A Universal Design Approach for Providing Computer Access

1. A Universal Design Approach for Providing Computer Access Sheryl Burgstahler Terrill Thompson University of Washington Seattle

2. changes the way we live, work, learn, & communicate, & play drives advances in other fields powers the economy Access to IT is Important Because IT:

3. Presentation Outline • About our two Centers at UW • Approaches to Access • Assistive Technology • Universal Design Approach • Implications for Practice • The UW Experience • Resources

4. Two UW Centers • Access Technology Center (ATC) • Founded 1984 • Funded by UW • DO-IT Center • Founded1992 • Supported with federal, state, corporate, private funds • Expanded to DO-IT Japan in 2007

5. DO-IT Center Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, & Technology

6. DO-IT Goal: To increase the success of individuals with disabilities in postsecondary education & careers, using technology as an empowering tool.

7. DO-IT Addresses Challenges • diminished support systems after high school • little access to successful role models • inadequate self-advocacy skills • lack of or ineffective accommodations • low expectations on the part of people with whom they interact & …

8. …lack of access to technology that can increase: • education • careers • family life • community • recreation • independence • productivity • participation in

9. The Access Technology Center… • ensures computers, software & computing services are accessible to UW faculty, students & staff

10. Consults & trains on accessible design of IT • Hosts showroom of assistive technology (AT) • Consults & trains on hardware & software

11. Integrates AT into campus computer labs

12. Ability on a Continuum see hear walk read print write with pen or pencil communicate verbally tune out distraction learn manage physical/mental health

13. Evolution of access approaches:

14. Alternate format, service, &/or adjustment for a specific individual Accommodation =

15. “Coffeepot for Masochists”, Catalog of Unfindable Objects by Jacques Carelman; in Donald Norman’s The Psychology of Everyday Things, 1988

16. Universal design =“the design of products & environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.”The Center for Universal Designwww.design.ncsu.edu/cud

17. How could you universally design a name tag?

18. UD in education is: • an attitude that values diversity, equity, & inclusion.• a goal.• a process.• practices that make educational products & environments welcoming, accessible, & usable for everyone.

19. Apply universal design to: • Student services • Instruction • Technology • Physical spaces…

20. access to computers access to electronic resources assistive technology (AT) universal design Problem Solution

21. Very Short History of AT: Rodney & the Apple II • 6 years old • No use of hands & legs • Used Mouth wand • Issue: Could not press 2 keys at once • Solution: Engineering student build switch box to lock shift, control, repeat keys

22. Now: Thousands of Products • Closing the Gap Resource Directory provides just a sample of: • 342 hardware products • 982 software products • 112 other AT • 251 producers of AT

23. Jeanine Cook, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering New Mexico State University

24. Sang-MookLee, Ph.D. • Geoscience • Professor, Seoul National University • sip & puff,headcontrols • onscreen keyboard • English speech input • phone-computer interface

25. Anthony Arnold • AT Specialist • PrentkeRomich • synthesized voice on communication device • touch screen • computer-based environmental control, phone access

26. Kayla Brown • UW student • laptop computer • miniature mouse • speech recognition • smart phone

27. Jessie Shulman • BA, Informatics • Business Analyst Amazon.com • speech output • speech input • grammar/spell checker

28. Nicole Torcolini Bachelors Degree Computer Science Stanford Google • speech output • Braille translation software • Braille display & printer

29. ImkeDurre, Ph.D. • Climatologist • National Weather Service • speech output • Braille translation software • Braille display & printer • speech input • Morse code foot switch

30. Christian Vogler, Ph. D.Computer Scientist Gallaudet University• visual notifications for audio alerts• captions• sign language

31. AT may be part of the solution

32. Image: Many Stairs

33. Old School Technologies

34. Today: Technological Diversity

35. We All Have Choices

36. Today's Design Process • Make no assumptions about users' needs or technologies • Design and develop according to standards

37. A Very Brief History of the World Wide Web

38. Sir Tim Berners Lee • Proposed the Web in March 1989 • Demonstrated it in 1990 • Wrote HTML in 1993 • Founded the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in 1994

39. HTML 1.2 • Written by Tim Berners-Lee in a memo in June 1993 • Introduced the <img> tag • Simultaneously introduced the ALT attribute for people who couldn't see the image

40. W3C Accessibility Standards Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) • 1.0 published in 1999 • 2.0 (the current version) published in 2008 • Three levels of success criteria • 26 “Level A” success criteria – the most important • 13 “Level AA” success criteria – also important • 23 “Level AAA” success criteria – maximum accessibility • Four principles (POUR): • Perceivable • Operable • Understandable • Robust

41. More W3C Accessibility Standards • Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 • User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 • Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) • Defines new markup that communicates: • Role (e.g., menu, slider, dialog, alert) • State (e.g., is this hidden? Is it expanded?) • Properties (e.g., what are the maximum and minimum values on a slider? What is the current value?)

42. IT Accessibility Standards & The Law • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act • Passed in 1973; no IT accessibility standards • Americans with Disabilities Act • Passed in 1990; no IT accessibility standards • Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act • Amended in 1998 • Requires IT accessibility of federal agencies • IT accessibility standards published in 2001 • Standards currently undergoing a "refresh" • Latest draft (December 2011) adopted WCAG 2.0 at Level AA

43. Proposed New ADA Rules • July 2010 - U.S. Department of Justice proposed new rules that clarify ADA requirements related to web accessibility • Jan 2011 – Public comment period ended • In RFC DOJ was considering adopting WCAG 2.0 at Level AA • More news – maybe rules – expected in July 2013?

44. The law requires that we include everyone1 but… 1 “qualified individuals”

45. Why wouldn't we do that anyway?

46. Including everyone benefits our course, our institution, and our world…

47. What are higher education institutions doing to promote IT accessibility? • Developing accessibility policies • 26.1% of Doctorate institutions have policies that address web or IT accessibility (8.4% of all U.S. institutions) • Offering trainings, providing support resources, building community • Approximately 100 institutions have over 1000 results when searching their website for "web accessibility" • Building accessibility requirements into RFPs and contracts • We're dependent on IT vendors for accessibility • If we don't all demand accessibility, they can't hear us

48. Universal Design & Video: Closed Captions • Captions make video accessible to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing • Captions help ESL viewers • Captions can be translated on-the-fly into other languages • Captions are searchable

49. Universal Design & The iPhone • Speech output • Speech input • Screen/text enlargement • Variable colors/contrast • Audible, visible, vibrating alerts • Assignable ringtones • Bluetooth connectivity for keyboard, refreshable Braille display, … • Accessibility built-in for most apps

50. Universal Design & Video: Interactive Transcript Provides access to video for: • Braille users (Deaf/blind) • People with low Internet bandwidth • People who want information quickly