The resources referenced in my CUS/AACRL Best Practices Mini-Session presentation, Five Things to Know About Online Conferencing for Reference & Instruction, are listed below. They are also available via the Diigo collaborative bookmarking site: mbfortson’s alla2012mini Bookmarks on Diigo.

You can find a copy of the presentation slides here: Five Things to Know About Online Conferencing for Reference & Instruction. If this document is not accessible to you, please contact me so I can get the slides to you in a format that is.

Feel free to contact me via the “connect” links or the comments below, and thanks again for visiting!

I’m doing it

Enterprise Instant Messaging | Blackboard Collaborate

“Blackboard Collaborate™ enterprise instant messaging capabilities (formerly Wimba Pronto) allow your academic institution to create a learning network to support office hours, school services, meetings and desktop video conferencing—all initiated through presence and instant messaging.”

Your colleagues are doing it

Conference Presentations | Fifteenth Distance Library Services Conference

Presentation descriptions and materials from the  Fifteenth Distance Library Services Conference, held April 18-20, 2012 in Memphis, TN. The sessions I referenced in my presentation are:

Blackboard IM for Virtual Reference Service

Yingqi Tang
Jodi Poe
Jacksonville State University

Blackboard IM (formerly Wimba Pronto) is an instant messaging platform that is designed to promote collaborative learning. It has been used by more than 200 academic institutions. The purpose of this presentation is to outline the development of a Blackboard IM library information desk for virtual reference service in an academic library.

Real Time With the Librarian: Using Web Conferencing Software to Connect to Distance Students

Tom Riedel
Paul Betty
Regis University

Attendees will learn tips and strategies for being the sole presenter in an online web conference environment. While the presentation will make specific references to the Adobe Connect software, the overall discussion of best practices, challenges, and outcomes will be applicable to the use of any web conferencing software. Attendees will leave with an enhanced understanding of current web conferencing software functionality and methods for conducting seamless online presentations.

Table for One – How Librarians Provide Individualized Services to Distance Students via Web Conferencing

Shelley Arvin, Indiana State University
Anthony Kaiser, University of Central Missouri
Heidi Steiner, Norwich University
Anne Barnhart, University of West Georgia
Julie Arnold Lietzau, University of Maryland University College
Sandra Lee Hawes, Saint Leo University

Learn about opportunities surrounding implementation of individual virtual library instruction and reference assistance to students using Web conferencing software. Discussion will highlight how the panelists approach this unique form of virtual reference, the differences in their strategies successes and difficulties encountered, and assessment methods used. Panelists address software choices, student populations, targeted scheduling, advertisement, faculty collaboration, assessment, and visions for future services. Discover a variety of methods that may work at your library!

Selected Articles

Barnhart, Anne C, and Andrea G. Stanfield. “When Coming to Campus Is Not an Option: Using Web Conferencing to Deliver Library Instruction.” Reference Services Review. 39.1 (2011): 58-65. WorldCat.

Hawes, Sandra L. “Playing to Win: Embedded Librarians in Online Classrooms.” Journal of Library & Information Services in Distance Learning. 5 (2011): 56-66. WorldCat.

Lietzau, J.A, and B.J Mann. “Breaking Out of the Asynchronous Box: Using Web Conferencing in Distance Learning.” Journal of Library and Information Services in Distance Learning. 3 (2009): 108-119. WorldCat.

Reeves, L.A.. “Piloting synchronous online reference services with Elluminate vClass.” Internet Reference Services Quarterly. 10.2 (2005): 19-33. Publisher.

Steiner, Heidi. “Bridging Physical and Virtual Reference with Virtual Research Consultations.” Reference Services Review. 39.3 (2011): 439-450. WorldCat.

You can do it

I mentioned join.me, Google+ Hangouts, and Skype during the session. The Presenting/Web Conferencing page of the UIU-C Learning Objects LibGuide lists others, as do the articles listed above.

There are lots of additional resources

You found some on this page! I hope you’ll add others in the comments below.

The resources referenced in my presentation, Doing More for Less: Windows and Mac Accessibility Features, are listed below. They are also available via the Diigo collaborative bookmarking site: mbfortson’s alla2012 Bookmarks on Diigo.

You can find a copy of the presentation slides here: Doing More for Less: Windows and Mac Accessibility Features. If this document is not accessible to you, please contact me so I can get the slides to you in a format that is.

Feel free to contact me via the “connect” links or the comments below, and thanks again for visiting!

Mac OS X

From Apple:

OS X | Apple

OS X product home.

Accessibility | Apple

Apple’s Accessibility page. Offers information about assistive technology options included as standard features in Apple products and links to product-specific accessibility information.

Hearing | OS X | Accessibility | Apple

“OS X Lion includes a variety of features that can make using the Mac easier for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.”

Literacy and Learning | OS X | Accessibility | Apple

“Users with cognitive and learning disabilities can benefit from many built-in features in OS X Lion, including ways to simplify the Finder, provide integrated information reference tools, assist with spelling and grammar, and much more.”

Physical and Motor Skills | OS X | Accessibility | Apple

“OS X provides built-in and assistive technologies that can help you navigate your computer even if you have difficulties using the keyboard, mouse, and trackpad.”

Vision | OS X | Accessibility | Apple

“OS X comes with a variety of assistive technologies to help those with vision disabilities, including a built-in screen reader, screen and cursor magnification, high-contrast settings, and more.”

Accessibility Resources | Apple

Community resources, third-party solutions, and accessibility standards resources. Also offers downloadable Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (PDF format) that describe how specific Apple products and services address Section 508 Guidelines.

Special Education | Apple in Education | Apple

This Apple in Education page offers information about universal access features. Some iPod and iPhone information may also be applicable to the iPad.

Universal Access | OS X Lion | Apple

“Every Mac comes standard with a wide range of assistive technologies that help people with disabilities enjoy the power and simplicity of the Mac. We call this Universal Access, and it includes many features you won’t find in other operating systems at any price. In OS X, they’re built right in.”

Other resources:

ATMac

From the site: “This website covers all Apple products with a slant towards disability. This website is about users with a disability, adaptive and assistive technology, and making accessible programs and content.”

The Mac-cessibility Network

“The Mac-cessibility Network is devoted to connecting, compiling, and providing easy access to the best resources for blind, visually impaired, and other disability groups using Apple products. It is maintained by a dedicated group of visually impaired volunteers, who are Apple enthusiasts themselves.”

Mac OS X News, Videos, Reviews and Gossip | Lifehacker

Lifehacker posts tagged with mac os x.

TUAW | The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Apple “news, information and analysis.”

Accessibility Articles on TUAW

Articles tagged with accessibility on TUAW, The Unofficial Apple Weblog.

