The latest happenings on the Disability 411 podcast

I want to catch you up on the latest happenings at one of my favorite podcasts,
Disability 411,
Hosted by Beth Case.

On the home page, the first posting you will see is a Adobe Flash file of the new D411 promo. I like it. The dialogue features an interaction between a man and woman and is created with synthesized speech. Like everything else Beth puts herself into, it is very professionally produced. I also like that she mentiones three of my favorite people-- Marcus Engel, Mark Zupan, and Sarah Whitlock --in her list of featured guests.

On the most recent D411 episode,
Show 63,
Beth interviews Daniel Berkowitz of DigiLife Media on the subject of eText production.
The title of the show says it all, What is eText?” It is the first of a three parter, so check back for more soon.

If you read much about accessible texts, you might already recognize Dan's name. He is also a contributing member to the
Access Technologists Higher Education Network,
so it should come to no surprise that he is knowledgeable of eTexts.

When I worked as a college disability service coordinator, one of the hallmarks of my time there was that I implemented a push into eTexts for our college. It was beyond me why, in this digital age, a school was not getting material in the most accessible format for its students. Before I arrived there, they were paying readers to record the students’ texts onto cassette. That was a good method for providing access to texts in earlier decades, but this was 2006 and I could see no excuse for that to still be happening in this day and age when more accessible solutions were omnipresent. When I began researching for the push into a digital change for our students, Dan was one of the names I was regularly finding as a resource.

And, as always, there are transcripts available for every audio file Beth posts, even the new promo.

So, go catch up with the latest on D411 and stay tuned for more with Dan Berkowitz.

ATHEN seeking survey input about Information Technology and accessibility

The information below is initially targeted to those of you who work in the DSO at postsecondary institutions, but will also involve other departments on your campus. It is interdepartmental, but the results will be most impacting to your department, so it is up to you to do the legwork and bring the other departments onboard.

The Access Technology Higher Education Network
(ATHEN) is conducting a survey regarding higher education institutions' practices, procedures, and policies for addressing information technology accessibility needs of students.

The deadline for participating in the survey is Friday, May 16.

Results will be published in the upcoming ATHEN e-Journal, and will be announced first in a pre-conference session at the AHEAD Conference 0n July 14 in Reno, NV. The session is titled "Creating Intersections that Connect Students with Disabilities and High-Tech Careers". This is an all-dayCapacity Building Institute, and there will be plenty of opportunities to discuss the implications of the survey results.

For details of the ATHEN survey, its six component sections, and which departmental official they are seeking to complete each section, click the link above to go to the ATHEN blog site.

However, if you are already familiar with who is best suited to complete each section on your campus, then the survey is located at:
http://www.athenpro.org/survey/

Accessible Content: A magazine striving for just that

There is a magazine dedicated to IT professionals who work to make their web content accessible.


Accessible Content
Is a magazine whose title says exactly what it is about.
From the “About” page:
“Accessible Content Magazine is devoted entirely to accessibility issues. We deliver how-to articles, skill building exercises, product profiles and accessibility community news to the professionals who create and maintain accessible content.”

A subscription to the print edition is free. (After 60 days, the content is unlocked and made fully available online.) However, if you are unable to read the print copy, there is a method provided to allow you access to the current edition. Just subscribe and there will be an additional step provided for you at the end of that process.

Additional perks for subscribing are the electronic connections provided via the links and URLs listed in the magazine articles, code listings from the magazine, and electronic versions of each article. So, while you may be initially subscribing to the print copy of the magazine, that subscription brings with it plenty of password protected, supplemental online material available as well.

This appears to be just what the web development folks need. Share this post with your campus web development team. After all, your school can’t complain about the subscription fee…its free.

(Thanks to the
Access Technologists Higher Education Network,
Or ATHEN, blog for this useful lead. It was really good to see something new posted on the ATHEN blog. In the past, I’ve often found information that is personally useful there, as well as some other information which I’ve shared here on Access Ability.)

New E-Journal from Access Technologists Higher Education Network

I have previously posted about the
Access Technologist Higher Education Network,
or ATHEN, so their name should not be new to those who have been reading this blog for a while.

However, what is new is that this proactive assistive technology group has just published their second issue of
The ATHEN E-Journal.

This issue’s focus is on web accessibility and higher education, strongly emphasizing providing future support and training. The articles listed in the journal include:
* Welcome to the ATHEN E-Journal Issue #2
* Accessible Electronic & Information Technology: Legal Obligations of Higher Education and Section 508
* Cultivating and Maintaining Web Accessibility Expertise and Institutional Support in Higher Education
* Accessibility Training for Distance Learning Personnel
* Case Studies in Training and Professional Development for Web Accessibility
* Contributors

Take the time to check it out. The E-journal has some good information and resources. While you’re at it, also bookmark the ATHEN site as an on-going resource to turn to for updated information in the access technology newsfront.