EASI: Equal Access to Software and Information

EASI ONLINE COURSES

The courses listed below can be taken individually or anyone completing 5 courses will earn the Certificate in Accessible Information Technology provided by EASI and the University of Southern Maine..

****For more details, see the Certificate description at the bottom of this page!

All courses are entirely online and asynchronous. Content is online and class discussion is either in email or on a discussion board.. Those successfully completing a course will get documentation of course completion from EASI. Courses are usually month-long, instructor-led and class participation is encouraged. These month-long courses are more intensive and contain more detail than the synchronous Webinar series described on the Webinar page.

The course registration cost in spring 2011 is $350, but students, overseas participants and EASI annual Webinar members receive a 20% discount on courses.

Use this link to see current course syllabi and online registration

Barrier-free Information Technology

Information technology can provide the most accessible learning and working conditions in history for people with disabilities. This course will enable institutions to design both onsite and online electronic devices and electronic information to include and empower people with disabilities while using universal design to provide user-friendly tools for everyone. When designed from the bottom up, costs will not be prohibitive and both computer and information systems will meet the standards of disability-related legislation.

Lesson 1: Introduction and Reasons to Adapt Your Information Technology Systems

Lesson 2: What Is Adaptive Technology? (Computer Input/Output Problems and Solutions)

Lesson 3: Supportive Computer Applications for Users With Disabilities

Lesson 4: Accessibility of Electronic Devices, Computer Software and Online Content

Lesson 5: Creating and Locating Alternative Media

Lesson 6: Providing Support for People with Hearing Impairments

Lesson 7: Access Issues of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math

Lesson 8: Using Accessible IT to Enable the Library to Serve the Former "print disabled"

Lesson 9: Training Faculty and Staff

Lesson 10: Policies and Procedures

Barrier-free Web Design

The course is based both on the Federal Access Board’s Section 508 Web standards and on the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2 which were released in Dec. 2008.

Do you have trouble reading computer and software manuals? EASI will take the jargon out of Web design and out of the technical requirements for Web design. The course will not require an extensive knowledge of HTML as it assumes that designers are working in some Web authoring sofware that does the actual Web coding for the designer. Web pages can be created using Universal Design principles permitting Their use by people with different browsers, different connection speeds, palm pilots, PDA's and by people with disabilities using Adaptive computer technology.

The course is structured around the 4 principles of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0

Principle 1: Perceivable
Guideline 1.1 Provide text alternatives for any non-text content so that it can be changed into other forms people need, such as large print, braille, speech, symbols or simpler language.
Guideline 1.2 Provide alternatives for time-based media.
Guideline 1.3 Create content that can be presented in different ways (for example simpler layout) without losing information or structure.
Guideline 1.4 Make it easier for users to see and hear content including separating foreground from background.

Principle 2: Operable
Guideline 2.1 Make all functionality available from a keyboard.
Guideline 2.2 Provide users enough time to read and use content.
Guideline 2.3 Do not design content in a way that is known to cause seizures.
Guideline 2.4 Provide ways to help users navigate, find content, and determine where they are.

Principle 3: Understandable
Guideline 3.1 Make text content readable and understandable.
Guideline 3.2 Make Web pages appear and operate in predictable ways.
Guideline 3.3 Help users avoid and correct mistakes.

Principle 4: Robust
Guideline 4.1 Maximize compatibility with current and future user agents, including assistive technologies.

Barrier-free E-learning

The course is based on the realization that faculty are placing content inside a courseware management system which is responsible for achieving most Web Accessibility meaning faculty normally only need to know a limited set of accessibility features. The course demonstrates how faculty can achieve accessibility while using authoring applications they already know. Creating accessible course content can be easier than many believe.

Lesson 1: Introduction to Online Learning

Lesson 2: Online Learning and Students with Disabilities

Lesson 3: Creating Accessible Content With MS Office

Lesson 4: Creating Accessible Content With PowerPoint

Lesson 5: Accessible Content for Science Technology and Math

Lesson 6: Creating Accessible Content Using Multimedia

Lesson 7: Putting Content Online and Checking Its Accessibility

Lesson 8: Supporting and Managing Online Accessibility

Accessible Internet Multimedia: Podcasts, Vodcasts and Streaming

Educational and other information providers on the Internet are increasingly using multimedia as a means to disseminate information. Multimedia poses special problems but also unique opportunities for reaching people with disabilities. Providing transcriptions, captions and descriptive video synchronized with the media is a real challenge. This course will give step-by-step instruction in how and when to provide transcriptions and synchronized captions.

Lesson 1: Multimedia Overview

Lesson 2: Introduction to Captions

Lesson 3: Working with Caption Tools

Lesson 4: Delivering Content on the Web

Train the Trainer

Train the Trainer has been significantly updated and also enriched with new multimedia. Participants will be expected to download both demo versions of adaptive software or free support software and spend part of almost every lesson actually acquiring hands-on experience. computer technology has the potential to provide the most level learning space and working space in history for people with disabilities. However, many users arrive on campus or at work with inadequate training on this technology. Either the K-12 system failed to provide them with the appropriate tools and training, or they may have only recently received the disability. They will need help in identifying the technology that will enable them to achieve more independence and need training to use it effectively. Your institution will need to have someone equipped to provide this training. The information in Train the Trainer will provide a staff person with the know-how to provide this support. EASI believes that such support requires a joint effort between the trainer and the trainee. While the trainee needs help to get started on using complex adaptive technologies, after an initial introduction, EASI believes that the trainee has the responsibility to become a skilled user independently.

Lesson 1: Introduction to Training Users with Disabilities on Adaptive Computer Technology

Lesson 2: Overview of Personal Computer Hardware Platforms

Lesson 3: Technology for Visually Impaired Consumers

Lesson 4: Technology for Persons with Hearing Related Disabilities

Lesson 5: Reading Support Technology for Persons with Learning Disabilities

Lesson 6: Writing Support Technology for Persons with Learning Disabilities

Lesson 7: Training Users with Motor Impairments (Voice Recognition, Onscreen Keyboards, Track ball, etc.)

Lesson 8: Providing Institution-wide Awareness of the Needs of Users With Disabilities

Creating and Repurposing More Accessible Content

This course is designed to support alternative media specialists in creating new documents that are more accessible, and converting existing documents into alternate formats such as Word, PDF, DAISY and NIMAS. Documents need to be well constructed which in turn facilitates accessibility. Documents also need to be repurposed to other formats based on an organizational need.

This course will require students to download and install software and to actually create and repurpose documents developing hands-on experience.

Lesson 1: Creating Structured Documents with Word

Lesson 2: Creating Accessible Documents in PDF

Lesson 3: DAISY: Digital Accessible Information System

Lesson 4: Overview of repurposing several document types

Special Topics

Special topics will be an independent study course designed between the student and EASI staff given almost any time on request. It will be designed to meet the specific interests and needs of each registrant.

EASI/USM Certificate in Accessible Information Technology

The University of Southern Maine provides a Certificate of Accessible Information Technology for people who have completed 5 of these EASI online courses. USM will also provide 15 Continuing Education Units. The CEUs are available for the entire Certificate but not for individual courses.

Anyone wanting to work for the Certificate in Accessible Information Technology need not inform us in advance. Take courses at your convenience, BUT contact us before you register for the fifth course as you will receive a 50% discount on its registration (a little less than 50% off if paying student fees). We will provide you with a special registration page. After completing the fifth course, contact us so we can get the personal data that is required by the University of Southern Maine for the Certificate and for the 15 CEUs that you will also earn.