Assistivetechnology Articles on TUAW

Articles tagged with assistivetechnology on TUAW, The Unofficial Apple Weblog.

Microsoft Windows 7

From Microsoft:

Windows 7 | Microsoft

Windows 7 product home.

Accessibility in Windows 7

Windows 7 accessibility overview from Microsoft Accessibility: Technology for Everyone.

Accessibility in Windows 7 Fact Sheet (PDF)

“Windows 7 includes accessibility options and programs that make it easier to see, hear, and use your computer including ways to personalize your PC.”

Accessibility | Windows 7 features | Microsoft Windows

Windows 7 accessibility features from Microsoft Windows.

Microsoft Accessibility: Technology for Everyone

Microsoft’s accessibility “hub” offers product information, demonstrations, tutorials, guides, news and articles, links to Microsoft Accessibility Resource Centers, and more.

Demos of Accessibility in Windows 7 | Microsoft Accessibility: Technology for Everyone

“Video demos that show the accessibility features of Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 8.”

Windows 7 Accessibility Tutorials | Microsoft Accessibility: Technology for Everyone

“Learn how to use the accessibility features of Windows 7.”

Microsoft Top 7 Accessibility Tips | YouTube

“Learn about the Top 7 accessibility tips in products like Windows 7, Office 2010 and Internet Explorer.” From MSFT Enable.

Windows Accessibility | Microsoft Windows

“Find out how accessibility options in Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP make your PC easier to use.”

Other resources:

Accessible Computer Training | T.A.S.C.

“Computer technology training modules specifically targeted for people with developmental disabilities and related conditions” for Technology Assistance for Special Consumers (T.A.S.C.), a program of United Cerebral Palsy of Huntsville and Tennessee Valley. Includes 9 Microsoft Accessibility modules to help users “learn how to change the Microsoft Operating System to make the computer easier to use.”

Enabling accessibility | Building Windows 8 | MSDN Blogs

Offers a preview of “accessibility improvements in Windows 8.”

How to Create Accessible Microsoft Office Files | ProfHacker | The Chronicle of Higher Education

“Microsoft Office files are the predominant document types handled by individuals in both academia and the corporate world. Files with .doc/docx, .ppt/pptx, and .xls/xlsx are a proprietary format, so how can you guarantee the accessibility of these files when sharing with others?”

Lifehacker’s Complete Guide to Windows 7 | Lifehacker

Microsoft Office: Excel, Word, PowerPoint | AccessAbility

Microsoft Office accessibility resources from Penn State’s AccessAbility.

Videos

The presentation included these videos:

Everything I can’t do in the real world I can do with my Mac

Introduction to Universal Access in Mac OS X | Tech-Ease

Microsoft Top 7 Accessibility Tips | YouTube

Using Narrator the basic screen reading tool built into MS Windows

Windows 7 Magnifier Demonstration

Windows 7 Speech Recognition

Bonus: Browser Accessibility

Chrome

Making Google Accessible

Using Google products (How to use accessibility features); Resources for developers and publishers (APIs, captioning, and standards); Advocacy and ADA work (Open standards and 508 documents).

Using Google products: How to use accessibility features

“In this section, we go over the accessibility features of our products for 2 groups of people: Blind & low-vision users; Deaf & hard of hearing users.” Includes information about Chrome browser assistive technology support.

Firefox

Accessibility | How to | Firefox Help

“Firefox includes many features to make the browser and web content accessible to all users, including those who have low vision, no vision, or limited ability to use a keyboard or mouse.”

Access Firefox

“Accessibility tools and resources for Firefox end users with disabilities (primarily visual impairments); Firefox introductory materials for those new to Firefox, or curious about it; Firefox tips and guides for all Firefox users (from beginners to power users).”

Internet Explorer

Accessibility in Internet Explorer 9 | Microsoft Accessibility: Technology for Everyone

“Windows Internet Explorer 9 includes accessibility options to help all users, including those with disabilities, move around the Internet easier, see webpages more clearly, and access information quicker.”

Welcome Shelton State Lunch & Learn attendees! Thanks for visiting my website.

The resources referenced in my presentation, Twitter as an Information Source, are listed below. They are also available via the Diigo collaborative bookmarking site: mbfortson’s sheltontweets Bookmarks on Diigo.

Feel free to contact me via the “connect” links or the comments below, and thanks again for visiting!

What is Twitter?

Twitter allows you to send and receive information short messages (140 characters or less) called tweets. Twitter users choose accounts to follow, and messages from these accounts show up in a real-time stream called a timeline. Users may post their own tweets, reply to tweets, or retweet (RT) others’ messages. You can use Twitter at Twitter.com, but various functions are also available via third-party clients, mobile apps, email, and text messaging.

How do I use it?

Why should I use it?

Realtime vs. publishing cycle

Writing and publishing books and scholarly journal articles can take a long time, and even though magazine and newspaper articles are published more quickly, they aren’t available immediately. Twitter can provide near-instant insight into a given topic.

Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing is “the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people and especially from the online community.” Twitter allows you ask a question or solve a problem by tapping into the collective knowledge of millions of users.

Expert access

Twitter allows you to identify experts and benefit from their knowledge and experience. In addition to sharing their thoughts and opinions, many prominent Twitter users also interact frequently with their follows, providing users with a unique opportunity to learn from the experts.

Keeping up

It’s impossible to keep up with all of the changes on the web. Following discussions on Twitter is a great way to keep up with the latest news and developments in an area of interest. Using saved searches can largely automate the process by letting us know when information has changed or new information is available.

Twitter as a news information source

The best users and hashtags to follow varies depending on your topic or field, but here are some suggested follows for news and current events.

@BreakingNews (Breaking News)

@cnnbrk (CNN Breaking News)

@Reuters (Reuters Top News)

Twitter as an academic information source

The best users and hashtags to follow varies depending on your topic or field, but here are some suggested follows for students.

@chronicle (Chronicle)

@GradHacker (GradHacker)

GradHacker describes itself as a “collaborative blog and digital round table for grad students by grad students,” but undergraduates may find it useful, too.

@HuffPostCollege (HuffPostCollege)

@insidehighered (Inside Higher Ed)

@USATODAYcollege (USA TODAY College)

@USNewsEducation (U.S. News Education)

Twitter as a professional information source

The best users and hashtags to follow varies depending on your topic or field, but here are some suggested follows for job hunting and professional development.

#tweetmyjobs

@indeed (Indeed.com)

@linkedin (LinkedIn)

@simplyhired (Simply Hired)

@UACareerCenter (UA Career Center)

Articles

The two articles mentioned in the session.

