, libraries, distance learning and more

ITD VOLUMES 5-6

ITD V7N1- DAISY• Daisy Consortium: Information Technology for

the World's Blind and Print-disabled • National Library Service For The Blind And

Physically Handicapped: Digital Plans And Progress

• Digital Talking Book Standards Developed By NLS and Partners Under NISO Auspices

• Using Digital Talking Books In Schools RFB&D's Top Project

• Daisy on our desktops? A Review of LpPlayer 2.4

PUBLIC POLICY & ACCESSIBILITY 1

• Federal regulation creates economic incentives for competition among technology companies

• From policy to practice: achieving equitable access to educational technology

• The importance of accurately measuring the accessibility of the federal electronic government: developing the research agenda

PUBLIC POLICY & ACCESSIBILITY 2

• Federal Standard for Electronic and Information Technology

• Analyzing Recent Americans with Disabilities Act-based

• Accessible Information Technology Court Challenges

• Web Accessibility in Post-secondary Education• Legal and Policy Considerations

• Accessible Voting Equipment Challenges: Voter Verified Paper Ballots and More

• Using Extended and Enhanced Usability to Provide Access to Mainstream Electronic Voting Machines

• Disability and Voting: An Analysis of the Implementation of the Help America Vote Act of 2002

• A New Way To Vote: Accessible, Affordable, Available• HAVA, State Initiatives and Polling Place Accessibility in

2004 and Beyond• Accessibility and Auditability in Electronic Voting• Disability And Voting - The (As Of Yet) Unfulfilled Potential

of The ADA and Rehabilitation Act

ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONIC VOTING

ITD V8: DISTANCE LEARNING

• A Survey of Online Instructional Issues and Strategies for Postsecondary Students with Learning Disabilities

• The Design of Accessible Distance Education Environments that use Collaborative Learning

• Distance Learning and Disability: A View from the Instructor's Side of the Virtual Lectern

• Issues in Preparing Visually Disabled Instructors to Teach Online: A Case Study

• Universal Design of Distance Learning

WHAT IS IN THE FUTURE?• A peer-reviewed, professional e-journal

produced by volunteers takes commitment, time and energy from people who are already overworked!

• Because such a publication has value, ATHEN and EASI are discussing either reviving 1 or both publications or starting something new.

• Are you interested as an author, an editor, a reviewer or other?