Steps Toward Making Distance Learning Accessible To Students And Instructors With Disabilities

The Internet provides unparalleled opportunities for people around the globe to gain knowledge and learn new skills. However, some people with disabilities cannot fully participate as instructors or students in existing distance learning courses because of the inaccessible design of these courses. The University of Washington (UW) Distance Learning program teamed up with UW Accessible Technology Services and Outreach in a project to identify and implement systemic changes in policies and procedures to improve the accessibility of the UW Distance Learning courses.

The authors of an article on the EASI website define the scope of the project and discuss ongoing efforts and lessons learned so that other programs might benefit from their experiences. It is expected that such changes in policies and procedures will, ultimately, lead to programs that are more accessible to students and instructors with disabilities.
 
The writers of the article are Sheryl Burgstahler, Director of the University of Washington Accessible Technology Services and Outreach, Bill Corrigan, Director, Distance Learning Design and Joan McCarter, Continuing Education Specialist, Distance Learning Design of the University of Washington.
 
To read the full article we refer you to the EASI website. 
 
Source: EASI