The article "Accessibility and Disabilities" discusses various types of disabilities and how accessibility can be dealt with for these disabilities. Because of this article, I became aware that many programs come with different formats or are available in different formats to make them more easily accessible to those with disabilities. Other products provide documentation or audio tapes to meet the needs of the individuals with visual or auditory difficulties. Microsoft has even been said to be planning to include various accessible formats with every product. What a wonderful idea! Never again would those who need specially formatted materials need to make special provision for purchasing technology products, wait for these special versions, or pay more for materials everyone else gets. This would also ease the cost for my school (or other schools/districts). No longer would there be a need for special purchases for special needs students. Growing up in a small, financially challenged district, I can see where this would be of special interest. Anytime needed products can be purchased while meeting the needs of all students (relatively speaking) schools will benefit and, most importantly, children will benefit.
In the second article I selected, "Make Your Web Page Accessible," I read about techniques and formats to think about in creating accessible web pages. The article first addresses the basic formatting issues such as text and background coloring, graphics, and where to look if you are needing other/more assistance with creating accessible web pages. Then the article approaches the topic of web building etiquette. It talks about such things as putting the organization's name on every page, linking back to the home page, including the author's name on each page, and including provisions for easy uploading of graphics. This article also gets into issues of browser compatibility which was a problem Bobby had with my web site. Some incompatibilities, which I would try to avoid, are multiple type colors and tables or charts. Finally, this article listed several "Don't do's." I feel that this article gives me more ideas for creating good, accessible pages and guiding my students to do the same. It is always easiest to be taught to do something the right way the first time around.