University of Washington

DIVERSITY IN UNIVERSITIES

ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY IN THE WORKPLACE

DO- IT UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

Scott Bellman
DO-IT at UW
University of Washington
3737 Brooklyn Ave NE
Seattle WA 98105
swb3@u.washington.edu

Access to technology in work settings for people with disabilities will be discussed.

"Electronic and information technology" (referred to as simply "technology" in this publication) includes a broad range of products used to acquire, store, manipulate, and transmit information. These technologies include computers, software, websites, telephones, science lab equipment, CDs, videotapes, photocopiers, fax machines, and calculators.

Many technology products are designed in such a way that they are inaccessible to people with some types of disabilities. For example, a person with a visual impairment may not be able to interpret telephone use instructions if they are presented only in a visual format; a person who is deaf cannot access content of a software program that is only presented aurally. Too often even those individuals with disabilities who have assistive technology, a computer, and Internet connection, still cannot make full use of their capabilities because of the inaccessible features of hardware or software. In contrast, when universal design principles are employed as technology is created or updated, the resulting products are fully accessible to a broad audience, including assistive technology users.

This tutorial, created by DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology), describes how people with disabilities use computers, tells how technology can be made accessible, and lists resources for further study. To complete the tutorial, simply read the documents and freely view the video presentations online; you can also purchase the videos in VHS format from DO-IT. You will find it easier to link to the websites if you use the electronic form of this document at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Technology/aeit.html.

How do individuals with disabilities access technology? Read the publication and view the video Working Together: People with Disabilities and Computer Technology at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Video/wt_dis.html.

View the video Access to Technology in the Workplace: In Our Own Words at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Video/access_tech.html

Read the publication and view the video Working Together: Computer Technology and People with Mobility Impairments at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Video/wt_mobility.html

Read the publication and view the video Working Together: Computer Technology and People with Sensory Impairments at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Video/wt_sensory.html

Read the publication and view the video Working Together: Computer Technology and People with Learning Disabilities at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Video/wt_learn.html

What are specific types of technology and how can they be made accessible to people with disabilities?

Accessible Web Pages and other Internet Tools Read the publication and view the video World Wide Access: Accessible Web Design at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Video/www.html

Read Section 508 Guide: Web-Based Intranet and Internet Information and Applications at http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/guide/1194.22.htm

Read the Guide to Section 508 Standards: Web Accessibility Checklist at http://www.webaim.org/standards/508/checklist

Read the Checklist of Checkpoints for Authoring Tool at Accessibility at http://www.w3.org/TR/ATAG10/atag10-chktable.html

Read Accessibility of Online Chat Programs at http://www.webaim.org/articles/chats

Accessible Telecommunications Products Read Use of Telecommunications Products by People with Disabilities at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Technology/telcom.html

Read the Technical Bulletin: Access to Telecommunications at http://www.access-board.gov/publications/bulletins/telecomm.htm

Read About the Telecommunications Act Accessibility Guidelines at http://www.access-board.gov/telecomm/about%20telecomm.htm

Read FCC Consumer Fact Sheets - Section 255 Telecommunications Access for People with Disabilities at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/section255.html

Read FCC Consumer Facts - Telecommunications Relay Services at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/trs.html

Read Guide to Section 508 Standards: Telecommunications Products at http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/guide/1194.23.htm

Read Telecommunications: What You Should Be Getting at
http://www.afb.org/info_document_view.asp?documentid=1562#telecommunications

Accessible Video and Multimedia Products Read Creating Video and Multimedia Products that are Accessible to People with Sensory Impairments at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Technology/vid_sensory.html

Read Guide to Section 508 Standards: Video and Multimedia Products at http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/guide/1194.24.htm

Read Consumer Facts - Accessibility of Emergency Video Programming at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/emergencyvideo.html

Read Consumer Facts - Closed Captioning at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/closedcaption.html

Accessible Software Read Designing Software that is Accessible to Individuals with Disabilities at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Technology/design_software.html

