Patty Chiles
Douglas School
Springfield, Illinois
After completing activity 2B it was much more interesting to search the Internet and look at other web sites. As I searched for sites that might pertain to access issues I was much more critical of design. Even I found some text difficult to read. Some pages had background and print color contrasts that made reading more difficult. Some were just confusing to find your way around in. Some that had moving backgrounds were nauseating after a few minutes.
I couldn't help but think of the learning disabled students who would struggle to read through volumes of directions on how to proceed. If I couldn't read the italic print then I can only imagine the difficulty that it might cause for others.
As we bring more and more technology into the classroom we need to be better informed about how we can make it the most accessible as possible. Today's classroom contains a wide variety of students. Each child having different needs that should be met. As educators it is wise for us to keep informed of what resources we have available to us to help meet the needs of ALL our students.
The following sites are a few that I felt any teacher could benefit from visiting. I hope you learn from them.
Computers for Handicapped Independence Through Computer Technology
This site is excellent. It is put together by a gentleman named Dr. Stilwater. He is the director of CHIPs (Computers for Handicapped Independence Program). He is a quadriplegic himself. It will put you in touch with numerous web sites pertaining to accessibility issues.
http://www.wolfe.net/~dr_bill/
The next two listings are resource sites. I thought it would be helpful for teachers to be able to look over what is available. Just to be aware of what products are offered in both software and hardware serves as a reminder to us to be more inclusive when planning for using technology in the classroom.
EKA Disability Resource, Products, Services, and Communications Home Page
http://www.disability.com/index.html
Apple Computer Software and Hardware Solutions Home Page
http://www.apple.com/disability/welcome.html
"There is no place like home. There is no place like home."