#13822
Deafened to Their Demands: An Ethnographic Study of Accommodation 
After a semester of working with the population of Deaf students on a larger southwestern, suburban University campus, it became clear that the institution would not be able to provide reasonable accommodations requested by deaf students. As I witnessed students, rightfully fighting for reasonable accommodations (as outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act), I saw individuals both inside and outside the institutional structures attempt change only to find themselves rebuffed. The institution itself was not able to accommodate the reasonable and lawful demands of the deaf population of students at the university, but interestingly the efforts of reformers inside the institution were similarly unable to enact significant change. The institution was unable to hear the pleas of its students but was equally unable to accommodate the demands of members of the administration seeking to provide services to these students.
Salvo, Michael J. Kairos (2002). Academic>Accessibility>Education
#19243
Disability Access To Virtual Learning Environments 
The purpose of this study by Staffordshire University was to identify problems encountered by disabled students in using Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) and to identify solutions where possible, making the appropriate recommendations to improve accessibility. The work done in compiling the report was underpinned by Staffordshire University’s commitment to, and contributes to the development of, a learning and teaching strategy called “Building a Learning Community [1]” (which is detailed in this report).
Stiles, Mark J. TechDis (2003). Academic>Accessibility>Education>Online
#19234
Dyslexia, Technology and E-Learning
It is perhaps unfortunate that enabling technologies do not come with an 'ability warning', as they generally require the user to already have acquired a certain level of IT skills, in a similar way that online courses require users to have a certain level of prior IT knowledge. Accessing a computer and making the most of e-learning materials requires support at both the curriculum and technological levels, and some students find it easier to work with computers than others. Dyslexic students are no different, and often have the added cognitive load of having to use enabling technologies to access these materials, examples being text to speech facilities, magnification, changes in desktop settings and various methods to help with the input of text. These added technologies can be liberating, but only if they have been chosen with the specific requirements of that particular student in mind, and the student has gained adequate skills to make the most of the technologies' attributes.
Draffan, E.A. TechDis (2003). Academic>Accessibility>Education>Online
#19192
New Accessible Web Design Program at Northeastern University
Web accessibility is a hot topic, and now there is a brand new place to gain the knowledge and credentials you need to succeed in this increasingly important field. Northeastern University, in Boston, Massachusetts-- already well known for its technical writing program-- is now offering a graduate certificate program in Interactive Design. This new program, one of the first in its kind, focuses specifically on topics surrounding web accessibility and design for interactive media of all kinds.
Gardner, P.J. and Lori Gillen. Usability Interface (2003). Academic>Accessibility>Education