Social media was essential on April 27 (@tuscaloosanews)

“Twitter is one of the best mechanisms that I know of for people out in the field working,” he said. “What’s been happening is there will be a team of folks that have supplies and need to know where to take it. And with Twitter, we’ve been able to instantly update them on where to go because it goes directly to smartphones.”

City officials have also recognized social media’s knack for connecting resources to needs. In the wake of the storm, the city has stuck to constantly updating its Twitter feed throughout the day, notifying residents of the mayor’s updates on the death toll, number of people missing and where volunteers and supplies are needed.

“The impact of social media has been awe-inspiring,” said LaDonnah Roberts, the coordinator for Tuscaloosa Area Volunteer Resources. “The word spreads so quickly, and we’ve just been overwhelmed with how quickly needs are posted and are then met.”

UA Athletics attempts to keep its athletes under control on social media (@TheCrimsonWhite)

“Our policy is, we don’t want guys to Twitter information about our team that creates an advantage for the other team,” head coach Nick Saban said. “And secondly, we monitor guys’ Twitter so that they are not putting information out that could be personally damaging to them in the future in terms of the kind of information that they choose to put out there, but we don’t have a policy where you can’t do it.”

Other Resources

Twitter.com

Twitter website. All you ever wanted to know about Twitter (and possibly more) can be found in the Twitter Basics section.

Twitter Guide Book

Collection of Twitter-related resources from the Mashable social media news site. Twitter features and settings change frequently. Follow Mashable’s Twitter category to keep up with the latest news and developments.

Directories

Twitter’s Who to follow

Browse interests and, with an account, get suggestions and find friends.

Twellow

“A search directory of people by area of expertise, profession or other attribute listed in personal profiles on Twitter.”

WeFollow

A “directory of Twitter users organized by interests.”

Saving

HootSuite Archives

Hacking an RSS Feed for Twitter Hashtags

Diigo’s Save Favorite Tweets

Evernote: 9 Things to Capture from Your Twitter Stream and Apps to Help You Do It

Searching

Twitter Search

Twitter Advanced Search

Topsy

“Realtime social search engine.”

bing Social

Trending topics, public updates, and shared links from Twitter and Facebook.

List of Twitter services and applications

Wikipedia “list of notable Twitter services and applications.” Also check out SocDir and, for smartphone users, Appolicious, Apple’s App Store, and the Google Play store.

What the Trend

Constantly updated list of Twitter trending topics and hashtags with explanations or definitions.

Me

Serves as a liaison to the Department of Anthropology, Center for Instructional Technology, College of Arts and Sciences Office of Educational Technology (eTech), College of Continuing Studies, and Foster Child Initiative. Coordinates the department’s development and production of instructional tutorials. Manages, maintains and assesses usage of the Libraries’ Springshare web applications: LibGuides, LibAnswers, and LibAnalytics. Monitors Gorgas Library’s social media accounts. In collaboration with other Gorgas Information Services librarians, develops, delivers, and assesses First-Year Writing Program instruction; explores and implements the use of emerging technologies for instruction, outreach, and assessment; and participates in large-scale outreach activities. Provides one-on-one research consultations and participates in on-call, evening, and Sunday reference rotations.

Some Thoughts on Teaching

Web-Based Support Materials at UA Libraries

Ask a Librarian | University Libraries

“This is an electronic reference service that provides instant answers to many frequently asked questions. It is one of several ways to contact the UA Libraries.”

How Do I… | UA Libraries Subject and Research Guides at University of Alabama

“Short video tutorials and instructional materials to help you use library resources and complete research-related tasks.” This LibGuide serves as our department’s tutorial respository and includes transcripts and links to related resources.

UA Libraries Subject and Research Guides at University of Alabama | University Libraries

“Subject guides, research assistance, and useful resources compiled by your friendly librarians.”

UofAlabamaLibraries’s Channel | YouTube

Official YouTube channel of the The University of Alabama Libraries. We use YouTube to publish instructional and promotional videos and use the YouTube sharing tools to embed the videos throughout LibGuides and LibAnswers and share them via other social media.

Springshare Tools

Kablam! It’s the Best Of site! | Springshare

“A collection of awesome Guides, assembled together to help inspire you. Create, collaborate and share with the Springshare community!”

Springshare Help at Springshare

“Guides about guides. Guides about modules. Guides for getting started. Guides for helping you learn our products. Not finding what you need? Let us know! Email training (at) springshare (dot) com.”

The Springshare Lounge

“Discussions, forums, and information for users of Springshare products.”

Springshare Support Blog

“Official support blog for Springshare products.”

Other Tools

Adobe Photoshop CS5

Picture and image editing software.

Audacity: Free Audio Editor and Recorder

“Audacity® is free, open source, cross-platform software for recording & editing sounds.”

Camtasia screen recorder from TechSmith

“Camtasia has the right tools for creating professional screen videos… without formal training. With Camtasia, you can easily generate effective videos that help you train, teach, sell, and more.”

CC Search

“Find content you can share, use and remix.”

Flickr: Advanced Search

Includes option to only search within CC-licensed content.

Google Advanced Image Search

“The usage rights filter on the Advanced Search page shows you pages that are either labeled with a Creative Commons license or labeled as being in the public domain.”

Jing, screenshot and screencast software from TechSmith

“Simple and FREE, Jing is the perfect way to enhance your fast-paced online conversations. Create images and videos of what you see on your computer screen, then share them instantly!”

Notepad++ Home

“Notepad++ is a free (as in “free speech” and also as in “free beer”) source code editor and Notepad replacement that supports several languages. Running in the MS Windows environment, its use is governed by GPL License.”

Snagit, Mac and Windows screen capture software from TechSmith

“Perfect for enhancing your presentations, documents, and online conversations – Snagit makes it easy to create eye-catching visuals for quick communication.”

Inspiration

MERLOT | Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching

Repository of “peer reviewed online learning materials.”

PRIMO Database

“PRIMO is a means to promote and share peer-reviewed instructional materials created by librarians to teach people about discovering, accessing and evaluating information in networked environments. The Committee hopes that publicizing selective, high quality resources will help librarians to respond to the educational challenges posed by still emerging digital technologies.”

Keeping Up

Blogs

LIS-related blogs I read | Google Reader

Some of the blogs I follow which publish LIS-related content.

These blogs may be of particular interest to those interested in instruction and user experience:

Designing Better Libraries

“Exploring the application of design, innovation, and new media to create better libraries and user experiences.”

ACRLog

“Blogging by and for academic and research librarians.”

