E-learning is spreading across colleges and universities like wildfire and only now are institutions thinking about making these systems accessible for students with disabilities. EASI recognizes the urgent need to provide a resource of information and contacts to assist institutions provide an inclussive distance learning program.
Education has made significant use of print materials since the invention of the printing press. Students and teachers with so-called print disabilities long had to exert themselves far beyond others to be able to compete in schools and universities. Thousands have done this and succeeded well. Information technology coupled with the necessary adaptive computer technology means this is no longer necessary. Many have commented that this is the most empowering technology to come along for centuries. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as well as other legislation, mandates that education be made equally available to learners with disabilities. Today's technology makes this goal more realistic than ever before.
The National Center for Accessible E-learning, (NCAE easi-elearn.org), is a cooperative venture initiated by EASI (Equal Access to Software and
Information) to be a clearinghouse for a number of projects focusing on making distance learning fully accessible to faculty and students with
disabilities. These differing display modes assist users who are blind; who have limited vision; who have cognitive and visual processing problems; who cannot hold books and turn pages; and people who are deaf or hearing impaired. It is also frequently appreciated by people who like to modify the appearance of information to suit their personal tastes or individual learning styles.
This web site http://easi-elearn.org will strive to be the center where you can learn what you need to know to make e-learning more accessible at your institution. We also need supporters to help us collect and organize this growing resource.
Besides coordinating this clearing house, EASI provides an online course on making e-learning accessible for students with disabilities: http://easi.cc/workshops/bfel.htm
This online month-long course starts November 4 as does the course, Accessible Internet Multimedia
Contact:
Norman Coombs, Ph.D.
CEO EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information)
22196 Caminito Tasquillo
Laguna Hills CA 92653
(949) 922-5992
http://www.rit.edu/~easi
http://easi-elearn.org
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