Read Guide to Section 508 Standards: Software Applications and Operating Systems at http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/guide/1194.21.htm

Review Software Accessibility Checklist at http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/508/archive/oldsoftware.html

Read Software Accessibility at http://www-306.ibm.com/able/guidelines/software/accesssoftware.html

Accessible Desktop and Portable Computers Read Guide to Section 508 Standards: Desktop and Portable Computers at http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/guide/1194.26.htm

Accessible Self-Contained, Closed Products Read Guide to Section 508 Standards: Self-Contained, Closed Products at http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/guide/1194.25.htm

What are examples of where accessible technology should be used? Read the publication and view the video Real Connections: Making Distance Learning Accessible to Everyone at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Video/real_con.html

Read Distance Learning: Universal Design, Universal Access at http://www.aace.org/pubs/etr/issue2/burgstahler.cfm

Read the publication and view the video Equal Access: Computer Labs at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Video/equal.html

Read Equal Access: Libraries at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Technology/libsrv.html

What are examples of policies for procuring, using, and developing accessible technology? Read Policy Governing World Wide Web Accessibility, University of Wisconsin-Madison at http://www.wisc.edu/wiscinfo/policy/wwwap.html

Read the Ohio State University Web Accessibility Policy at http://ada.osu.edu/resources/WebPolicies.htm

Read The Goal: Making University of Washington Web Sites Accessible to Everyone at http://www.washington.edu/computing/accessible/

Read Central Michigan University Web Policy at http://www.cmich.edu/web-policy/accessibility.htm

Read Implementation Plan for Web Accessibility at http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/impl/

Read Accessible Web Design Policy Statements and Standards at http://www.washington.edu/computing/accessible/resources.html

Read Plan for Institutional Coordination and Reform to Support Web Accessibility at George Mason University at http://www.webaim.org/articles/gmuplan

Read Online Institutional Examples (of policies on Web accessibility) University/Postsecondary Policies in the United States at http://www.webaim.org/howto/reform/resourcelist/

Read Oregon State University Software Access Guidelines at http://oregonstate.edu/dept/tap/Policy/soft.html

Read Library Services for People with Disabilities Policy at http://www.ala.org/ascla/access_policy.html

Where can I find training and support regarding accessible technology, legal issues, and resources? Good places to start include: Technology and Universal Design at http://www.washington.edu/doit/Resources/technology.html

For Educational Entities AccessIT: National Center on Accessible Information Technology in Education http://www.washington.edu/accessit/

For Industry, States, and Consumers Information Technology and Technical Assistance and Training Center (ITTATC) http://www.ittatc.org/

For the Federal Government Center for IT Accommodations (CITA) http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?contentId=9815 &contentType=GSA_OVERVIEW

Resources

For further information regarding accessible technology, consult http://www.washington.edu/doit/Resources/technology.html. To order videos in VHS format from DO-IT, consult http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Order/video.order.html. To view video presentations online, consult http://www.washington.edu/doit/Video/. VHS versions may be purchased from DO-IT.

The specific DO-IT videos Access to Computers: In Our Own Words and Access to Technology in the Workplace: In Our Own Words reinforce the basic content of this publication by sharing access challenges and solutions of individuals with disabilities. In the first presentation, you will hear the perspective of high school and college students with disabilities. In the second presentation, you will hear from employees.

About DO-IT

DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) serves to increase the successful participation of individuals with disabilities in challenging academic programs and careers. Primary funding for DO-IT is provided by the National Science Foundation, the State of Washington, and the U.S. Department of Education. This publication is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 9800324. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

For more information, to be placed on the DO-IT mailing list, or to request materials in alternate format, contact:

DO-IT University of Washington

Box 355670

Seattle, WA 98195-5670

doit@u.washington.edu

http://www.washington.edu/doit/

206-685-DOIT (3648) (voice/TTY)

888-972-DOIT (3648) (voice/TTY), from Washington only, outside Seattle

206-221-4171 --FAX

509-328-9331 --voice/TTY, Spokane office

Director: Sheryl Burgstahler, Ph.D.