[Ohio-talk] College web accessibility.

Mon Apr 1 21:05:17 UTC 2013

Sheri, you are giving excellent advice and information.  I believe a lot of
people really want to assist college students who are visually impaired but
don't know how to do this.

Kaity, this is a good chance for you to learn some advocacy skills that
will work for the rest of your life.  You can teach them something at the
college and you will make it easier for the next blind student who comes
through their classes.

On Mon, Apr 1, 2013 at 1:53 PM, Sheri Beth Wells-Jensen <swellsj at bgsu.edu>wrote:

> A couple more thoughts, Kaiti,
>
> It's worth remembering that the disabled student services office does work
> primarily with learning disabilities.  The population that's increasing now
> are returning veterans and students with emotional needs or those with a
> mental illness diagnosis. We are the exceptions for them and although they
> are legally required to work with us, they will not be as poised to be
> effective with us as they are for other students.  They are almost without
> exception understaffed and under prepared, through no fault of their own,
> so I am rarely surprised by what happens there.  That doesn't mean I reduce
> my expectations of them, but I know things will work out better when I come
> into the situation with resources in hand and very specific requests.
>
>
> For the same reasons, I wouldn't expect much from your advisor:
> I assumed advisors were advocates for students, but honestly, what they
> mostly have time for is assisting you in scheduling classes.  You may get
> the exception who will go the extra mile for you, but I suspect you'll be
> better off as your own advocate, dealing directly with the course
> instructor in most cases.
>
> So, regardless of how you feel (and I understand your reservations), smile
> and expect everyone to do his or her job well and responsibly.
> And know that, despite all my talk about how you have to be your own
> advocate: you're not all on your own here.  There are always other blind
> folks who have gone where you're going and can help.
>
> Peace,
> sheri
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ohio-talk [mailto:ohio-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kaiti
> Shelton
> Sent: Monday, April 01, 2013 1:37 PM
> To: 'NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List'
> Subject: Re: [Ohio-talk] College web accessibility.
>
> Hi,
>
> That was very helpful.  I will definitely take those suggestions.
>
> The advice to be confident and bold really struck me.  I really don't feel
> confident at this point, because I too have had experiences with the school
> already which unsettled me.  The first time I called the disabilities
> office
> about their pdf file the lady I spoke to had no idea what jaws or a
> screenreader was, tried to forward my call to the councelor who works with
> students who have learning disabilities, and then instructed me to download
> Adobe Conference, which is actually a business conference program similar
> to
> Skype, to convert my pdf file to text.  It was quite different from calls
> I've made to UD or Wright State's disability services, where students who
> work in the office at least know what the assistive technology is and can
> work around the minor issues like converting a pdf file to text.  I think
> that call scared me, since since the disabilities office was what I called
> and not a department which has very little to do with students who have
> disabilities.  I agree though that confidence will probably be the best
> thing to project here, because even if these people have never had a blind
> student before and don't know what to do someone is going to know what
> steps
> need to be taken if I'm going to successfully complete the course.
>
> As my hands are tied and I can't do anything more with the disability
> office
> until they receive their paperwork, I'll give the IT department a call
> today
> and see if I can connect with the person in charge of web accessibility.  I
> also have to figure out who my advisor is, so perhaps once I learn that
> information I can get some help with figuring out some of these issues.
>
> Thanks again for the helpful feedback.
>
> Kaiti Shelton
> University of Dayton---2016
> Music Therapy Major, Psychology Minor, Clarinet
> Secretary, Ohio Association of Blind Students (OABS)-NFB
> Member of Alpha Phi Omega-Alpha Gamma Xi Chapter
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ohio-talk [mailto:ohio-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of COLLEEN
> ROTH
> Sent: Monday, April 01, 2013 1:00 PM
> To: ohio-talk at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [Ohio-talk] College web accessibility.
>
> I know someone would answer Kailin's questions.
> I am sure that many people would find this helpful.
> It might make a good article for the Buckeye Bulletin.
> Colleen Roth
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Smith, JW <smithj at ohio.edu>
> To: NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List ohio-talk at nfbnet.org
> Date: Monday, April 1, 2013 12:52 pm
