Transcript accessible
A Universal Design Approach for
Providing Computer Access
Sheryl Burgstahler
Terrill Thompson
University of
Washington
Seattle
Access to IT is Important
Because IT:
changes the way we live, work, learn, &
communicate, & play
drives advances in other fields
powers the economy
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Presentation Outline
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About our two Centers at UW
Approaches to Access
Assistive Technology
Universal Design Approach
Implications for Practice
The UW Experience
Resources
Two UW Centers
Access Technology Center (ATC)
Founded 1984
Funded by UW
DO-IT Center
Founded1992
Supported with federal, state,
corporate, private funds
Expanded to DO-IT Japan in
2007
DO-IT Center
Disabilities, Opportunities,
Internetworking, & Technology
DO-IT Goal:
To increase the success
of individuals with
disabilities in
postsecondary
education &
careers, using
technology
as an
empowering
tool.
DO-IT Addresses Challenges
diminished support systems after high
school
little access to successful role models
inadequate self-advocacy skills
lack of or ineffective accommodations
low expectations on the part of people
with whom they interact & …
…lack of access to technology that
can increase:
• independence
• productivity
• participation
in
• education
• careers
• family life
• community
• recreation
The Access Technology Center…
ensures computers, software &
computing services
are accessible
to UW faculty,
students
& staff
Consults & trains
on accessible
design of IT
Hosts showroom
of assistive
technology (AT)
Consults & trains
on hardware &
software
Integrates AT into campus computer labs
Ability on a Continuum
see
hear
walk
read print
write with pen or pencil
communicate verbally
tune out distraction
learn
manage physical/mental health
Evolution of access approaches:
Attitude
Action
Exclusion
None
Allowed if you can fit in Cure, Rehabilitation
Accommodation
Social justice
Universal Design
Accommodation
Accommodation =
Alternate
format,
service,
&/or
adjustment
for a
specific
individual
“Coffeepot for Masochists”, Catalog of Unfindable Objects by Jacques
Carelman; in Donald Norman’s The Psychology of Everyday Things, 1988
Universal design =
“the design of products &
environments to be usable by all
people, to the greatest extent possible,
without the need for adaptation or
specialized design.”
The Center for Universal Design
www.design.ncsu.edu/cud
How could you universally
design a name tag?
UD in education is:
• an attitude that values diversity,
equity, & inclusion.
• a goal.
• a process.
• practices that make educational
products & environments welcoming,
accessible, & usable for everyone.
Apply universal design to:
• Student services
• Instruction
• Technology
• Physical spaces…
Problem
Solution
access to
computers
assistive
technology
(AT)
access to
electronic
resources
universal
design
Very Short History of AT:
Rodney & the Apple II
• 6 years old
• No use of hands & legs
• Used Mouth wand
• Issue: Could not press 2
keys at once
• Solution: Engineering
student build switch box
to lock shift, control,
repeat keys
Now: Thousands of Products
Closing the Gap Resource Directory
provides just a sample of:
342 hardware products
982 software products
112 other AT
251 producers of AT
Jeanine Cook, Ph.D.
Associate Professor,
Electrical &
Computer
Engineering
New Mexico State
University
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Sang-Mook Lee, Ph.D.
Geoscience
Professor, Seoul
National University
• sip & puff, head controls
• onscreen keyboard
• English speech input
• phone-computer
interface
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Anthony Arnold
AT Specialist
Prentke Romich
• synthesized voice on
communication
device
• touch screen
• computer-based
environmental control,
phone access
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Kayla Brown
UW student
• laptop computer
• miniature mouse
• speech
recognition
• smart phone
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Jessie Shulman
BA, Informatics
Business Analyst
Amazon.com
• speech output
• speech input
• grammar/spell
checker
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Nicole Torcolini
Bachelors Degree
Computer Science
Stanford
Google
• speech output
• Braille translation
software
• Braille display &
printer
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Imke Durre, Ph.D.
Climatologist
National Weather
Service
• speech output
• Braille translation
software
• Braille display & printer
• speech input
• Morse code foot switch
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Christian Vogler,
Ph. D.
