Access through Adaptive Computer Technology and Website Design

October 8, 2002

Faculty Workshop: Teaching Individuals With disabilities. Legal Issues, Process, and Technology for Learners with Disabilities.

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED THE FOLLOWING ISSUES IN TEACHING?

• Disability issues, the process and available support services.
• What is accessible web-based content?
• How do I make my course content accessible?
• When does my course content have to be accessible?
• What sources are available to help me?
• What are the legal implications?

TO LEARN ABOUT THESE ISSUES, ATTEND THE WORKSHOP

• 8:45AM: Welcome - Dr. Seymour Bryson
• 9:00AM: Legal issues - Kathe Klare
• 9:30AM: Disability support services - Kathleen Plesko
• 10:00AM: Adaptive Computer Technology Overview - Michael Whitney
• 10:30AM: Break
• 10:45AM: Adapted Website Design Overview - Doug Simmons, Jim Sissom, Rose McClusky Albert
• 11:15AM: Administrative Services - Dr. Susan Edgren, Sharon Walters
• 12:00PM: Lunch - Old Main Lounge
• 1-3:OOPM: Breakout Sessions

The afternoon breakout sessions will offer demonstrations and hands-on opportunities with some common adaptive computer technology and using accessibility options for various disability types including:

• MAGic and CCTV
• JAWS
• OPENBook
• Dragon Naturally Speaking
• Kurzweil
• Altered keyboard
• rf or infared
• Text only browsers
• Extensions to Macromedia Applications
• BOBBY
• Cascading Style Skeets (CSS)

WELCOME Seymour Bryson

Dr. Seymour Bryson is the Associate Chancellor (Diversity) and a professor in the Rehabilitation Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He is a three-degree graduate from SIUC, where he received a Doctorate in Educational Psychology, a Masters of Science in Rehabilitation and a Bachelor of Science in Sociology (Social Work). He has presented papers at numerous conferences and has published in a variety of professional publications, including Rehabilitation Counseling. Bulletin, The Journal of NonWhite Concerns, and The Journal of Multicultural Development. Dr. Bryson has held several administrative positions at SIUC, including Assistant to the President, Dean and Associate Dean of the College of Human Resources, and Director for the Center for Basic Skills. He has been active in professional organizations at the local, regional and national levels. He has served as a governor's appointee to the Department of Rehabilitation Services Advisory Council and currently serves as a governor's appointee to the State Use Commission and the Guardianship and Advocacy Commission.

LEGAL ISSUES Kathe Klare

Kathe Klare is serving as Special Counsel and Compliance Officer in the Office of the University General Counsel and in the School of Medicine at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Ms. Klare has a BSN from the University of Michigan, a MSN in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania, and a JD in Law from the University of Richmond. Ms. Klare provides legal advice on disabilities law to SIUC and works closely with Disabilities Support Services. She has coauthored a book entitled Special Education Law. Ms. Klare previously represented persons with disabilities.

DISABILITY SUPPORT SERVICES Kathleen Plesko

Kathleen Plesko, M.S. Rehabilitation, directs SIUC's Office of Disability Support Services. Plesko is an expert in disability accommodations in higher education settings. She will discuss and delineate the provision of mandated accommodations in real and electronic classrooms. As an important counterbalance, Plesko will discuss fundamental course requirements and how they can limit the need to provide accommodations, particularly in the area of testing. She will briefly profile the "new" disabled students, those with invisible disabilities, including cognitive and psychiatric conditions.

ADAPTIVE COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW Michael Whitney

Michael Whitney heads adaptive technology and accessible web creation for Disability Support Services at SIUC. In addition to a Master's Degree in Rehabilitation, Whitney has completed an additional course on Designing Universally Acceptable Web Resources, and a 90 hour Assistive Technology Applications Certificate Program offered by the University of California Northridge. In the morning session at the faculty workshop, Whitney will offer brief introductory remarks about the academic implications of adaptive technology. In breakout sessions he will demonstrate the technology.

USING ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR ACCESSIBILITY Doug Simmons, Jim Sissom & Rose Mcclusky Albert

Doug Simmons is a computer programmer for Instructional Support Services in Morris Library. He has developed and taught a variety of seminars for the Academic Technology Center. He has been involved in a number of interdepartmental collaborations intended to increase on-campus awareness of electronic media accessibility issues and create resources to aid faculty in increasing the accessibility of the on-line content.

Jim Sissom is a Lab Manager for Information Technology and has a Master of Public Administration from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Jim has successfully completed the EASI Barrier-free Web Workshop and the Illinois Virtual Campus sponsored workshop ADA: Designing Accessible On-line Instructional Materials. Jim is listed as an internal consultant for SIUC's Access Through Adaptive Technology & Website Design, an institutional short-term project that will provide training in academic applications of adaptive computing and developing accessible web pages.

Rose McCluskey Albert graduated from SIUC in 1999 and is currently working as a Web Application Specialist for Information Technology at SIUC. Rose specializes in general web design and web application development and has general experience in computer programming in UNIX and MS Windows environments. Rose has been an early proponent for and adopter of web accessibility technologies. She has been a resource for a number of departments, both for those increasing the accessibility of their on-line content, and for those developing accessibility training programs.

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES Susan Edgren & Sharon Walters

Dr. Susan Edgren, Assistant Director of Continuing Education, coordinates distance education for the SIUC campus. She works with the distance education faculty to provide current and up-to-date information on making distance education courses ADA compliant.

Sharon Walters is the Program Manager for the Individualized Learning Program. Her Master's degree investigated issues related to individuals with disabilities. She first became aware of the problems faced daily by individuals with disabilities through her research. As an instructional developer for the Individualized Learning Program her goal is to develop instructional materials for web-based and print-based courses so they are accessible to all individuals.