Accessibility

The ADA has a three-part definition of disability, which, based on the definition under the Rehabilitation Act, reflects the specific types of discrimination experienced by people with disabilities.  Accordingly, it is not the same as the definition of disability and other laws, such as state workers' compensation laws or other federal or state laws that provide benefits for people with disabilities and disabled veterans.

According to the ADA, an individual with disabilities is a person who:

has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities;

has a record of such an impairment;

is regarded as having such an impairment.

ADA will effect everyone's courses.  Just as your classes in the physical classroom must be ADA compliant, so must your online courses.  This is very easy to do, especially if you start from the beginning.  SFA's Director of Disability Services, Chuck Lopez, recommends that when you are creating a page or lesson for your course that you save it as a text file.  Then, go back and add the "bells and whistles".  When creating a course, some things to keep in mind are:

ALT tags for images

Text-only version accompanying Power Point presentations

Transcripts for audio and video

Consistent headings and page organization

Tables that are legible

Contrast and color

Font style and size

IBM has developed a great site that gives you good ideas about how to make your course more accessible.  Microsoft will give you instructions about how to install the accessibility component of Windows 98.