Computer
Scientist
Gallaudet
University
• visual
notifications for
audio alerts
• captions
• sign language
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AT may be part of the solution
Image: Many Stairs
Old School Technologies
Today: Technological Diversity
We All Have Choices
Today's Design Process
• Make no assumptions about users' needs or
technologies
• Design and develop according to standards
A Very Brief History of the
World Wide Web
Sir Tim Berners Lee
• Proposed the Web in
March 1989
• Demonstrated it in
1990
• Wrote HTML in 1993
• Founded the World
Wide Web Consortium
(W3C) in 1994
HTML 1.2
• Written by Tim Berners-Lee in a memo
in June 1993
• Introduced the <img> tag
• Simultaneously introduced the ALT
attribute for people who couldn't see
the image
W3C Accessibility Standards
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
• 1.0 published in 1999
• 2.0 (the current version) published in 2008
• Three levels of success criteria
- 26 “Level A” success criteria – the most important
- 13 “Level AA” success criteria – also important
- 23 “Level AAA” success criteria – maximum accessibility
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Four principles (POUR):
- Perceivable
- Operable
- Understandable
- Robust
More W3C Accessibility Standards
• Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0
• User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0
• Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA)
• Defines new markup that communicates:
• Role (e.g., menu, slider, dialog, alert)
• State (e.g., is this hidden? Is it expanded?)
• Properties (e.g., what are the maximum and
minimum values on a slider? What is the current
value?)
IT Accessibility Standards & The Law
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
• Passed in 1973; no IT accessibility standards
• Americans with Disabilities Act
• Passed in 1990; no IT accessibility standards
• Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
• Amended in 1998
• Requires IT accessibility of federal agencies
• IT accessibility standards published in 2001
• Standards currently undergoing a "refresh"
• Latest draft (December 2011) adopted WCAG 2.0
at Level AA
Proposed New ADA Rules
• July 2010 - U.S. Department of Justice
proposed new rules that clarify ADA
requirements related to web
accessibility
• Jan 2011 – Public comment period
ended
• In RFC DOJ was considering adopting
WCAG 2.0 at Level AA
• More news – maybe rules – expected in
July 2013?
The law requires that we
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include everyone but…
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“qualified individuals”
Why wouldn't we do that anyway?
Including everyone benefits our course,
our institution, and our world…
What are higher education institutions
doing to promote IT accessibility?
Developing accessibility policies
• 26.1% of Doctorate institutions have policies that address web or IT
accessibility (8.4% of all U.S. institutions)
Offering trainings, providing support resources, building
community
Approximately 100 institutions have over 1000 results when
searching their website for "web accessibility"
Building accessibility requirements into RFPs and contracts
We're dependent on IT vendors for accessibility
If we don't all demand accessibility, they can't hear us
Universal Design & Video:
Closed Captions
Captions make video
accessible to the Deaf
and Hard of Hearing
Captions help ESL
viewers
Captions can be
translated on-the-fly into
other languages
Captions are searchable
Universal Design & The iPhone
Speech output
Speech input
Screen/text enlargement
Variable colors/contrast
Audible, visible, vibrating alerts
Assignable ringtones
Bluetooth connectivity for keyboard,
refreshable Braille display, …
Accessibility built-in for most apps
Universal Design & Video:
Interactive Transcript
Provides access to
video for:
Braille users
(Deaf/blind)
People with low
Internet bandwidth
People who want
information quickly
Share Your Stories
What are you doing on your campus that
exemplifies a Universal Design approach
to technology access?
The UW Experience
Reporting structures & roles of
Access Technology Center,
Learning Technologies &
Disability Resources for Students
The UW Experience
IT Accessibility Task Force with
representation from:
UW External Affairs
UW-IT
Disability Resources for Students
Office of Risk Management
The UW Experience
IT Accessibility Task Force focused on
three areas:
Enhancement of online UW-IT
Promote accessible IT
Explore policies/processes
The UW Experience
IT Accessibility Task Force accomplishments of
members:
Collaborated to create accessible WordPress and
Drupal Templates/Themes
Updated content/organization of IT Accessibility
website & added videos
Video captioning RFP
Risk assessment report developed
UW Marketing helping to promote accessibility
Continuing to work together
Resources
IT Accessibility Website
www.uw.edu/accessibility
DO-IT Video
www.uw.edu/doit/video
Center on Universal Design in Education
www.uw.edu/doit/CUDE
Questions?