Access through Adaptive Computer Technology and Website Design

August 10, 2005 - Illinois State Board of Education 2005 Special Education Directors' Conference - Beginning with the End in Mind: Supporting Successful Transition to Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities - Transitioning and Adaptive Technologies

Your Presenters for this event are:

Nancy Cheeseman

Elmhurst Life Skills Academy
Elmhurst College

George Ortiz

College Connection to Career Opportunities Project
Department of Disability and Human Development
University of Illinois at Chicago

Kathleen Plesko, Director

Disability Support Services
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale

Michael Whitney, Coordinator

Adapted Technology and Website Design
Disability Support Services/Information Technology
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale

Susan Walter, Coordinator

TOTAL Project
Illinois State Borad of Education

Expected Topics of Discussion and Presented Technologies

The objective of this presentation is to provide the audience with a general awareness of the transitional issues facing disabled students as they matriculate from high school into higher education and to overview some best practices that demonstrate how the higher education community has responded to a need for better transitional services.

Summer Transition Programming

Kathleen Plesko, Director of Disability Support Services (DSS) at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC), will describe the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) funded Summer Transition Camp for Students with Disabilities. The camp serves twenty (20) individuals, primarily high school juniors and seniors, who plan to attend post-secondary education and who have significant disabilities. In order to prepare students for college/university enrollment, the program offers a broad range of introductory experiences and a more intensive and daily focus on adapted computer technology and its importance for post-secondary inclusion. Other camp activities include using a college/university library, career exploration, introduction to disability services in post-secondary settings, exceptional socialization and recreation opportunities, and more. Plesko will also present data on the effectiveness of the camp to date, and instruction on replication of the camp in other settings.

Adapted Technology and Information Technology Access

Michael Whitney, Coordinator of Adapted Technology and Website Design at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, will discuss the IBHE funded program Adapted Computer Technology and Accessible Website Design. His remarks will include a description of adapted computer options for postsecondary students, including GPS Navigation systems, JAWS, Dragon, electronic texts, and reading systems. He will focus on the importance of preparatory training in these computers and software at the elementary and secondary level in order to enhance the likelihood of academic success in colleges/universities.