Policies and procedures can be developed to assure that electronic and information technology procured and used in schools is accessible to all employees and students, including individuals with disabilities and their family members. How can an organization begin this process? Considerations for K-12 (preschool through high school) and postsecondary educational entities should include the following:
The short answer to this is yes. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (§504) prohibit postsecondary institutions from discriminating against individuals with disabilities. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the U.S. Department of Education has indicated through complaint resolution agreements and other documents that institutions covered by the ADA and §504 that use the Internet for communication regarding their programs, goods, or services, must make that information accessible.
The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is a federal agency with the responsibility of ensuring equal access to education through the enforcement of civil rights. Several federal agencies have offices for civil rights attached to them, but the OCR in the Department of Education is specifically responsible for enforcing numerous federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance from the Department of Education.
A growing number of postsecondary educational entities are drafting web accessibility policies and guidelines. Typically these policies include a broad policy statement regarding the university's commitment to accessibility, followed by a declaration of how web accessibility is defined by the institution (usually institutions simply adopt the Section 508 web accessibility standards). Many policies additionally include a timeline by which accessibility must be attained, exemptions to the policy, and links to internal resources that are available for support and training.
Whether you're a person with a disability, a parent, a developer, a vendor, an educator, or another advocate, promoting the use of accessible information technology to K-12 educational entities is a worthy cause. However, this mission can be difficult. Part of the difficulty stems from the fact that there are so many stakeholders involved in the process of selecting and procuring accessible information technology. Administrators, technology specialists, teachers, parents, students, therapists, and counselors are all appropriate audiences for promotion.
When a college or university addresses the accessibility of its information technology (IT), one of the challenges it faces is elevating the issue beyond the focus of disability-related special interests and into the realm of mainstream institutional policy. Missouri State University has risen to this challenge and has built universal access solidly into the university's website policy.
Educators are becoming increasingly aware of the power of video to engage students in this multimedia world. Video content, however, can create barriers for some individuals with disabilities, including people with hearing impairments. The solution is to caption the video, so that content that is available via audio is simultaneously accessible via text to those who can't hear the audio.
A touch screen is a computer display screen that is sensitive to human touch, allowing a user to interact with the computer by touching pictures or words on the screen.
There has not been a court decision that can answer this question definitively, or any reason for OCR to administratively rule on it. Generally, §504 and the ADA require that a school provide reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. The Department of Education regulations suggest three types of accommodations that may be made, one of which is the provision of auxiliary aids.
The answer to this question is complicated by some unique academic rights enjoyed by faculty under the general concept of academic freedom. Academic freedom is generally considered to mean the right of faculty to speak freely on political and ideological issues without fear of reprisal. However, it commonly is thought to also encompass the right of faculty members to teach in the manner and style of their choosing.