lawsuit regarding discrimination against those with disabilities.

I don't think the complaining site accommodates those with disabilities 
either--text presented as image with mega alt text?  It might work for 
someone using a screen reader but is useless to anyone wanting to adjust 
text size for readability.

It sounds like there may be a serious issue at Capella, but between the 
inaccessible presentation and typos, it's hard to take it seriously. 
Certainly not a service to the accessibility community.

Leslie

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jeff La Marca" <stopharassment@capellauniversity.org>
To: <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
Sent: Monday, September 05, 2005 11:29 AM
Subject: WAI Committee Member, Diane Stottlemyer, and lawsuit regarding 
discrimination against those with disabilities.


>
> As recently noted in an article that appeared in the Chronicle of Higher
> Education at:
>
> http://chronicle.com/free/v51/i49/49a03301.htm
>
>
> a lawsuit was filed against Capella University, an "online institution,
> asserting that it violated the Americans With Disabilities Act by using
> technology that does not accommodate" those with disabilities.
>
> In that article, Judy Brewer of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) 
> noted
> that:
>
> "Navigation controls on Web sites should remain consistent on different
> parts of the sites, Ms. Brewer adds. That way the interface will remain
> predictable, making it less confusing for students with learning
> disabilities." The navigation of the application named in the lawsuit,
> WebCT, can only be described as horrendous.
>
> The full text of the lawsuit may be found at:
>
> http://www.employmentlawyers4employees.com
>
> and contains allegations that the University violated:
>
> 1. the Americans with Disabilities Act by their failure to accommodate 
> those
> with learning disabilities,
>
> 2. the Americans with Disabilities Act by retaliating against those who
> filed lawful complaints,
>
> 3. Unruh Civil Rights Act (under California laws that provide equal access
> to those with disabilities), and
>
> 4. Violation of California Education Code, Section 94367 (the Leonard 
> Law) -
> for violations of protected speech
>
> What was not mentioned in the article (although it is in the lawsuit), is
> that the instructor who is at the core of the matter is Capella employee,
> Diane Stottlemyer. It should be noted that Diane Stottlemyer is a 
> charlatan
> who purchased her "graduate degrees" from a diploma mill, Lacrosse
> University. This may be confirmed by numerous sources on the Internet.
>
> The reason this information is so relevant to this list is that it appears
> as if the same individual, Diane Stottlemyer, is now serving on a WAI
> committee regarding accessibility standards. If so, this is abhorrent and
> needs to be addressed immediately.
>
> Samplings of just some of the complaints from students, who are not 
> involved
> in any way with the lawsuit against Capella, about the horrendous nature 
> of
> WebCT may be found at:
>
> http://capellalawsuit.info/student_complaints.html
>
>
> Additional comments, made by other students in Stottlemyer's class, are 
> also
> available and can be posted.
>
>