Facilities for Users with Disabilities

1. Facilities for Users with Disabilities OUCS Lecture Rooms and Help Centre

2. Session Outline • Facilities at OUCS • Talk • Practical • Accessible Web sites • Video “Web Sites that Work” • Talk about accessible web sites • Questions

3. OUCS • Initial project (2000/1) to improve access to IT, particularly training (lecture rooms and Learning and Resource Centre) for users with disabilities • Close liaison with University Disability Office • Funded jointly by OUCS and Central Disabilities fund (matched funding)

4. Current Situation • Equipment for a range of disabilities • Help Centre has now replaced LaRC (new location and managers) • Most equipment is PC based as this is main platform in lecture rooms and Help Centre. • Other platforms will be considered in due course

5. Hardware (Help Centre) • Large Monitor (21”) • LCD Monitor • Monitors can also be used in lecture rooms • Scanners

6. Standard Software • Windows has some built in accessibility features which allow various settings to be changed e.g. • Keyboard • Sound • Display • Mouse

7. Standard Software • Word - features such as the spell checker also useful • Touch Typing (Accutype) software available in the Help Centre

8. Assistive Software (Help Centre) • Magic - magnifies screen in Windows applications • Jaws - reads Windows screen, Internet access • Kurzweill 3000 - scans texts and reads back • Text Help - helps construct words and sentences, real time spell checker and screen reader

9. Peripherals • Alternative Mice and other pointing devices • Alternative Keyboards

10. Furniture • Height Adjustable Desks • Available in all lecture rooms and Help Centre • Adjustable Chairs • Available in all lecture rooms and Help Centre

11. Ergonomic Accessories • Wrist rests • Foot rests • Document holders

12. Induction Loop • Lecture Room A • Device that helps a hearing aid user to hear particular sounds more clearly. It does this by reducing or cutting out background noise • Consists of an amplifier connected to a microphone and a length of wire formed into a loop.

13. Using the equipment • For lecture rooms users are asked to let us know in advance by contacting: • enable@oucs.ox.ac.uk • 73206 • Keyboards, mice, peripherals can be set up on demand • Booking system for scanners, monitors and software in Help Centre

14. Accessible Materials • Provide information and course notes in alternative formats e.g. large print, Braille, electronic versions • Information providers need to think about document types and formats • Need to be requested in advance

15. Braille Embosser • Available to all University • Currently free but may be charged for in future • Requires an electronic file e.g. Word/RFT • 1-2 week turnaround • Specific requests rather than to keep as stock items (reader preferences, document validity.)

16. Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (SENDA) • 1 September 2002: the new legislation comes into effect, affecting aninstitution's core business such as teaching and research • OUCS • Website accessibility • Working party for use of computers in examinations • Provision of equipment at OUCS

17. SENDA • 1 September 2003: reasonable adjustments involving the provision ofauxiliary aids and services must be made (such as interpreters and inductionloops). OUCS – improvements/adjustments to current provision e.g all lecture rooms to have induction loops.

18. SENDA • 1 September 2005:  physical adjustments must be made (such as access tobuildings)

19. Raising Awareness • OUCS Leaflet • Posters • Web pages – www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/enable/ • Disability Office and other University projects • Talks/Training

20. The next 12-18 Months • Make changes re: SENDA • Monitor usage • Feedback/Suggestions • Evaluate • Consider what else should we provide? e.g. on other computer platforms