In the Library with the Lead Pipe

“We are a team of librarians working in various types of libraries across the United States… In the Library with the Lead Pipe is intended to help improve our communities, our libraries, and our professional organizations. Our goal is to explore new ideas and start conversations; to document our concerns and argue for solutions. Each article is peer-reviewed by at least one external and one internal reviewer.”

info-mational

Char Booth, exploring “the integration of education, technology, and design in library services.”

Information Tyrannosaur

The “dino-mite site of Andy Burkhardt, librarian and emerging technology enthusiast.”

Information Wants To Be Free

Blog of Meredith Farkas, “Head of Instructional Services at the Portland State University Library in Oregon and am adjunct faculty member at San Jose State University’s School of Library and Information Science.”

Pegasus Librarian

Blog of Iris Jastram, “Reference and Instruction Librarian at Carleton College.”

Spurious Tuples

Blog of Catherine Pellegrino, “a reference librarian and the instruction coordinator at the Cushwa-Leighton Library at Saint Mary’s College.”

Walking Paper

“A library design consultancy, shop and blog by Aaron Schmidt.”

ili-l | ILI-L Discussion List

“ILI-L is hosted on the American Library Association server, sponsored by the Instruction Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries, and moderated by the ILI-L List Administrator.”

lita-l | Library and Information Technology Association List

Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) discussion list.

Online Learning | Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)

“ACRL’s e-Learning program provides a unique opportunity to participate in professional development events that are focused on practical, tangible topics and issues.” Sample ACRL e-Learning course: Learning “To Go”: Using the Learning Object Model to Develop Online Instruction.

Further Reading

Learning Objects | LibGuides @ University of Illinois Library at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Includes collections of learning object repositories and resources for learning about and developing instructional materials.

Writing for the Web: Save the Time of the Reader | Walking Paper

“Librarians are already experienced with many types of writing, having written reams of pages for school and thousands of emails on the job. But writing for the web is different and requires a special skill set that isn’t necessarily intuitive or offered as part of a librarian’s graduate studies. Luckily, these skills are easy to understand and can be developed with a bit of practice.”

My teaching approach is grounded in universal design for learning: instruction should be designed to meet the needs of all learners. When originally used in reference to architecture, “universal design” meant designing spaces that could be used by people of all abilities. When applied to learning, universal design “is a set of principles for curriculum development that give all individuals equal opportunities to learn” (CAST, About UDL). Instead of categorizing students and dictating instructional approaches according to their labels, UDL “can be accomplished by providing multiple means of representation, action, expression, and engagement” (Mates, 3).

In thinking about how I have developed as a teacher, two primary influences stand out: my first teaching mentor and my work in the information and referral community.

The director of Sewanee’s teacher education, Dr. Mae Wallace, is an anthropologist, and her research focuses on how culture affects learning and human development. One of the first courses I took with Mae was ED 204: Anthropology of Education, in which we discussed how culture shapes teaching and learning and conducted ethnographic research on culture and education.

Information and referral is described as “the art, science and practice of bringing people and services together” (AIRS, What is I&R?). I began working in the field as an AmeriCorps member, answering calls to a parent helpline operated by a child abuse prevention agency. I continued my involvement with the helpline as an employee of the agency, then went on to do similar work at a domestic violence shelter and as an employee of an agency serving older adults and people with physical disabilities. Immediately prior to pursuing my MLIS, I coordinated a statewide hotline for people with disabilities and their families.

What do these experiences have to do with teaching? A basic tenet of I&R holds that the human experience is a broad one. People and their needs are diverse, and their beliefs and actions are grounded in their own culture and experience. I&R specialists assess their users’ needs without judgment, not in order to “fix” their problems but to help them make informed decisions. Similarly, the anthropology of education acknowledges students’ diversity- culture, language, ethnicity, etc.- and the diversity of their learning needs. Effective teachers understand instruction should be designed to meet the needs of diverse learners. Effective teachers don’t “fix” problems, either; they help students develop the information skills they need to ask the right questions and make decisions of their own.

I decided to apply for Immersion in order to become a more effective teacher and help other librarians to do so.

The resources referenced in our presentation, Museum Accessibility: How & Why, are listed below. They are also available via the Diigo collaborative bookmarking site: mbfortson’s ama12 Bookmarks on Diigo.

You can find a copy of the presentation slides here: Museum Accessibility: How & Why. If this document is not accessible to you, please contact me so I can get the slides to you in a format that is.

Feel free to contact me via the “connect” links or the comments below, and thanks again for visiting!

About UDL | National Center On Universal Design for Learning
“Universal Design for Learning is a set of principles for curriculum development that give all individuals equal opportunities to learn.”

Academic Resources and Universal Design | ProfHacker | The Chronicle of Higher Education
“The situation would be much improved if more of us embraced the concept of universal design, the idea that we should always keep the largest possible audience in mind in our design decisions, ensuring that our final product serves the needs of those with disabilities as well as those without.”

Accessibility | Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
“Opportunities for participants of all ages and abilities at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.”

Accessibility | Museum of Science, Boston
“The vision of the Museum of Science is one where everyone can participate equally in the excitement of science and technology learning.”

Accessibility Program | Smithsonian
Includes list of accessible features by museum.

Assistive Technologies in the Library – Barbara T. Mates, William R. Reed | Google Books
“Universal design in learning environments can be accomplished by providing multiple means of representation, action, expression, and engagement.”

A Few Words About People First Language (PDF) | Disability is Natural
“People First Language puts the person before the disability, and describes what a person has, not who a person is.”

Design for Accessibility: A Cultural Administrator’s Handbook | National Endowment for the Arts
This NEA publication is ”designed to help you not only comply with Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, but to assist you in making access an integral part of your organization’s planning, mission, programs, outreach, meetings, budget and staffing.”

Disability Characteristics (Alabama) | 2010 American Community Survey | American FactFinder
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual American Community Survey (ACS).

Disability Characteristics (United States) | 2010 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates| American FactFinder
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual American Community Survey (ACS).

“Disability is a phenomenon of the experience…” | Disability Awareness Training | Art Beyond Sight
Valerie Fletcher on redefining disability: “Disability is a phenomenon of the experience that occurs by the individual intersecting with the environment, including physical, information, communication, social and policy environments.”

Expanding Your Market: Maintaining Accessibility in Museums | USDOJ
Information about building, program, and shop accessibility from the Disability Rights Section of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.

The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Are Names Recipient of the 2002 Museum Accessibility Award | AAM

Gallery Talks in American Sign Language (ASL) | Smithsonian American Art Museum
“Art Signs: Gallery Talks in American Sign Language (ASL).”

Going Beyond: What Does Universal Design Look Like? (PDF) | American Association of Museums
“Without a doubt, universal design and accessibility impact the exhibitions and public programs that museums produce. But how do you integrate those principles into your exhibits and programs?”

