Welcome to the Great Lakes ADA and Accessible IT Center's monthly Bulletin on Accessible IT in K-12 schools.

Trainings & Events

The Great Lakes Center offers technical assistance, trainings, referrals, and resource material for K-12 and Postsecondary schools on Accessible Information Technology topics.

Resources on Free Text Readers

ReadPlease 2003 reads any text you see on your screen. It is a free all-purpose text-to-speech software. An "advanced" version, ReadPlease Plus ($53.95), is also available. www.readplease.com

NaturalReader is a free software that reads any selected text. It also reads and highlights in its own window. The Professional version ($39.50) provides a toolbar for all Office products and converts synthetic speech to MP3 Audio files. www.naturalreaders.com

Mozilla Firefox, a free web browser, can be customized with the free FoxyVoice extension to provide text-to-speech support on all web pages. (IMPORTANT: This extension only works with FireFox version 1.0.7) www.mozilla.org/
products/firefox
www.foxyvoice.kenche.info

Universal Design for Learning

Several laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, direct schools to providing an equal opportunity for a quality education for students with disabilities. That includes access to the general curriculum to the greatest extent possible.

One strategy to ensure students with disabilities have access to the general curriculum is to use "universal design" to construct the learning environment and curriculum. The central practical premise of universal design for learning is that a curriculum should include alternatives that make learning accessible and appropriate for individuals with different backgrounds, learning styles, abilities, and disabilities in widely varied learning contexts.

Many people are already familiar with the concept of universal design in architecture. Curb cuts, ramp entrances, or automatic opening doors are examples of universally designed structures, created from the onset to be usable to the greatest number of individuals possible. People with mobility impairments certainly benefit from these examples, but who hasn't found these features useful with an armful of groceries or pushing a stroller? Essentially, universal design widens the circle of potential users, including those with disabilities.

Universal design for learning takes the concepts of universal design, as seen in architecture, and applies them to the general education curriculum. A universally designed curriculum is flexible and includes strategies that take individual differences into account.

The "universal" in universal design does not imply one optimal solution for everyone. Rather, it reflects an awareness of the unique nature of each learner and the need to accommodate differences, creating learning experiences that suit the learner and maximize his or her ability to progress. (CAST, 2003)

While technology is not a "magic bullet" to the complex task of providing students with disabilities access to the general curriculum, it can play a vital role in creating a more universally designed curriculum with options to maximize each student's learning strengths.

Versatility and flexibility are key features of technology that can help universally designed curriculum. Books that talk, a database that dials the phone, a video with an audio and text tracks are example of technology that can make a curriculum more accessible.

For more information on Universal Design for Learning visit the CAST website at www.cast.org

Update of the 508 Standards

The purpose of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act is to provide access to and use of Federal executive agencies' electronic and information technology by individuals with disabilities. The Section 508 standards were published by the Access Board, an independent Federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities, in December 2000. These accessibility standards cover computer hardware and software, websites, phone systems, fax machines, copiers, and similar technologies.

The Access Board is organizing a new advisory committee to assist in the update of the standards for electronic and information technology and its guidelines for telecommunications products.

This committee will provide a collaborative forum for various interests and stakeholders to provide substantive and detailed input on the new standards and guidelines. In particular, the committee will be responsible for preparing recommendations to the Board on coverage of products and technologies, including new or convergent types, solutions to identified access barriers, the content of new or revised specifications and criteria, and their harmonization with comparable international efforts in this area. For this new committee, the Board seeks representation from the telecommunications and electronic and information technology industry, disability groups, Federal agencies, and others with an interest in accessibility.

The 508 standard are limited to technologies procured by the Federal government. However, the standards have had a broader impact by promoting product accessibility in general. The committee input is very important in developing comprehensive, usable standards that will ultimately improve accessible technologies for the millions of people with disabilities in the United States.

If you have an interest and/or expertise in this area please consider serving on this committee. Instructions for submitting applications are included in a Federal Register notice posted on the Board's website at www.access-board.gov/sec508/comm-notice.htm. The deadline is May 18, 2006.

For further information, contact Tim Creagan, the Board's Section 508 Access Specialist at creagan@access-board.gov (e-mail), 202-272-0016 (voice), or 202-272-0081 (TTY).

For more information on 508 and the statutory language visit www.section508.gov