[blindkid] Re-Defining the Term "Accessible" in the Digital Education Era

Wed Jan 30 07:50:33 UTC 2013

Thanks Sharon. 
This is very nice & helpful - do you have the original source?
But how do you get across to educators & educational publishers &
educational website developers the concept that what is accessible to an
experienced adult may not be to middle schooler or a second grader?
Eric

-----------------------------------------
On 1/29/13 10:50 AM, "NFBMD" <nfbmd at earthlink.net> wrote:

>Here is a definition of accessibility that we are trying to get the
>Maryland
>State Department of Education to adopt.  Much of this language comes from
>the Department of Justice uses.  I think it is a good definition.
>
>"Accessible" means fully and equally accessible to and independently
>usable
>by blind individuals so that blind students and professionals are able to
>acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy
>the
>same services as sighted students and professionals, with substantially
>equivalent ease of use.
>
>Sharon Maneki
>
>-----Original Message-----
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>Today's Topics:
>
>   1. Stay in touch with me through LinkedIn (Steve Heesen)
>   2. Defining the Term ?Accessible? in the Digital Education Era (DrV)
>   3. Re: Defining the Term ?Accessible? in the Digital Education
>      Era (Penny Duffy)
>
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
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>Message: 1
>Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2013 20:04:39 +0000 (UTC)
>From: Steve Heesen <steveheesen at aol.com>
>To: <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>Subject: [blindkid] Stay in touch with me through LinkedIn
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>LinkedIn
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>Find out why I use LinkedIn. Stay in touch and build your professional
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>
>- Steve
>
>Steve Heesen
>Inside Sales Associate at Industries for the Blind, Inc.
>Greater Milwaukee Area
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>------------------------------
>
>Message: 2
>Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2013 08:03:56 -0800
>From: DrV <icdx at earthlink.net>
>To: "Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)"
>	<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>Subject: [blindkid] Defining the Term ?Accessible? in the Digital
>	Education Era
>Message-ID: <CD293E6C.CB28%icdx at earthlink.net>
>Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="ISO-8859-1"
>
>Hi All,
>Education is moving more & more into the digital realm.
>Students of all ages are being asked or required to access teacher
>websites,
>web-based calendars, and are being directed to watch on-line videos clips,
>download assignments, upload assignments, or perhaps blog.
>Some districts have adopted digital textbooks, other are seriously
>planning
>to do so.
>Some students are being expected to do on-line drills.
>An increasing number of students are starting to be tested using on-line
>quizzes & tests, including for math & foreign languages.
>Many school districts are creating Technology Departments & Committees to
>address & some are trying to standardize their districts digital education
>needs & operation.
>A student?s performance & grade is increasingly being assessed based on
>their digital performance.
>There are many tools young blind & low vision students can use to access
>what they need.
>What information is ?visible? on a given website can vary depending on the
>tool used to access it; the same website may look very different to a
>student using a Braille Notaker vs iphone vs ipad vs laptop with JAWS vs a
>Mac laptop.
>This is no longer an issue just for students at the upper grade levels,
>but
>also in the early education years down to kindergarten & preschool.
>As parents, vi professionals, & students interact with classroom teachers
>&
>with school districts they need to figure out how accessible things are.
>This is not an academic or philosophical question, but rather a very real
>issue.
>Given the spectrum of tools & age groups pre-k through grad school, has
>anyone come across an accepted working definition of what ?accessible? now
>means?
>I look forward to your thoughts, insights & discussion.
>Respectfully,
>EricV
>
>
>
>
>------------------------------
>
>Message: 3
>Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2013 11:17:42 -0500
>From: Penny Duffy <pennyduffy at gmail.com>
>To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,	(for parents of blind children)"
>	<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>Subject: Re: [blindkid] Defining the Term ?Accessible? in the Digital
>	Education Era
>Message-ID:
>	<CABb_=QdVZJZhVtGF2_b7ou_t=Wp8k15Djmf5rEz6ZLLo=fHrJg at mail.gmail.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
>I have always understood it to mean someone isn't able to access it
>because
>it just visual.  I think there is two streams here that which should
>always
>be accessible or made accessible for the student and the things that
>simply
>can't be made accessable and that's 'ok'   For instance a print book isn't
>accessible for many blind students but it can be. 1. Someone can read it
>but
>than its not reading or it can be transcribed into braille. My daughter
>has
>a para educator and I remind the school often that she making Abby's
>education more accessible not be her 'baby sitter'.
>
>Its scary out there with all the new technology and many times the people
>are not trained much less trained to bring access to a blind student. My
>daughter is it 3rd grade and all the students have ipads in the school.
>Its
>been a confusing adjustment.
>
>I do think there is wording to what has to be made accessible but I am
>clueless about that.
>
>_Penny
>On Jan 26, 2013 11:04 AM, "DrV" <icdx at earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>> Hi All,
>> Education is moving more & more into the digital realm.
>> Students of all ages are being asked or required to access teacher
>> websites, web-based calendars, and are being directed to watch on-line
>> videos clips, download assignments, upload assignments, or perhaps
>> blog.
>> Some districts have adopted digital textbooks, other are seriously
>> planning to do so.
>> Some students are being expected to do on-line drills.
>> An increasing number of students are starting to be tested using
>> on-line quizzes & tests, including for math & foreign languages.
>> Many school districts are creating Technology Departments & Committees
>> to address & some are trying to standardize their districts digital
>> education needs & operation.
>> A student?s performance & grade is increasingly being assessed based
>> on their digital performance.
>> There are many tools young blind & low vision students can use to
>> access what they need.
>> What information is ?visible? on a given website can vary depending on
>> the tool used to access it; the same website may look very different
>> to a student using a Braille Notaker vs iphone vs ipad vs laptop with
>> JAWS vs a Mac laptop.
>> This is no longer an issue just for students at the upper grade
>> levels, but also in the early education years down to kindergarten &
>preschool.
>> As parents, vi professionals, & students interact with classroom
>> teachers & with school districts they need to figure out how accessible
>things are.
>> This is not an academic or philosophical question, but rather a very
>> real issue.
>> Given the spectrum of tools & age groups pre-k through grad school,
>> has anyone come across an accepted working definition of what
>> ?accessible? now means?
>> I look forward to your thoughts, insights & discussion.
>> Respectfully,
>> EricV
>>
>>
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>>
>
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