AccessComputing

What is NIMAS?

refers to the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard. It is a provision of the (IDEA) and was endorsed by the as the preferred approach for publishers to provide accessible curricular materials to students in grades K-12.

What challenges do individuals with speech impairments face in operating computers?

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.

A Work-Based Learning Menu: A Promising Practice in Recruiting Employer Partners

In DO-IT projects such as AccessComputingÌý²¹²Ô»å 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.

Homeland Security 508 Compliance Office: A Promising Practice in Promoting Accessible IT

In October of 2004 the 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.

Where can I find a list of publisher contacts to request electronic text formats?

Many publishers can now provide students with disabilities with an electronic format of their textbooks. The following resourceÌýcan 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.

  • 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.

Once a K-12 student qualifies for accommodations through a 504 plan, will that student always qualify for the same accommodations?

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.

How can nontechnical administrators ensure that the websites their employees create and maintain are accessible to people with disabilities?

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.

Pages