[stylist] Latest article in my accessibility series

[Donna Hill]

Hi All,

Since some had trouble with the links in the past, I'm copying the latest
article in my accessibility series, which features a fellow Federationist,
Christine Grassman of New York. Christine is also a writer. The link is near
the top, and as always, I appreciate anyone who would go to the site to help
get my page-count and therefore my earnings up. You'll notice in this copy
that occasionally a URL shows up in the article, which is because we format
for anchored text links, so I put the URL before the words it refers to.
Hope that's not too confusing. Let me know what you think.

Thanks,

Donna

Published 2/26

Equal Access to Education and the Web: a Continuing Battle | Suite101.com

 

Americans with print disabilities are still excluded from much of the
digital world. Technology isn't the problem. The mother of two blind kids
speaks out. 

http://donna-w-hill.suite101.com/equal-access-to-education-and-the-web-a-con
tinuing-battle-a403811

 

Christine Faltz Grassman (Long Island) is excited about the technological
innovations allowing people with print disabilities access to our burgeoning
digital world. Despite advances, however, a new study warns that the
shortcomings of America's disability laws are creating a "permanent
underclass."

 

 

Legal Stumbling Blocks

 

. Grassman, a Princeton grad with a Master's in Education from Pace
University and a J.D. from Hofstra, teaches at Manhattan's GED Plus program.
A licensed New York attorney, she and husband Gary have two children:
Samantha (16) and Braden (12). Both are blind. Despite the potential for
leveling the playing field, Grassman worries that government failure to
insist upon accessibility for all will put people like her children at a
greater disadvantage than ever.

 

Unlike wheelchair ramps and elevators, failure to provide access to
websites, software and digital devices is not penalized by the law.
Technology isn't the problem. All Apple products, for instance, come loaded
with Voice Over, Apple's text-to-speech program. Grassman, who was born
blind, loves her iPhone and the many apps available at her fingertips. 

 

The problem according to

http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3666/3077

Retrofitting accessibility: The legal inequality of after-the-fact online
access for persons with disabilities in the United States by Brian Wentz,
Paul T. Jaeger, and Jonathan Lazar, is that nonvisual access isn't
considered up front, when it's implementation is inexpensive and simple to
execute. 

 

The authors of the study (published in the November 2011 issue of the First
Monday Journal, University of Illinois, Chicago), are all professors at
Maryland universities. Dr. Wentz, D.Sc. (Frostburg State University) is an
Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Information
Technologies.  Dr. Jaeger, Ph.D., J.D., (University of Maryland's College of
Information Studies) is Assistant Professor and Co-Director of the 

http://ipac.umd.edu 

Information Policy and Access Center. Dr. Lazar, Ph.D., (Towson University)
is Professor of Computer and Information Sciences, Director of the
Undergraduate Program in Information Systems and Director of the Universal
Usability Laboratory.

 

 

Websites: a Separate and Unequal Environment

 

Although some sites are accessible, the majority (80%) are not, according to
the study. Some websites provide "text only" alternatives, and Grassman uses
them whenever she can. These alternatives, however, are inferior products
with reduced features, limiting opportunities in education, employment and
commerce. Inaccessibility even impacts social media, a crucial tool in
connecting a minority population which is scattered geographically.

 

"It is becoming increasingly problematic," Grassman said of Facebook, "It is
ironic that it was founded by a person who is now eyeballs-deep in throwing
millions at education reform, when he cannot even keep his brain-child
functional and user-friendly for all."

 

 

Accessibility and Education

 

The greatest impact is on students with print disabilities. Grassman
remembers her own experiences and is amazed that "Providing course materials
during or after the fact is still considered 'accommodation." 

 

The lack of stiff penalties and regulation for noncompliance means that
these battles must be fought in the courts. Students with disabilities must
wait until a violation occurs, negotiate with the school and only then file
a complaint. This results in students not only trying to get through school
without needed course material, but also having to enter an adversarial
relationship with their school.

 

A gifted writer,

http://cfgrassman.wordpress.com/

Grassman blogs about these and other issues.

 

 

Baltimore Schools and the Nook

 

The Baltimore City Public School District recently proposed the purchase of
NOOK e-readers. The Nook is inaccessible to people with print disabilities.

 

The nonprofit 

http://www.nfb.org

National Federation of the Blind (NFB) approached the district, but was told
that they are moving forward with plans to acquire the Nook and  will seek
"alternative emerging technology" for students with print disabilities. In a
January 4, 2012 statement, the NFB called this approach "a needlessly
segregated technology for students with print disabilities."

 

The NFB filed a complaint with the United States Department of Justice,
Civil Rights Division requesting an investigation. They believe that use of
the Nook violates Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

 

"If e-reading devices are available in school libraries," NFB President Dr.
Marc Maurer said in the statement, "they must be accessible to all students,
not just the sighted."

 

"Here is an enormous chance to level the information playing field, to give
access to new publications hot off the presses," said Grassman, an NFB
member, "and we are fighting for it and having to convince people that we
should have it. It's both laughable and infuriating."

 

 

Congressional Commission 

 

The federal government knows about these issues. Congress recently received
The final report  of the Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional
Materials in Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities.  The
commission was created by Congress following extensive advocacy by the NFB,
as part of the Higher Education Opportunity Act (2008).  The report focuses
on making mainstream educational products accessible to the maximum extent
possible, allowing students with and without disabilities to access the same
materials at the same time and at the same price.

 

Mark Riccobono, a member of the commission, is the executive director of the
NFB 

http://nfb.org/node/11 

Jernigan Institute (Baltimore), the nation's first research and training
center for blind people run by blind professionals. In a December 13, 2011
statement, he said, "Ultimately the success of this report will depend on
whether Congress acts to implement its recommendations, but the
recommendations themselves are strong and will make a real difference to
postsecondary students with disabilities if implemented."

 

Some mainstream-market companies are attempting to include accessibility in
electronic textbooks and other products, but they are the exception not the
rule. The report recommends a combination of market incentives and
government regulations to ensure that students with print disabilities are
placed on equal footing with their peers.  

 

 

The Struggle Continues

 

Grassman knows that changing the law will be difficult. "It can't just be
financial considerations stopping equal access at the outset," she said,
"It's attitude, continued denial of our basic humanity and rights to what
everyone else takes for granted."

 

Resources

Christine Grassman e-mail interview (11/14/11)

First Monday Journal article (11/11)

NFB press releases (12/13/11 and 1/4/12)

 

 

Read Donna's articles on
Suite 101:
http://donna-w-hill.suite101.com/ 

 

Connect with Donna on
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/dewhill
LinkedIn:
www.linkedin.com/in/dwh99
FaceBook:
www.facebook.com/donna.w.hill.

 

Knitters, join Donna on Ravelry:
www.ravelry.com/people/DonnaWHill

 

Hear clips from "The Last Straw" at:
cdbaby.com/cd/donnahill

 

Apple I-Tunes
phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=259244374