Making Distance Learning Courses Accessible to Students with Disabilities

1. Making Distance Learning Courses Accessible to Students with Disabilities Sheryl Burgstahler Joan McCarter

2. UW Project Goal • To make distance learning courses at the University of Washington accessible to all students and instructors.

3. Project Motivation • Legal issuesSection 504 of the Rehabilitation ActAmericans with Disabilities Act • Ethical issues • Cost issues

4. Distance Learning Literature • Disability issues are rarely mentioned. • “Increasing access to educational opportunity,” a common goal, usually refers to reaching out to people who are off-campus, live in remote areas, have limited schedules. • If limitations of access to users considered at all, usually consider computer/network capacity. • Few programs have policies that address disability-related accessibility issues. -Schmetzke, A., Information Technology and Disability (2001), www.rt.edu/~easi/itd/itdv07n2/axel.htm

5. Accessibility of Distance Learning Web Sites • 20%-24% of home pages of distance learning providers accessible to people with disabilities. - Rowland & Smith (1999); Walde, Rowland, & Bohmann (2000), in Schmetzke, A., Information Technology and Disability (2001), www.rt.edu/~easi/itd/itdv07n2/axel.htm • 15% of web sites of distance learning programs free of major accessibility errors. Sites of regional/national distance education organizations contained more barriers than sites of distance learning providers. Schmetzke, A., Information Technology and Disability (2001), www.rt.edu/~easi/itd/itdv07n2/axel.htm

6. Problem Solution Computer Assistive Access technology Web Universal access design

7. What Is Assistive Technology? For computers, hardware and software that allows individuals with disabilities to access and use a computer and software. -Blindness -Low vision -Mobility impairments -Hearing impairments -Cognitive and other disabilities

8. What Is Universal Design? “the design of products and 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, http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud

9. Example: Universal Design of Video Presentation • Videotaped with captions in mind • Large, clear captions • Designed so that key content is spoken as well as demonstrated visually • Audio-described version available • www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/ Technology/vid_sensory.html

10. Need for: • Universal design (proactive) and accommodations (reactive) • Policies and procedures that address both

11. What Is Web Accessibility? • Web Content Accessibility Guidelines www.w3.org/WAI/ • Access Board Standards (Section 508) www.access-board.gov/ sec508/508standards.htm

12. UW Project partners: • Distance Learning • Access Technology Lab • DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking and Technology) • Disabled Student Services & Disability Services

13. Campus-wide efforts • ATL works with Educational Technology Group to promote accessible tools and course materials • ATL stand-alone accessibility presentations; integration of accessibility into mainstream Web and other technology courses • Web accessibility campus Web page established • Accessibleweb discussion list established and group began meeting

14. UW Distance Learning, a Work in Progress: • Distance learning program established 1912 • 1995 first course on the Internet (accessible, blind co-instructor) • 200+ courses serving 10,000+ annually

15. Initial state: • DL program included policy/ procedures statements on Web site regarding reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities, but not regarding their commitment to design accessible courses.

16. Technology: • MyUWCourse • Course delivery system developed with campus C&C • Catalyst • Suite of course tools developed by campus C&C

17. For Students: • Accessibility policy • Commitment to accessible design • Accommodations

18. For Instructors: • Accessibility policy • Commitment to accessible design • Accommodations

19. For Design Staff • Accessibility policy • Guidelines: Link to campus accessibility Web page; Section 508 standards as starting point; encourages consideration of WAI as well • Resources

20. Progress with DL Program: • Training provided to distance learning program staff; buy-in secured at management and implementation levels; responsibility assigned • Decided that UW policy of commitment to nondiscrimination and reasonable accommodation (Section 504 and ADA) was enough to justify development of accessibility guidelines and efforts • Accessibility content included Systemic change in approach from accommodation to universal design + accommodation

21. DL Progress, cont.: • Identified places on DL Program Web pages to reaffirm UW policy, including: -Home page -Student information pages -Faculty information pages -Staff support pages • Accessibility content included in Distance Learning Certificate Program and in intro Web publishing course (accessible design required in the final project)

22. Challenges: • Faculty education/buy-in • Resources • Technology constraints • Specific courses

23. Rewards: • Compliance with laws • Cleaner, better functioning pages • Improved ease of use for all students and instructors

24. Lessons Learned: • Design with accessibility in mind • Collaboration is key • Find and use existing tools • It’s not as difficult as it seems

25. Coming Attractions : • Continue to encourage faculty members to include accessibility content in their courses • Continue to help faculty understand accessibility issues • Continue work in addressing accessibility issues, minimizing need for accommodation

26. Coming Attractions, cont. : • Continued efforts to gain high level support for purchase and use of accessible technology • Continued support of accessibleweb group • Extend efforts to more individuals/groups

27. Coming Attractions, cont. : • Work to assure development tools are accessible to instructors and designers with disabilities • Work toward policy on procurement, development, use • Continue to develop relationships