Abstract:

Central Access is a service provided by Central Washington University. It produces accessible media for institutions across the nation and creates innovative solutions for improving access for individuals with print related disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities. Ensuring that all students have equal access to information is a shared responsibility. However, many faculty are not aware of the service let alone the need to have such materials developed. In the process of promoting the service, Central Access has also developed guidelines for translating visual information into tactile information. This is valuable on both a technical and policy level. Presented here is an overview of those guidelines plus a strategy for disseminating these guidelines in the form of a handbook for educators and service providers for people of all ages and degrees of disability. Part of this presentation is an invitation to the international community to contribute to the handbook.

Keywords:

Multimodal, accessibility.