Accessibility training opportunities

I want to pass along information about two on-line accessibility training opportunities that are being offered next week. These are good informational opportunities and are both free.

First, The Hadley School for the Blind is offering
Digital Accessibility in the workplace
On Wednesday, January 24 at 2 p.m. central time.

The Hadley Seminars web site states:
“This 45-minute interactive seminar will be presented by staff from the Hadley School and will explore the various ways employees more effectively share data in the workplace using email, PDFs or word processed documents. Presenters will share tips for handling tables and graphics along with other kinds of electronic files.”

Registration is required and can be done at the web site linked above. The school encourages participants to enter the room prior to the the beginning of the seminar to check out conection and interactivity. Additionally, they recommend entering the room ten minutes prior to the beginning of the seminar as it will begin promptly at the scheduled time.

While this particular session addresses the workplace, the parallels to the academic setting can not be overlooked. It may provide some good information to pass along to students as they prepare to enter the world of work. And, you can always share the link with your students so they can participate in the seminar on their own.

Secondly,EASI, Electronic Access to Software and Information, is presenting a seminar on
making accessible Google Maps
on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 3 p.m. central time.

The EASI page describes the seminar as follows:
“Google Maps is a great tool that allows information to be presented in many exciting ways. Unfortunately it's very inaccessible to many people. Using Google's publicly available API we will see how to create custom Google Maps and make them accessible at the same time. We will see how to navigate the map by using the keyboard and also how to make the data behind the pushpins accessible.”

Even if this seminar is not one that you believe is pertinent at this time, it could offer some good resources for future application in assisting your students. Again, registration is required, so go to the site linked above and get this done prior to the event date for best results.

Finally, if you are seeking other access training opportunities, look over the EASI site and check out what other classes they offer. Some of them are offered for a fee, but there are some at no cost. One in particular that may be of interest is the March 22 session on authoring DAISY documents. It will be offered for free and will be broadcast live from CSUN.