Tech Advances for Students with Disabilities BYU Digital Transform ation Showcase 1/31/2013

1. Tech Advances for Students with DisabilitiesBYU Digital Transformation Showcase 1/31/2013 Michael Brooks, Ph.D., J.D. Director – University Accessibility Center michael_brooks@byu.edu; 801.422.6020

2. Phones • Why was the technology for the phone developed? • Answer: Alexander Graham Bell developed it as a device to communicate with the deaf – he was friends with Helen Keller

3. General Trends… • Any technological advance must be accessible • June 29, 2010 - “Dear Colleague” Letter Departments of Justice and Education found that pilot projects using the Kindle DX reader were discriminatory to students with visual disabilities. (They violated the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act) “It is unacceptable for universities to use emerging technology without insisting that this technology be accessible to all students” • Understand that individuals with disabilities are a protected civil rights class

4. General Trends, Cont. • May 26, 2011 - A follow-up letter answering questions regarding the initial “Dear Colleague” letter revealed the following: • This letter applies to technologies beyond book readers to any form of emerging technology • It applies to online content, online applications, etc. • You have to follow it even if no blind students are in a particular program/course of study

5. Websites • The Department of Justice (DOJ) is currently developing regulations (under ADA) to govern web accessibility. • DOJ will likely adopt WCAG 2.0 website accessibility standards created by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) • Section 508 guidelines pertain to federal websites but give guidance for other developers. • We (University Accessibility Center) have the capacity to conduct an accessibility check for university websites • An important aspect of website accessibility is captioning of videos – MAGpie is free program allowing captioning and audio descriptions (Netflix agreed to caption 100% of its videos by 2014 after class action suit by National Association for the Deaf)

6. Universal Design • Traditionally, accessible technology has been provided ad hoc. Many postsecondary institutions are now providing it across the board on all public computers. • Examples: • Kurzweil 3000 – speech-to-text reading system; helps people with reading/learning disabilities – can improve reading speed and comprehension; also good for English Language Learners • JAWS (Job Access with Speech) - outputs the content of computer screen to speakers; websites need to be designed with this technology in mind

7. Specific Technologies

8. Specific Technologies {Braille Note} {DaVinci} {Plus Vision C-12 Series Interactive Whiteboards}

9. Student Response Systems (“clickers”) • Not accessible for those with visual, (some) mobility, and (some) processing deficits. • Ideal utilization is to have students working in small groups with a single student response system (clicker) per group - promotes inclusion and eliminates access barriers for students with visual and/or mobility impairments. (from accessibility.unm.edu)

10. Conclusion • The best practice for BYU would be to: • -make websites accessible to WCAG 2.0 standards, including captioning as part of this • request accessibility checks for websites • provide ‘universal’ access where reasonable (e.g., JAWS, Kurzweil, etc.) • consult with the UAC regarding questions on any aspect of accessibility with classes