Newswise — Public schools have made consistent progress in expanding Internet access in classrooms, from 3 percent in 1994 to 77 percent in 2000 and 92 percent in 2002. But students with disabilities are struggling to compete with their peers because much of the Internet is not accessible, said Cyndi Rowland, technology director for the National Center on Disability and Access to Education, part of the Utah Center for Persons with Disabilities located at Utah State University.
"Students are using technology more rapidly than anyone ever thought, from gathering information on a history lesson to participating in an online science simulation," said Rowland. "But many students with disabilities must rely on 'accessible' Web sites, and these are few and far between. Accessibility accommodations are not always made when a site is developed."
One resource available to learn how to create accessible Web sites is http://www.webaim.org. The WebAIM site provides a range of information from an introduction to the problem of Web accessibility to technical solutions for creating accessible sites. Other up-to-date accessibility information is available throughout the site as well.
Rowland also said that no matter the type of disability, some children are further disadvantaged when Web content required by their teacher, district and state education department is not fully accessible to them.
Rowland is the technology director for NCDAE, which is part of a national effort to bring together leaders in policy, education and business to make technology used in the classroom more accessible for all students, including those with disabilities. She can also provide examples of students who have experienced accessibility problems.
RSS