> Subject: Re: [Ohio-talk] College web accessibility.
>
> >
> >
> > Sheri, this is an excellent response and I've shared it with some other
> so
> thank you for it!
> >
> > Jw
> >
> > Dr. JW Smith
> > Associate Professor
> > Interim Associate Director for Undergraduate Studies School of
> > Communication Studies
> > 740-593-4838
> > smithj at ohio.edu
> >
> > "Regarding the past, change what you can, and can what you can't."
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Ohio-talk [mailto:ohio-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
> > Sheri Beth Wells-Jensen
> > Sent: Monday, April 01, 2013 12:29 PM
> > To: NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List
> > Subject: Re: [Ohio-talk] College web accessibility.
> >
> > Hi, Kaiti,
> >
> > I preface my remarks with the info that I'm a university professor up in
> bowling Green, so my answer to you comes from the faculty perspective.
> >
> > I recommend boldness: even if you don't feel confident or bold: it's the
> best approach.  Here's what I'd d...
> >
> > Pick the course you want to take as soon as possible: get any outside
> help
> you need to make that happen.  You can come back later to have the argument
> about the accessibility of their catalog, but  since time is limited, focus
> on the summer class.
> >
> > People respond best to specifics.  So, once you have picked your class,
> call the IT people and ask what applications you will have to run in order
> to successfully take an Online class.  Ask them, for example, if the
> courses
> ar on Blackboard, Canvas or some other course management system.
> > They might not give you the full list, but they will have some ideas.
> Explain your situation, and ask them to forward you to the people who are
> the support staff for online classes.  They may or may not give you
> accurate
> information about accessibility, but it's one step you can take.
> >
> > There absolutely has to be someone in the IT department who knows about
> the creation of accessible webpages and such.  It probably won't be the
> person who answers the phone though:  I've been at BGSU for 12 years, and
> the last time I called our IT people, I got someone on the phone who said
> he'd never heard of 'Screen Reader' and wanted to know what company made it
> ... because I should just call that company with my concerns.
> > It was at that point that I sweetly asked to be forwarded to someone who
> worked with web accessibility.  S... be patient.
> >
> > I would next email the course instructor. Not all instructors use all of
> the software platforms in the same way. I, for example, put most of my
> content on my own website and use BlackBoard as little as possible.  Other
> instructors add skype to their online classes while some rely on
> conversation boards within something like Blackboard.  Getting a list
> specific to the course might be very useful to you.
> > Since this is the person who will be giving you  your grade, it's
> important to project a nice combinNof confidence and respect, and to be
> clear that your concern is about the accessibility of the software not
> about
> course content.  You might add that you're looking forward to the class
> very
> much: just checking to make sure all will be well.
> >
> > Let the disability services folks know what you'll be taking and when
> you'll be taking it.  Let them know you have concerns about accessibility,
> and that you're eager for the course to go well, so you're asking these
> things in advance. Ask them to check out the accessibility of online
> classes, mentioning some of the things you've learned from your
> conversations with the IT people and the course instructor.  Tell them
> you'd
> just like to start that conversation now and that you'll check back with
> them... in... whatever time they think makes sense: a week maybe?  If they
> act overwhelmed, suggest that you could connect them with  the UD folks who
> know how to do these things.
> >
> > I know some folks would tell you that all you need do is tell the
> disabled
> students office what you want and they should take care of it for you.
>  This
> is the ideal maybe, but in the case that they don't...' or that they forget
> something... it becomes your problem... and it becomes your problem in the
> middle of the class  session when you have no time to resolve it well.
> >
> > Hope  this helps some.
> >
> > Best,
> >
> > sheri
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Ohio-talk [mailto:ohio-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
> > Kaiti Shelton
> > Sent: Sunday, March 31, 2013 12:05 PM
> > To: NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List
> > Subject: [Ohio-talk] College web accessibility.
> >
> > Hi all,
> >
> >
> >
> > I'm writing in the hopes that someone who is more tech savvy and in the
> know about web accessibility guidelines will read this and be able to
> provide some feedback, although any feedback is welcome.
> >
> >
> >
> > Long story short, in high school I participated in a two-year teacher
> prep
> program.  The senior year of that program involved completing a portfolio