A Guide to Disability Rights Laws | USDOJ
Information about the Americans with Disabilities Act, Telecommunications Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Rehabilitation Act, Architectural Barriers Act and more from the Disability Rights Section of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.

A Higher Standard: Museum Accreditation Program Standards (PDF) | American Association of Museums
AAM Accreditation Program Standards, including the Characteristics of an Accreditable Museum.

Interaction & Etiquette Tips | United Cerebral Palsy (UCP)
From the site: “The rules of etiquette and good manners for dealing with people with disabilities are generally the same as the rules for good etiquette in society. These guidelines address specific issues which frequently arise for people with disabilities.”

Museum Education Institute | Art Beyond Sight
“The goal of the Art Beyond Sight Institute is to empower cultural institutions to provide accessible and inclusive environments for all their patrons including those with disabilities and their families.”

People with Special Needs | Queens Museum of Art
“ArtAccess is a unique program of the Queens Museum of Art designed specifically for visitors with special needs.”

Policies Relating to Web Accessibility | WAI
Outlines legislation and policies related to web accessibility. In the United States, these include Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act, Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Project Access
A database of “accessible and inclusive public spaces and programs for people with disabilities and their families. Art, science, history and children’s museums, zoos, botanical gardens, national parks and historic sites, sports arenas, theaters, and other cultural centers are featured.”

Programs for Visitors with Disabilities | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Information about the Museum’s accessible collections, buildings, programs, and services.

Smithsonian Guidelines for Accessible Exhibition Design | Smithsonian Accessibility Program
“Exhibition designers, curators, registrars, conservators, collections managers, designers, editors, developers, educators, and other exhibition team members each offer particular insights into the exhibition medium. All of you are in a unique position to synthesize accessibility solutions into your development processes. The Smithsonian challenges its exhibition teams to invent such solutions and to share those findings with colleagues through this document.”

Tactual Museum | Lighthouse for the Blind of Greece
Founded in 1984, this museum provides people with visual access disabilities “the opportunity to come in touch with ancient greek Culture… At the same time it was realized that the ability to touch and feel the exhibits was an excellent new way of approaching the ancient greek civilization not only for blind but for sighted people, too.”

Touch Tours | Individuals Who Are Blind or Partially Sighted | MoMA
“Touch select sculptures and objects from the collection, in MoMA’s Sculpture Garden, and in the galleries.”

Training on Disability and Inclusion for Museums and Cultural Institutions | Art Beyond Sight
“This 55-slide presentation is designed for museums, historic sites, art centers, and other cultural institutions. It can be used for staff and educator training as well as self-study.”

Universal Design (Accessibility) | Museum of Science Boston
Describes “how the Museum integrates Universal Design into exhibit development” and lists “general resources that we find helpful.”

Visitors with Disabilities | MoMA
“Everyone is welcome at MoMA.”

Vocabulary Tips | United Cerebral Palsy (UCP)
UCP’s “suggestions on how to relate and communicate with and about people with disabilities.”

[Web] Accessibility | W3C
“Why: The Case for Web Accessibility,” “What: Examples of Web Accessibility,” “How: Make Your Website and Web Tools Accessible,” and links to ”a wide range of resources on different aspects of web accessibility standards, education, implementation, and policy.”

The resources referenced in my presentation, Emerging Technology as Assistive Technology: The iPad, Accessibility, and Libraries, are listed below. They are also available via the Diigo collaborative bookmarking site: mbfortson’s MSULibCon11 Bookmarks on Diigo.

You can find a copy of the presentation slides here: Emerging Technology as Assistive Technology: The iPad, Accessibility, and Libraries. If this PDF is not accessible to you, please contact me so I can get the slides to you in a format that is.

Feel free to contact me via the “connect” links or the comments below, and thanks again for visiting!

From Apple:

Accessibility

Apple’s Accessibility page. Offers information about assistive technology options included as standard features in Apple products and links to product-specific accessibility information.

Accessibility | iOS Technology Overview | Apple Developer

“Apple’s Accessibility APIs define how iOS apps can make their user interface available to an external assistive application or service. Apple strongly encourages developers to support these APIs in all of their applications so they are compatible with features built into iOS such as VoiceOver, as well as other third-party products.”

Accessibility Resources

Community resources, third-party solutions, and accessibility standards resources. Also offers downloadable Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (PDF format) that describe how specific Apple products and services address Section 508 Guidelines.

Accessibility Solutions for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

“Hardware and software products (sold separately) that adapt iPhone and iPad for specific needs.”

Hearing | iPad

Information about Accessibility features that make the iPad easier to use for those who are deaf or hard of hearing: FaceTime; Closed Captioning; Headphone Jack; Bluetooth Audio; Mono Audio; Instant Messaging, Chat, and Social Networking; and Visual Alerts.

iPad iOS 4

“iOS 4 comes standard with a wide range of accessibility features that help people with disabilities experience everything iPad has to offer. For example, the built-in VoiceOver screen-reading technology allows those who are blind or have low vision to hear a description of the item they’re touching on the screen. iOS also offers out-of-the-box support for over 30 wireless braille displays and many other award-winning accessibility features, such as dynamic screen magnification, playback of closed-captioned video, mono audio, white on black text, and more.”

iPad User Guide (HTML)

iPad user guide in HTML format.

iPad User Guide (PDF)

iPad User Guide in tagged PDF format.

iPad Voluntary Product Accessibility Template

VPAT describing how the Apple iPad addresses Section 508 guidelines.

iPad 2 Voluntary Product Accessibility Template

VPAT describing how the Apple iPad 2 addresses Section 508 guidelines.

Physical and Motor Skills | iPad

Information about features that make the iPad easier to use for those with physical or motor-related access needs: Multi-Touch Display; Tactile Buttons; Multiple Orientations; Onscreen Keyboard with Predictive Text Entry, External Keyboards, and Apple Stereo Headset Compatibility.

Special Education | Apple in Education

While not iPad-specific, this Apple in Education page offers information about Apple universal access features. Some iPod and iPhone information may also be applicable to the iPad.

Special Education | App Store

App Store “Special Education” category. Opens in iTunes.

Vision | iPad

Information about Accessibility features that make the iPad easier to use for those with vision-related access needs: VoiceOver, Zoom, White on Black, Speak Auto-text, Tactile Buttons, Headset Compatibility, and Audible Alerts.

