<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><br><div><br><div>Begin forwarded message:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>From: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica';">"Sean Whalen" <<a href="mailto:smwhalenpsp@gmail.com">smwhalenpsp@gmail.com</a>><br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>Subject: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica';"><b>FW: Important Message Regarding Google Apps and Accessibility</b><br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>Date: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica';">November 5, 2013 at 5:31:07 PM PST<br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>To: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica';"><<a href="mailto:nabs-l@nfbnet.org">nabs-l@nfbnet.org</a>>, <<a href="mailto:nabs-presidents@nfbnet.org">nabs-presidents@nfbnet.org</a>><br></span></div><br><div>Friends and fellow students:<br><br>We have a wonderful opportunity to use our status as students to help<br>further the work of the NFB. Dr. Maurer called me yesterday afternoon and<br>advised me that we are in continued conversations with Google regarding the<br>accessibility of Google Apps, which are frequently used by schools and<br>universities. Unfortunately, Google Apps has many features that are<br>inaccessible. We need to change this, and this effort is building momentum.<br>The Provost of the University of Michigan has recently circulated the two<br>below communications to faculty and students at U of M. As you can read<br>after this message, Michigan will not be requiring, and is in fact<br>discouraging, the use of Google Apps for coursework, class projects, or<br>communication between students until Google Apps are accessible and fully<br>useable by disabled students, including the blind. This is a strong message,<br>but we need to increase the pressure on Google. They need to hear this<br>message from other colleges and universities, and they need to hear it now.<br>Does your school use Google Apps or are they considering it? Show your<br>administration the principled and courageous stand that the University of<br>Michigan has taken, and urge them to do the same. Educate your school's<br>administration as to how Google Apps leaves blind students out, detracts<br>from our full participation in the classroom, and degrades our educational<br>experience. I personally have run across inaccessible Google products here<br>at HKS, and will certainly be sharing the below message with my Dean. I urge<br>each of you to do the same. This is one of those instances where we as<br>students can step up to really make a difference for all blind students and<br>shape the future. Please take a few minutes to communicate the importance of<br>accessibility of all aspects of education and show your school that it is<br>possible to take a stand. Technology can either open doors for the blind, or<br>seal them shut. I know which I prefer. So, please, take a moment and help<br>show Google that accessibility matters by getting your school to communicate<br>their commitment to accessibility.<br><br>Please call or write if you have any questions. And, please share this with<br>anybody committed to equal access in education for the blind.<br><br>Many thanks,<br><br>Sean Whalen<br>President, National Association of Blind Students<br>(608) 332-4147<br>---------<br>Dear Colleagues,<br><br>As you know, the University of Michigan has transitioned to Google Apps for<br>Education for email, calendar, and collaboration tools. The university has<br>been in regular contact with Google over the past year about the<br>accessibility of their products, and we have conducted numerous tests to<br>measure their progress. While Google has demonstrated definite improvements,<br>much work remains to make the experience acceptable and equitable for<br>individuals who have disabilities. Because Google Docs and Drive, Chat,<br>Sites, and other collaborative technologies in the Google suite do not work<br>well with standard assistive technologies, you should not require students<br>to use them in coursework. In other words, you should not assign work where<br>the only option to complete the work involves use of these tools, and even<br>if their use is optional, you should be extremely sensitive and avoid<br>situations in which students who have disabilities may be disadvantaged if<br>the Google suite is the preferred alternative.<br><br>I am also writing to our students to ask them to be cautious in their<br>informal use of this suite of applications, avoiding them whenever their use<br>may disadvantage students who have disabilities.<br><br>Google email and calendar are accessible with standard assistive<br>technologies when used with the client interface for Outlook or MacMail.<br>Students, faculty, or staff may call 4-HELP for assistance in setting up the<br>client interface or they may visit the Knox Center Adaptive Technology<br>Computing Site on the first floor of the Shapiro Library. Generally, if you<br>need assistance in making your courses or technology accessible to students<br>who have disabilities, don't hesitate to work with the Knox Center or the<br>Services for Students with Disabilities.<br><br>We will continue to work with Google to address the accessibility issues in<br>their software systems, and we expect that changes will be made so that they<br>meet the needs of all our students.<br><br>The university is committed to equal opportunity and equal access, and we<br>are continually working harder to find ways to make the tools we use,<br>facilities we access, and methods we apply accessible to our entire<br>community. Please visit the sites below to learn more about how to support<br>our community members with disabilities:<br><br>--Services for Students with Disabilities handbook for faculty<br>(<a href="http://ssd.umich.edu/files/ssd/SSD_Faculty_Handbook.pdf">http://ssd.umich.edu/files/ssd/SSD_Faculty_Handbook.pdf</a>)<br>--Knox Center Adaptive Technology Computing Site<br>(<a href="http://www.itcs.umich.edu/atcs/computing-site.php">http://www.itcs.umich.edu/atcs/computing-site.php</a>)<br>--M+Google site<br>(<a href="https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/going-google/accessibility">https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/going-google/accessibility</a>)<br><br>Thank you for your attention to this important matter.<br><br>Sincerely,<br><br>Martha E. Pollack<br>Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs<br><br><br><br><br>Dear Students,<br><br>As you know, the University of Michigan has transitioned to Google Apps for<br>Education for email, calendar, and collaboration tools. The university has<br>been in regular contact with Google over the past year about the<br>accessibility of their products, and we have conducted numerous tests to<br>measure their progress. While Google has demonstrated definite improvements,<br>much work remains to make the experience acceptable and equitable for<br>individuals who have disabilities. Because Google Docs and Drive, Chat,<br>Sites, and other collaborative technologies in the Google suite do not work<br>well with standard assistive technologies, we have instructed the faculty<br>not to require students to use them in coursework, and to be sensitive and<br>avoid situations in which students who have disabilities may be<br>disadvantaged if the Google suite is the preferred alternative.<br><br>I am also writing to ask you to be cautious in your informal use of this<br>suite of applications, avoiding them whenever their use may disadvantage<br>students who have disabilities.<br><br>Google email and calendar are accessible with standard assistive<br>technologies when used with the client interface for Outlook or MacMail.<br>Students, faculty, or staff may call 4-HELP for assistance in setting up the<br>client interface or they may visit the Knox Center Adaptive Technology<br>Computing Site on the first floor of the Shapiro Library. Generally, if you<br>need assistance in making your courses or technology accessible to students<br>who have disabilities, don't hesitate to work with the Knox Center or the<br>Services for Students with Disabilities.<br><br>We will continue to work with Google to address the accessibility issues in<br>their software systems, and we expect that changes will be made so that they<br>meet the needs of all our students.<br><br>The university is committed to equal opportunity and equal access, and we<br>are continually working harder to find ways to make the tools we use,<br>facilities we access, and methods we apply accessible to our entire<br>community. Please visit the sites below to learn more about how to support<br>our community members with disabilities:<br><br>--Services for Students with Disabilities handbook for faculty<br>(<a href="http://ssd.umich.edu/files/ssd/SSD_Faculty_Handbook.pdf">http://ssd.umich.edu/files/ssd/SSD_Faculty_Handbook.pdf</a>)<br>--Knox Center Adaptive Technology Computing Site<br>(<a href="http://www.itcs.umich.edu/atcs/computing-site.php">http://www.itcs.umich.edu/atcs/computing-site.php</a>)<br>--M+Google site<br>(<a href="https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/going-google/accessibility">https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/going-google/accessibility</a>)<br><br>Thank you for your attention to this important matter.<br><br>Sincerely,<br><br><br>Martha E. Pollack<br>Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs<br><br></div></blockquote></div><br></body></html>