RE: on-line courses and accessibility

This is a subject with which I have been great concerned.  My experience has
been that, generally speaking, universities and colleges do not deal with
the issue very well.  I have spent a lot of time talking to faculty and
administrators in NC about the subject, and I am hoping to bring students,
faculty, and administrators nationwide into the discussion.

To that end, I've created a Distance Education Access Network (DEAN)
listserv.  Anyone interested my subscribe to:

SUBSCRIBE-DEAN@list.universityaccess.com

Jeff
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Jeff Cobb					Ph:  (919) 932-9418
Associate Director				Fax: (919) 932-5443
Academic Affairs				jcobb@universityaccess.com
University Access

'Tis Distance Lends Enchantment to the View-Thomas Campbell



-----Original Message-----
From:	w3c-wai-ig-request@w3.org [mailto:w3c-wai-ig-request@w3.org] On Behalf
Of Ashli Molinero
Sent:	Thursday, October 29, 1998 9:12 AM
To:	w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
Subject:	on-line courses and accessibility

Hello,

I am a graduate student in instructional design and technology, working in
a school where accessibility is not just a concern, it is a priority. The
department in which I work  is considering offering some of our courses
through distance education, utilizing the capabilities of the internet. As
the webmaster, I have for years been making sure our websites are
accesible,  following the standard guidelines to the best of my ability.

My question is, does anyone know how universities who offer on-line courses
deal with asccessibility issues and their course materials that are offered
over the web? Are there policies/procedures  concerning students with
disabilities that have to be established by a university  before these
courses can be offered? For  an extreme example, what does the University
of Phoenix do when a student with low vision problems wants to enroll in a
course?  Do they have to make sure all of there web pages are accessible,
and if so, who enforces it?

Please excuse me if this is not the appropriate place to pose these
questions, I am looking for guidance and really don't know where else to
begin my research. Any information anyone could offer would be greatly
appreciated. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Ashli Molinero

Ashli M. Molinero
Communications Specialist
University of Pittsburgh
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology

Received on Thursday, 29 October 1998 09:52:10 UTC