prepared for CAPED98 October 31, 1998, San Jose, CA
Background:
According to the U.S. Access Board:
- 50 million people in the United States have some kind of functional limitation or disability.
- 7.75 million can't use a computer without some form of assistive technology, such as screen readers (which translate what's on the screen into Braille, voice output or audible cues), audio or text-only browsers, or alternative keyboards)
- 8% of the people who use the World Wide Web have disabilities.
On March 12, 1998 The Chronicle of Higher Education had a headline that stated "For Students with Disabilities, the Web can be like a Classroom without a ramp; Some colleges fearing lawsuits or trying to be helpful, seek to design accessible pages."
On February 26, 1998 there was a Satelite teleconference on "Legal Insights: Accommodations"
I attended this conference with every intent of hearing about what was happening to other areas. Somewhat to my surprise many of the case law examples were libraries! The issue was access to computer technology and the internet. If colleges must insure meaningful access to postsecondary enviriontment, including technology. Then the sophisticated technological interfaces to online resources must be made available. An Office of Civil rights decision regarding new computer equipment purchases says in so many words: "A library's decision to purchase technology of any kind, not only creates an expectation that the newly purchased technology will be accessible, but it suggests that the library now has the resources and expertise to fully consider the role of technology with regard to other aspects of its program." (Legal Insights, Participants Packet. Distance Learning Link, 1998. p.3) At Cabrillo, the figure of 10-12% is used to reflect the size of the student body which has special needs either from the physical or the learning skills perspective.In the early internet days, pre 1992, the browser most commonly used was Lynx, which was text based and could easily be used by any software which converted text to either Braille or voice. The development of new browsers and tools like HTML and Java produced pages which presents these users with substantive challenges.
The Web and most information resources which are delivered over the Internet are mouse driven. People with mobility impairments cannot navigate the Web without some keyboard alternatives. People with visual impairments cannot use most screen readers with 100% success on frames, columns, tables and images which lack alternative text versions. There is a chance that the most technologically advanced libraries can become the biggest barriers to the educational opportunity of a disabled person.
"The Internet and technology have moved so quickly that assistive technology hasn't been able to catch up,"
says Josh Krieger of the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), a nonprofit organization that does research and development in the area of in what is known as universal design (UD).
What is the role of a librarian in this matrix of competing standards, rapid development and constant pressure to represent the rights of students in the information marketplace?
When a library has made the transition to a single Web interface for all resources, that same library has to expend considerable effort to make this interface accessible. Accommodations must be made for both physical mobility issues and vision issues. The effort requires two formidable challenges:
- Ensure accessible web pages
Demand accessible interfaces from vendors. As recently as at the American Library Association meeting in June 1998, vendors were uniformly unaware of the meaning of accessible web pages. Much has changed in 6 months. The first EbscoHost fulltext magazine database interface had a single image without any alternate route to the next screen. The "Log on to Ebscohost" image could not be read by Jaws. Stop here and go no further for any blind student. This image was replaced two months ago.
- Purchase and support tools for access
At Cabrillo we have placed one Jaws workstation with ZoomText in the Reference Room and one in the 24 station electronic classroom. Have agreed to set up a Kurzweil Omni 2000 reading station in the library.
- Make the library physically accessible
We have 10% of the table or carrel surfaces in our library at 31" height. Our stack aisles are 48 inches wide. We have two small group study rooms with marmoleum on the floor instead of carpeting to provide a space for the environmentally sensitive. Prior to laying out the furniture plan we met with disabled students who were involved in setting some of our standards and layout of services. Interestingly enough they demanded that accessible tables and carrels be spread throughout the building, avoiding any grouping of wheelchair users.
We have purchased a special station which can easily be adjusted to any height, from standing to specially made wheelchairs.
We filled a request from a C6 partial quadraplegic student for a special large trackball or trackpad because he could not use our standard issue Microsoft Mouse.
- Move assistive technology into the mainstream of the library.
- Designate who is responsible -- Add it to performance goals and the job description and evaluation
- Write up the procedures for handling Assistive Technologies
- Write up and post the instructions for each piece of equipment In large print format Stick to simple English for these instructions
- Provide training and demonstrations for all library staff Repeat training every semester
- Require that all library pages be accessible. Promote the use of guidelines for web accessibility. Be a resource for information on Web accessibility issues for the campus.
- Get it in writing: Add goals to the mission statement and the technology plan
For example:
Mission Statement for the Robert E. Swenson Library at Cabrillo College
The Robert E. Swenson Library is committed to supporting of the goals of the Instruction Component at Cabrillo College. The librarians and library staff are committed to:
Provide innovative, state of the art programs, systems and services in support of the information needs of the Cabrillo college community
Provide prompt, unbiased, and knowledgeable responses to requests for assistance with information resources
Provide high quality instructional services and programs in the use of information resources
Provide universal online access to current information resources for the Cabrillo community
Encourage and facilitate information competency, critical thinking, intellectual independence, and lifelong learning skills in all students
Provide services to remote users and to users with special needs
For example: from the Cabrillo College Technology Plan:
Goal 5. Provide services to students with special needs
Strategies:
- Convert 10% of the information workstation monitors to 19" size with ZoomText access.
- Maintain an OMNI 2000 Kurzweil reading system
- Maintain the currency of assistive technology software for web access
- Maintain the accessibility of library web pages
- Explore providing a Lynx browser for visually challenged users
- Collaborate across the campus
Work with allies in:
Disabled Student Program & Services
Instruction
Tutorials
Learning Skills Program
Computing Resources
Faculty Senate
Teaching and Learning Center
Many people on a campus care about the issues but have very few opportunities to focus support. Support for the libraries role in providing access can provide a focal point for everyone.
What haven't we done yet?
1) Added at least one set of large type key caps.
2) Added some percentage of 19" monitors.
The staff in DSPS and Learning Skills tell me that many, many students are stressed bythe small print of the varying web font sizes. Having more than one nineteen inch monitorwith a discrete sign that makes their use by users with visual impairments a prioritywould open the library further.
The Internet address of this page is:http://libwww.cabrillo.edu/about/caped98.html
Revised October 29, 1998