Closing the Circuit: Accessibility from the Ground Up

Abstract

INTRODUCTION The increased use of technology in higher education is rapidly blurring distinction between distance and so-called local (Howell, Williams, & Lindsay, 2003). Instructors are able to utilize a variety of computer-based learning that can be used and reused in different courses (Wiley, 2000). Such objects may be first-generation elements, such as those created using HyperText Markup Language (HTML), or second-generation elements, such as Microsoft PowerPoint presentations or Microsoft Excel spreadsheets (Edmonds, 2004). The use of online objects represents the future of instruction design, one factor of which is access for students with disabilities (Deubel, 2003). Designing courses to be accessible to students with disabilities results in courses that are easier to use and better understood by everyone (Nielsen, 2000). For example, courses that use accessible design principles generally have fewer graphics, resulting in a cleaner design that is faster to download and easier to use for all students. Additionally, addressing accessibility concerns at beginning of process when creating online materials is much easier than retrofitting after fact (Burgstahler, 2002). BACKGROUND OF THE INSTITUTION The Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access (CATEA) was well positioned to develop, evaluate, and disseminate an accessible online object. CATEA is a center located within College of Architecture at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in Atlanta. CATEA is home to many research projects on accessibility and usability for all people, including people with disabilities. CATEA has two central research foci, as follows: 1. Development, evaluation, and utilization of assistive technology (technologies or devices designed to enable or improve performance of activities of daily living or work). 2. Design and development of accessible environments (environments, private and public, accessible to all people, including those with disabilities). The Federal Court Concepts online object, available online at http://www.catea.org/grade/legal/, was developed as a collaborative partnership between two CATEA projects, both of which concentrate on accessibility of information technology in education. The idea for online object came from Southeast Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center (DBTAC), one of ten regional centers funded by National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) of U.S. Department of Education (Grant #H133D010207). The Southeast DBTAC is responsible for providing technical assistance, training, and information about Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), as well as promoting need for accessible information technology in educational entities across eight states of Southeast Region, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The Southeast DBTAC works with colleges, universities, community colleges, and K-12 schools to improve access to information technology for students with disabilities in a wide variety of settings. The Southeast DBTAC is assisted in this endeavor by a 21-member Education Leadership Team comprised of representatives from educational institutions throughout Southeast Region, including rural community colleges and historically black colleges and universities. The Federal Court Concepts online object was developed by Georgia Tech Research on Accessible Distance Education (GRADE) project. GRADE is a demonstration program funded by U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) to provide faculty and administrators in institutes of higher education with technical assistance and professional development that facilitates and supports skills needed to create accessible distance for students with disabilities. …

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