Specific apps:

Digit-Eyes Audio Labeling System (iTunes Preview)

“Digit-Eyes reads barcode labels. It enables people without vision to scan UPC / EAN codes and hear the names of over 7.5 million products. Users can also make their own barcode labels on the Digit-Eyes website and print them on inexpensive address labels. These barcodes may contain text that VoiceOver reads aloud or they can be used to record audio on your iPhone or camera-equipped iPod Touch that is played back whenever the bar code is scanned.”
Developer site

Eye Glasses (iTunes Preview)

“Reading Glasses in your pocket! Works…wherever the phone’s camera does.”
Developer site

Learning Ally Audio (iTunes Preview)

“Gain instant access to Learning Ally’s downloadable DAISY formatted books.”
Developer site

Proloquo2Go (iTunes Preview)

“Proloquo2Go provides a full-featured augmentative and alternative communication solution for people who have difficulty speaking.”
Developer site

Sign 4 Me (iTunes Preview)

“‘Sign 4 Me – A Signed English Translator’ is the ULTIMATE tool for learning sign language. The ONLY app that provides sign language instruction in 3D!”
Developer site

soundAMP R (iTunes Preview)

“Amplify the world around you discreetly with iPhone and iPod touch.”
Developer site

ZoomReader (iTunes Preview)

“In combination with your iPhone’s built-in camera, ZoomReader lets you magnify and read printed text by first taking a picture of an object like a book or menu, then converts the image into text using state-of-the-art Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology. ZoomReader will then read the text back to you using a natural-sounding voice.”
Developer site

Other resources:

4 Ways iPads Are Helping People With Disabilities | Mashable

Touch devices — most notably the iPad — are revolutionizing the lives of children, adults and seniors with special needs.

Appolicious

“Appolicious is the place to discover and share the latest and best iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and Android apps through social recommendations as well as reviews from users and our editorial team.” See LuisP’s profile for several disability and accessibility-related curated lists from the Florida Center for Instructional Technology’s Luis Perez.

ATMac

From the site: “This website covers all Apple products with a slant towards disability. This website is about users with a disability, adaptive and assistive technology, and making accessible programs and content.” Also from AT Mac:

iPad | ATMac

Archive of iPad-related ATMac articles.

iPad Assistive Technology/Disability Round-Up | ATMac

Articles about accessibility and the iPad.

Stories: iPad Users With Disabilities | ATMac

“There have been a plethora of stories in the mainstream news and in blogs about the iPad and the amazing positive effects it’s having for people with various disabilities… here’s a round-up of some of them.”

The iPad as an Affordable Communicator: Initial Review | Do It Myself Blog – Glenda Watson Hyatt

“Then, I did something I had never done before: I went into one of the many Starbucks at O’Hare and ordered my first mocha frappuccino by myself. No misunderstanding or hand gesturing involved. It was so cool, like another door had just opened for me!

I feel like technology is finally catching up with what I truly need.”

The Mac-cessibility Network

“The Mac-cessibility Network is devoted to connecting, compiling, and providing easy access to the best resources for blind, visually impaired, and other disability groups using Apple products. It is maintained by a dedicated group of visually impaired volunteers, who are Apple enthusiasts themselves.”

MacRumors

“Apple Mac iOS Rumors and News You Care About.” Also from MacRumors:

Apple Activates Assistive Touch in iOS 5 Beta 3 | MacRumors

“The new settings allow users to activate a menu overlay on the iPad with by pressing on a designated corner. The menu allows one-tap access to all of the iPad’s functions including rotation, shaking, volume changes and even gestures. Known gestures such as pinch and swipe can be recalled by a tap, and custom gestures can even be recorded and played back on command.”

iPad News and Rumors | MacRumors

iPad-related news and rumors on MacRumors.com.

Mobile Learning 4 Special Needs

Resources from the Florida Center for Instructional Technology’s Luis Perez, including links to app lists and video tutorials.

Our Favorite Apps | Tools for Life

Searchable app database from Tools for Life, Georgia’s Assistive Technology Act Program.

Text-to-speech could be Apple’s next mobile trump card | GigaOM

“Over the weekend, Apple released iOS 5 Beta 5 to developers, and some intrepid digging by 9to5Mac revealed that it contains a text-to-speech system powered by Nuance, the makers of Dragonsoft Naturally Speaking. The system apparently works by allowing users to switch from keyboard to speech input at any text field, and it looks likely to be a system-wide feature, if it makes it to public release.”

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

Apple “news, information and analysis.” Also from TUAW:

Apple enables ‘Assistive Touch’ features on iPad in latest iOS 5 beta | TUAW

“Apple has enabled a very cool feature for iPad users in the latest beta of iOS 5. ‘Assistive Touch’ allows users to perform gestures and button actions on the iPad with one touch.”

The iPad could be the best mobile accessibility device on the market | TUAW

The iPad “may become the most accessible and least expensive assistive computing device ever made.”

The World of iPads, iPod Touches, and Apps | Tools for Life
Archived webinar from Tools for Life, Georgia’s Assistive Technology Act Program.

Wolverton, Robert, and Karen Davidson. “E-Resource Round Up.” Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship. 23.1 (2011): 68-95.

The article includes a write-up of my 2010 Mississippi State University Libraries Emerging Technologies Summit presentation. While I can’t post the article here, it is available to JERL subscribers at Taylor & Francis Online. Laurel Sammonds, the MSU librarian who served as a reporter for the session, also posted a write-up on the Summit blog. Jacquelyn Marie Erdman also posted some notes on her site, Technolust & Loathing.

While I read the blog posts when they were published last year, I forgot to look for the JERL article, and it didn’t pop up in my search alerts because Google’s spiders couldn’t get their hands on the full text. I’m posting everything here because I am totally famous in order to keep track of the mentions.

ETA: Just now, as I was searching for Laurel’s post, I found this picture on the Mississippi State University Libraries Flickr page. You can’t see my references in the shot, but the slide shown in the picture is an adaptation of one shown in an EASI webcast.

The resources referenced in my presentation, Keeping Up: Current Awareness Tips & Tools for Educators, are listed below.  They are also available via the Diigo collaborative bookmarking site: mbfortson’s aetc2011 Bookmarks on Diigo.

You can find a copy of the presentation slides here: Keeping Up: Current Awareness Tips & Tools for Educators.

Feel free to contact me via the “connect” links or the comments below, and thanks again for visiting!

About Twitter | Twitter

“Social networking and microblogging service utilizing instant messaging, SMS or a web interface.”

Advanced Search | Twitter

Create your own Google Scholar RSS feed | What You’re Doing Is Rather Desperate

“The process for creating a Google Scholar feed is a little complex. Here’s my first attempt.”

current awareness service | Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science (ODLIS)

“A service or publication designed to alert scholars, researchers, readers, customers, or employees to recently published literature in their field(s) of specialization, usually available in special libraries serving companies, organizations, and institutions in which access to current information is essential. Such services can be tailored to fit the interest profile of a specific individual or group. Some online catalogs and bibliographic databases include a “preferred searches” option that allows the library user to archive search statements and re-execute them as needed. Synonymous with selective dissemination of information. See also: current contents.”

