[nfbcs] need help with using blackboard

Mon Jan 13 02:59:38 UTC 2014

Hi, so do you guys no who to contact at blackboard accessibility. This
was working before.

On 1/12/14, Mikayla Gephart <mikgephart at icloud.com> wrote:
> Interesting, I agree.
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Jan 12, 2014, at 5:10 PM, cheryl echevarria <cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> From what I understand this is one of the issues we have been having with
>> our TEACH Bill that we will once again, be discussing with our Senators
>> and Congress in Washington DC January 27-30. I will be in attendance. Make
>> sure your state affiliate has representatives going to DC this year, and
>> let them know you are having issues with this.
>> All information on this is here
>> Technology has fundamentally changed the education system. The scope of
>> instructional materials used to facilitate the teaching and learning
>> process at institutions of higher education has expanded. Curricular
>> content comes in the form of digital books, PDFs, webpages, etc.; and most
>> of this content is delivered through digital databases, learning
>> management systems, and applications. Traditional print materials are
>> inherently inaccessible to disabled students, but technology creates
>> opportunities to expand the circle of participation. These opportunities
>> are missed when the majority of these materials are inaccessible to
>> students with disabilities.  The use of inaccessible technology by
>> institutions of higher education is a violation of law. Section 504 of the
>> Rehabilitation Act and Titles II and III of the Americans with
>> Disabilities Act prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability, but
>> these laws were written before technology permeated the classroom. In
>> 2010, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education issued guidance to
>> institutions of higher education clarifying that the use of inaccessible
>> technology is a form of discrimination. In the four years since, several
>> of the country’s leading institutions have faced legal action for
>> continuing to use inaccessible technology.  Accessibility solutions are
>> widely available, but schools and manufacturers are resisting. A 2009
>> Congressionally-authorized study found that, despite innovations in
>> text-to-speech, refreshable Braille, and other accessibility features that
>> create promise for equal access, there is still persistent unmet need.
>> Developers claim there is not enough demand to justify making accessible
>> products, and schools claim to have limited options and a lack of
>> knowledge about accessibility to properly guide procurement. Because of
>> this blame-game, developers are moving too slowly and schools are openly
>> violating the law. Guidelines are sorely needed to guide the market and
>> lift burdens off of disabled students. While schools and manufacturers are
>> waiting for the other to take action, blind students are facing
>> insurmountable barriers to their education. No student can be expected to
>> succeed in college if he or she is denied access to course material, and
>> yet the solutions available to remedy this discrimination are ignored!
>> Universally-accepted accessibility guidelines will give direction to
>> manufacturers, clarity to schools about how to meet their legal
>> obligations regarding technology, and long-overdue equal access for
>> disabled students.Technology, Education, and Accessibility in College and
>> Higher Education Act:  Develops accessibility guidelines for instructional
>> materials and related information technology. The Access Board will
>> consult experts and stakeholders to develop functional performance
>> criteria for electronic instructional materials and related information
>> technologies so that those materials are usable by individuals with
>> disabilities. The guidelines will serve as a flexible prescription for
>> accessibility for both developers and institutions of higher education.
>> Provides incentive for institutions of higher education to follow the
>> guidelines. Institutions of higher education that use technology that
>> conforms with the guidelines will be deemed in compliance with the
>> provisions of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Titles II and III
>> of the Americans with Disabilities Act that pertain to schools’ use of
>> technology. Establishes a minimum usability standard for all technology in
>> the classroom. Institutions of higher education may only use materials
>> that do not conform to the guidelines if that material allows disabled
>> students to enjoy the same educational benefits in an equally integrated
>> and equally effective manner, with substantially equivalent ease of use as
>> nondisabled students.  PROTECT EQUALITY IN THE CLASSROOM. Cosponsor the
>> Technology, Education, and Accessibility in College and Higher Education
>> Act (TEACH Act) HR 3505. For more information contact:Lauren McLarney,
>> Government Affairs Specialist, National Federation of the BlindPhone:
>> (410) 659-9314, Extension 2207. Email: lmclarney at nfb.org To cosponsor
>> contact:Kevin James, Legislative Assistant, Congressman Tom Petri
>> (R-WI)Phone: (202) 225-2476. Email: kevin.james at mail.house.gov
>> Disabled Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 of NY StateOffering the Best in
>> Meaningful Travel Experiences for Everyone!Cheryl Echevarria,
>> Ownerwww.echevarriatravel.com631-456-5394reservations at echevarriatravel.com
>>
>> Sign up for our e-newsletter by e-mailing us you first and last name, and
>> e-mail address to reservations at echevarriatravel.com, let us know if you
>> want just text or pictures in your e-mail.
>> Echevarria Travel has partnered with Braille Smith. www.braillesmith.com
>> for all her braille needs.  Gail Smith is the Secretary of the NFB of
>> Alabama
>>
>>> Date: Sun, 12 Jan 2014 16:04:09 -0600
>>> From: parashah23 at gmail.com
>>> To: nfbcs at nfbnet.org
>>> Subject: [nfbcs] need help with using blackboard
>>>
>>> Hi,
>>> I am a student and  need help using blackboard discussions.
>>> Spicifically when posting a thread on blackboard how do you do a spell
>>> check.
>>> When I hit enter on the spell check button jaws does not do anything
>>> and I do not see any dialog.
>>> I am running jaws 15 and blackboard 9.1 on a windows 8.1 computer. I
>>> tried this with IE 11 and latest version of firefox.
>>> Please help or tell me where I can contact somebody at blackboard
>>> accessibility.
>>> Thanks
>>>
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>>
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>
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