Access through Adaptive Computer Technology and Website Design

August 2, 2004 - SIUC Admissions Staff Tech Update

Your presenter for this event is:

Michael Whitney

Michael Whitney heads adaptive technology and accessible web creation for Disability Support Services at SIUC and is also the coordinator of the Adaptive Computer Technology & Website Design HECA grant project. In addition to his MA in Rehabilitation, Whitney has completed training on designing universally acceptable web resources and an assistive technology applications certificate program offered by the State University of California Northridge. He will discuss and demonstrate some of the common adaptive technologies utilized by students with disabilities.

Expected Topics of Discussion and Presented Technologies

Our August 2, 2004 presentation is an update of adaptive computer technology that will be given as one instructional opportunity out of many at a training day for all college employees. It is scheduled to run from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Woody Hall B-150. At one and a half hours long, it will be a cursory introduction to the technology we employ and the concerns about equal access to information that dictate our work here at SIUC-DSS. As a part of the presentation, Michael will be handing out a companion CD that gives additional information as well as demos of some of the software that we currently employ here at Southern Illinois University. Our goals for this presentation are as follows:

• Make the general populace of the college aware of the issues we in the disability support field deal with
• Inform people who need to know of our country and state's legislative push towards accessibility of new technologies
• Distribute demo versions of some accessibility software suites

Technologies Covered

• Dragon Naturally Speaking dictation system
• Read Please reading system
• Arkenstone Open Book scanning system
• Jaws screen reader
• Co:Writer 4000 word prediction
• Microsoft Screen Magnification
• Sip-N-Puff Mouse
• Microsoft On-Screen Keyboard
• Cyberlink Brainfingers Brain Actuated Technology