Feed43

“Your favorite site doesn’t provide news feeds? This free online service converts any web page to an RSS feed on the fly. ”

Google Alerts

“Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic.”

Google Reader

“Google Reader constantly checks your favorite news sites and blogs for new content.”

Google Reader for Beginners | Official Google Reader Blog

Google Realtime Search

“Realtime Search lets you see up-to-the-second social updates, news articles and blog posts about hot topics around the world.”

Google Scholar

“Provides a search of scholarly literature across many disciplines and sources, including theses, books, abstracts and articles.”

How to Start Tweeting (and Why You Might Want To) | ProfHacker | The Chronicle of Higher Education

“Twitter can help academics make and maintain connections with people in their fields, find out about interesting projects and research, or crowdsource questions and technical problems.”

JournalTOCs

“JournalTOCs is the largest free collection of scholarly journals Tables of Contents (TOCs). It contains TOCs for 15,194 journals (including 1,698 Open Access journals) collected from 709 publishers.”

Page2RSS

“Create an RSS feed for any web page.”

#rss | Lifehacker

Lifehacker.com stories with the #rss tag.

RSS in Plain English | Common Craft

“An introduction to RSS as a way to save time reading web sites.”

Twitter Guide Book: How To, Tips and Instructions by Mashable | Mashable

“Twitter is a social network used by millions of people, and thousands more are signing up every day to send short messages to groups of friends. But where’s the user manual for Twitter? Where do new Twitter users go to learn about Tweeting, retweets, hashtags and customizing your Twitter profile? Where do you go if you want to know all about building a community on Twitter, or using Twitter for business? How can you find advanced tools for using Twitter on your phone or your desktop? To answer all these questions and more, we’ve assembled The Twitter Guide Book, a complete collection of resources for mastering Twitter. Happy Tweeting!”

Video: RSS in Plain English | YouTube

WeFollow

“Twitter Directory and Search.”

What Are Hashtags (# Symbols)? | Twitter Help Center

“The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages.”

What Is RSS | Dive into XML | xml.com

“RSS is a format for syndicating news and the content of news-like sites.”

Write a Literature Review | UC Santa Cruz University Library

Professional literature: “scholarly articles, books and other sources (e.g. dissertations, conference proceedings) relevant to a particular issue, area of research, or theory.”

The resources referenced in my presentation, The Disability Experience in a Post-2.0 World: Implications for Libraries, are listed below.  They are also available via the Diigo collaborative bookmarking site: mbfortson’s ascla11 Bookmarks on Diigo.

Those seeking additional information on library services and people with disabilities may be interested in Crash Course in Library Access & People with Disabilities, Access to Electronic Resources for Patrons with Disabilities, and other posts in the blog’s “Disability” category.

Feel free to contact me via the “connect” links or the comments below, and thanks again for visiting!

Aaron Cannon, Blind Web Developer on Vimeo“Aaron Cannon, blind since birth, shows how he (and other blind users) browses the web using screen reader technology. Presentation given November 2007 at LDS Church headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah.”

Academic Resources and Universal Design | ProfHacker | The Chronicle of Higher Education

“The situation would be much improved if more of us embraced the concept of universal design, the idea that we should always keep the largest possible audience in mind in our design decisions, ensuring that our final product serves the needs of those with disabilities as well as those without. In fact, the argument goes, embracing universal design results in an improved environment for all people.”

Accessibility and Assistive Technology | Help Center | Facebook

Facebook Help Center page “intended for users with vision impairment or physical disabilities.”

Accessibility of Next Generation Web Applications | EASI Webcast | WebAIM

“Dynamic HTML and AJAX are beginning to dominate the internet. Next generation web applications can impact accessibility of the web for better or worse.”

Accessibility | WordPress Codex

“Accessibility is for everyone, even WordPress users. But what is it?”

Accessible Twitter

‘”Web accessibility for the Twitter.com website application.”

Are Social Networking Sites Accessible to People with Vision Loss? | American Foundation for the Blind

“Using JAWS and Window-Eyes—popular assistive technology products that provide access to information on a computer screen—AFB evaluated these sites to see if a blind computer user, with basic screen reader skills, could independently register, create a standard profile, post photos, and interact with other group members.”

Captcha SUCKS! | YouTube

Demonstrates “audio verification which is just as useless” as indiscernible CAPTCHAs.

Chronic Disease and the Internet | Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project

“When other demographic factors are held constant, having a chronic disease significantly increases an internet user’s likelihood to say they work on a blog or contribute to an online discussion, a listserv, or other online group forum that helps people with personal issues or health problems.”

“Living with chronic disease is also associated, once someone is online, with a greater likelihood to access user-generated health content such as blog posts, hospital reviews, doctor reviews, and podcasts. These resources allow an internet user to dive deeply into a health topic, using the internet as a communications tool, not simply an information vending machine.”

Considering the User Perspective: A Summary of Design Issues | WebAIM

Clear, concise description in chart form describing web accessibility challenges and solutions.

[Designing for All in a Web 2.0 World] | Vimeo

Robin Christopherson’s 2009 Future of Web Design presentation.

Disability.gov

Federal web site whose mission is “to connect people with disabilities, their family members, veterans, caregivers, employers, service providers and others with the resources they need to ensure that people with disabilities can fully participate in the workplace and in their communities.” Recommended reading: the Assistive Devices & Equipment and Laws & Recommendations sections. Visitors can use the Information by State feature to locate information and resources close to home.

DisaboomLive

“Disability Community: Blogs, Disability Forums, Caregiver Support, and More.”

Element 4: Disseminate Through Different Media | NICHCY

“NCDDR developed this list of options in 2001. Since then, we’ve seen an explosion in the use of social media to reach and engage users. The tools of social networking (Facebook, Twitter, RSS feeds) offer disseminators a remarkably powerful and very popular new avenue to explore. In the same way, the rapid advance of technology has also given us many new tools.”

Emerging technologies | Wikipedia

Sample Wikipedia page.

Facebook

Social networking website.

[Facebook Mobile Site] | Facebook

Facebook social networking website optimized for mobile device users.

Giz Explains: How Blind People See the Internet | Gizmodo

August 2010 Gizmodo feature.

HiSoftware Cynthia Says Portal

“The HiSoftware Cynthia Says portal is a web content accessibility validation solution. It is designed to identify errors in your content related to Section 508 standards and/or the WCAG guidelines.”

