Speech impairments alone generally do not interfere with most computer use. However, advanced computer-based speech synthesizers are close enough to human quality to act as substitute voices and thus provide a compensatory tool for students who cannot communicate verbally. Students with portable systems can participate in class discussions once adapted computers provide them with intelligible speaking voices.
In DO-IT projects such as AccessComputing and AccessSTEM, project staff developed an easy-to-use document called Preparing for Success with Work-Based Learning Experiences. This "work-based learning menu" was developed to be a useful, non-threatening tool in securing employer support for work-based learning offerings to students with disabilities.
Yes. For example, MathTalk, a software program that can be used with Dragon Naturally Speaking speech input products, allows students to input via voice math expressions, formulas, and even graphs. MathTalk can be used at basic and advanced math levels and for scientific applications. Its capabilities are useful to students with disabilities who cannot use a standard keyboard.
In October of 2004 the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced it would create a state-of-the-art program to ensure that electronic and information technology is accessible to employees and consumers with disabilities. As Chief Information Officer Steve Cooper explained, "Making electronic and information technology accessible for people with disabilities is a good business management strategy." He added that "complying with Section 508 ensures our information technology will be more capable of responding to technology changes in future years.
Many publishers can now provide students with disabilities with an electronic format of their textbooks. The following resource can assist you in finding publisher contact information. The list is an exhaustive list of all publishers, but rather a good place to start your search.
AccessText allows postsecondary members to request files and permissions from leading publishers with one simple form. All post-secondary institutions in the United States and Canada are eligible to join at no cost.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 states:
No otherwise qualified person with a disability in the United States…shall, solely by reason of…disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
While there are no specific time lines, some professionals recommend that students be re-evaluated at least every three years or whenever there is going to be a "significant change in placement." The campus 504 committee should reconsider the student's plan every year to make sure that his or her accommodation plan is appropriate, based on their current schedule and individual student needs. The accommodation plan may be revised during the school year if needed.
Designing an accessible website is not difficult when accessibility is considered along with other design issues at the beginning of a project. To create resources that can be used by the widest spectrum of potential website visitors rather than an "average" person, webmasters can apply "universal design" principles. Designers should routinely think of the broad range of characteristics their site visitors might have and design their resources so that they are accessible to everyone.
There are many vendors who provide a wide range of captioning services. One of the best resources for selecting a vendor is the U.S. Department of Education, which, in collaboration with the Described and Captioned Media Program administered by the National Association of the Deaf, officially approves captioning service vendors. Approved vendors are listed in the document Captioning Service Vendors.
The information brief Math, Science, and Technology: Essential Skills for Career Success in the 21st Century (2003), highlights the importance of math, science, and technology coursework in preparing young adults for high-tech, lucrative careers. It provides a quick and easy checklist for youth service practitioners to share with students as they explore careers of interest to them.