> based on the praxis domains, which would be graded for college credit and
> passage of the course.  Sinclair Community College was in charge of
> processing all the tech prep portfolios for southwest Ohio, including the
> ones from Teacher Academy students.  Every student who passed their course
> received a scholarship waver for a three credit hour course at Sinclair
> free
> of charge.  Naturally, I want to use this waver on a summer course.
> >
> >
> >
> > Since I've started getting set up with Sinclair I've had a few web
> accessibility issues.  The first happened when I tried to go online to
> review their course catalog.  I found a pdf file which Jaws couldn't read,
> so I emailed their disabilities office to let them know that the catalog
> was
> not screenreader friendly.  I didn't hear a response back, so I called.  I
> was able to get in touch with a disability councelor, who then sent me a
> word version of the catalog, which ended up not having course listings in
> it
> and being more like a brochure or student handbook.  When I told her about
> the file being a misnomer she sent me instructions on how to view available
> courses online.  I followed the instructions she sent me and found that the
> flash interface the schedule planner uses was inaccessible.  Comboboxes
> were
> not labeled and neither Jaws or NVDA would read them.  Apparently there is
> also a huge table which shows up once you select your search criteria for
> courses, and neither screenreader picked that up either.
> >
> >
> >
> > Although I was able to get sighted assistance to work around these
> issues,
> I am more concerned about the accessibility of the course distribution
> site,
> be it Blackboard or whatever other system, as the course I want to take
> will
> be in an online format.  I am also concerned that if their school site is
> this inaccessible that their IT department may not have the training to
> follow web accessibility guidelines.  At UD, if something doesn't work with
> jaws I can email the tech support staff and they'll make sure the issue Is
> resolved, but I'm not sure if I will be able to get that kind of support
> from Sinclair based on what I've seen so far.  I feel really uncomfortable
> jumping into a course which may or may not be accessible, but I also feel
> like to not take my scholarship would be silly and that I shouldn't be kept
> from redeeming it because of correctable accessibility issues.  It is also
> quite possible that I will want to take other summer courses in the future
> through Sinclair since I'm already a registered student there, so if
> possible I would like for these accessibility issues to be addressed but
> > don't really know how to proceed.
> >
> >
> >
> > Again, any feedback would be appreciated, and happy Easter!
> >
> >
> >
> > Kaiti Shelton
> >
> > University of Dayton---2016
> >
> > Music Therapy Major, Psychology Minor, Clarinet
> >
> > Secretary, Ohio Association of Blind Students (OABS)-NFB
> >
> > Member of Alpha Phi Omega-Alpha Gamma Xi Chapter
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Ohio-talk mailing list
> > Ohio-talk at nfbnet.org
> > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ohio-talk_nfbnet.org
> > To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> Ohio-talk:
> > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ohio-talk_nfbnet.org/swellsj%40bgsu.
> > edu
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Ohio-talk mailing list
> > Ohio-talk at nfbnet.org
> > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ohio-talk_nfbnet.org
> > To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> Ohio-talk:
> > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ohio-talk_nfbnet.org/smithj%40ohio.e
> > du
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Ohio-talk mailing list
> > Ohio-talk at nfbnet.org
> > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ohio-talk_nfbnet.org
> > To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> Ohio-talk:
> > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ohio-talk_nfbnet.org/n8tnv%40att.net
>
> _______________________________________________
> Ohio-talk mailing list
> Ohio-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ohio-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> Ohio-talk:
>
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ohio-talk_nfbnet.org/kaiti.shelton%40gmail
> .com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Ohio-talk mailing list
> Ohio-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ohio-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> Ohio-talk:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ohio-talk_nfbnet.org/swellsj%40bgsu.edu
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Ohio-talk mailing list
> Ohio-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ohio-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> Ohio-talk:
>
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ohio-talk_nfbnet.org/marianne%40denningweb.com
>

-- 
Marianne Denning, TVI, MA
Teacher of students who are blind or visually impaired
(513) 607-6053