How People with Disabilities Use the Web | W3C

“This document provides an introduction to use of the Web by people with disabilities. It illustrates some of their requirements when using Web sites and Web-based applications, and provides supporting information for the guidelines and technical work of the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).”

Is Wikipedia usable for the blind? (Buzzi and Leporini)

Abstract: “Today wikis are becoming increasingly widespread, and offer great benefits in a variety of collaborative environments. Therefore, to be universally valuable, wiki systems should be easy to use for anyone, regardless of ability. This paper describes obstacles that a blind user may encounter when interacting via screen reader with Wikipedia, and offers some suggestions for improving usability.” From the proceedings of the 2008 international cross-disciplinary conference on Web accessibility (W4A).

Keep Facebook Accessible | Facebook

Group for Facebook users interested in accessibility issues.

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) | Facebook

Official NICHCY Facebook page.

National Down Syndrome Society | Facebook

Official NDSS Facebook page.

ODEP News Release: Disability.gov offers social media tools, upgrades to complement information from 22 federal agencies on disability-related programs and services

Press release announcing Disability.gov revamp “with social media tools to encourage interaction and feedback, and new ways to organize, share and receive information. Visitors can sign up for personalized news and updates, participate in online discussions and suggest resources for the site. New features include a Twitter feed, Really Simple Syndication feeds, a blog, social bookmarking and a user-friendly way to obtain answers to questions on such topics as finding employment and job accommodations. Additional tools will be added during the months ahead.”

Online Social Networks Bridge Gaps for Chronically Ill | NYTimes.com

“For many people, social networks are a place for idle chatter about what they made for dinner or sharing cute pictures of their pets. But for people living with chronic diseases or disabilities, they play a more vital role.”

Policies Relating to Web Accessibility | WAI

Outlines legislation and policies related to web accessibility. In the United States, these include Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act, Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Power of Social Networking for People with Disabilities | Accessible Technology Online Series

“The explosion of the use of Internet-based social networking sites and social media to communicate and connect with friends, work colleagues, potential job applicants and customers has been particularly beneficial to businesses and people with disabilities who may not have had the opportunity to connect so freely through more traditional or in-person means. This session will examine what social networking is all about and how it can be leveraged successfully to enhance communication and to break down barriers to full participation by everyone in the digital age.”

Relationship between Mobile Web Best Practices (MWBP) and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) | W3C

“This technical report describes the similarities and differences between the requirements in Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and Mobile Web Best Practices 1.0 (MWBP).” The report’s appendix includes links to “Experiences Shared by People with Disabilities and by People Using Mobile Devices,” “Mobile Web Best Practices 1.0,” and other resources to assist designers in making web content accessible to both people with disabilities and users of mobile devices.

SeaBeast Theme Demo

“Accessible” WordPress theme.

Services to Persons with Disabilities: An Interpretation… | ALA

“All library resources should be available in formats accessible by persons of all ages with different abilities. These materials must not be restricted by any presuppositions about information needs, interests, or capacity for understanding. The library should offer different, necessary modes of access to the same content using equipment, electronics, or software. All information resources provided directly or indirectly by the library, regardless of technology, format, or method of delivery, should be readily, equally and equitably accessible to all library users.”

Social networking sites lock out disabled users | eNation reports | AbilityNet

“Social networking sites may be revolutionising internet communication, and creating new and exciting opportunities in both leisure and business, but is this Brave New World as democratic and inclusive as it appears?”

Tennessee Justice Center | Facebook

Official TJC Facebook page.

Twitter

Microblogging service.

Twitter Accessibility | Slideshare

Presented by WebAIM’s Jared Smith at the CSUN Tweetup.

Twitter Accessibility Roundup | Blog | WebAIM

List of Twitter users who “post frequent and insightful messages on web accessibility.”

The W3C Markup Validation Service

“This validator checks the markup validity of Web documents in HTML, XHTML, SMIL, MathML, etc.”

Wabi Sabi WordPress Theme

“Accessible” WordPress theme.

WAI-ARIA Overview | W3C

“WAI-ARIA, the Accessible Rich Internet Applications Suite, defines a way to make Web content and Web applications more accessible to people with disabilities. It especially helps with dynamic content and advanced user interface controls developed with Ajax, HTML, JavaScript, and related technologies.”

WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool

“WAVE is a free web accessibility evaluation tool provided by WebAIM. It is used to aid humans in the web accessibility evaluation process. Rather than providing a complex technical report, WAVE shows the original web page with embedded icons and indicators that reveal the accessibility of that page.”

WCAG 2.0 Theme Song, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines | YouTube

Lighthearted take on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

Web Accessibility | American Foundation for the Blind

“The same good techniques that make web pages accessible to those of us who use assistive technology benefit users of other devices as well. For example, people with…
* slow Internet connections
* devices that do not show color
* devices such as cell phones that have tiny screens
…all make use of design features such as alt-text and keyboard access. While a highly motivated and patient person browsing the web with a tiny handheld monitor might find it possible to navigate your site, unlabeled graphics and vast navigation bars filled with indecipherable graphics might well render your site unusable. ”

Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)

From the site: “The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) works with organizations around the world to develop strategies, guidelines, and resources to help make the Web accessible to people with disabilities.” Recommended reading: the Introducing Accessibility section and its Introduction to Web Accessibility, Introduction to “How People with Disabilities Use the Web,” and Quick Tips to Make Accessible Web Sites.

Web Accessibility: WCAG 2.0 at a Glance

“This page provides a summary of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG 2.0.”

What-accessibility-means-in-25-words (pdf)

“To launch the 2010 season of Accessibility 100 – a series of 100 easy-to-implement, free and inexpensive tips for improving accessibility for people with disabilities, I challenged people to share ‘What does accessibility mean to you?’ in 25 words.”

What is a CAPTCHA?

“A CAPTCHA is a program that can generate and grade tests that humans can pass but current computer programs cannot.”

“The term CAPTCHA (for Completely Automated Public Turing Test To Tell Computers and Humans Apart) was coined in 2000 by Luis von Ahn, Manuel Blum, Nicholas Hopper and John Langford of Carnegie Mellon University. At the time, they developed the first CAPTCHA to be used by Yahoo.”

Wikipedia: Manual of Style (accessibility) | Wikipedia

Wikipedia Manual of Style’s accessibility guidelines.

Wikipedia:WikiProject Accessibility | Wikipedia

WikiProject Accessibility is “a group of editors promoting better access” for users with disabilities.

WordPress | Blog Tool and Publishing Platform

Open source content management system. See also WordPress.com.

wp508

“Accessible” WordPress theme.