The Real World of Web/IT Accessibility and Assistive Technology

Time: Registration - 8:00 – 8:55; Workshop - 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM

Location: SC State Archives and History (see our online directions page)

Be on time! We’re giving out a door prize promptly at 9:00 am!

Description: Don't miss this unique opportunity to see people who use assistive technology show how they experience web pages! Speakers from around the state will demonstrate various technologies including screen readers and screen enlargers, which they use in accessing Internet and other electronic information. We'll discuss usability vs. accessibility, the basics of designing for accessibility, and show examples of positive and not-so-positive design. They'll be available to answer questions about what works, what doesn't work, and how they solve problems when accessing electronic information (the Web, Word, and PDF documents).

This workshop has been generated as a follow up to a Web Testers Pilot Program, conducted by the SC Assistive Technology Program and the SC Assistive Technology Advisory Committee (ATAC), under the S.C. State Budget & Control Board, to train both people who use assistive technology and those who don't, in the evaluation of state agency web pages for accessibility and usability.

Door Prizes (to date - more will be added!)

• A Bag of Techie goodies (flash drive, etc...)
• A free web site assessment by SC Web Testers, administered by SCATP and ATAC)
• 4 Tickets to the Columbia Riverbanks Zoo
• 2 Tickets for a Charleston carriage ride (Old South Carriage Company)(tentative) Captioning of up to 5 minutes of video for a web page

Schedule

• 8:30 – 9:00 - Registration
• 9:00 - First Door Prize Drawing (the winner chooses from the selection of prizes)
• 9:05 – 9:25 - ATAC Web Testers Pilot Program: Janet Jendron
• 9:30 – 11:45 (with short break in between) - Demonstrations and Discussions: What makes Web Pages easier? What causes frustration? What are some simple design solutions for these challenges?

• Demonstration of JAWS screenreader (Clay Jeffcoat) on Web Pages
• Demonstration of ZoomText with screenreader (Grace Strother) on Web Pages
• Demonstration of ZoomText with Kurzweil screenreader (Jim Debus) on Web Pages

The demonstrations will briefly cover issues such as skip navigation links, Flash, Drop navigation menus, appropriate alt text, meaningful link text, online forms, layout tables, data tables, video captioning CSS, and heading structure. We’ll have questions and comments from CB Averitt, Cheryl Kirkpatrick, Kevin Pondy, Wendy Mullin, Sam Hahn on web design techniques that could address problems.

• 11:45 – 1:15 - Lunch
• 1:15 - Door Prize Drawing
• 1:20 – 1:50 - Cool Tools: Demonstration of the Web Accessibility Toolbar and Web Developer’s Toolbar (Allison Yeager)
• 2:00 – 3:30 - Demonstrations and Discussion: What makes PDFs and Word Docs easier to access? What causes frustration? What are some simple design solutions for these challenges? Questions and Comments from CB Averitt, Cheryl Kirkpatrick, Kevin Pondy, Wendy Mullin, Sam Hahn on formatting issues that could address problems.
• Demonstration of JAWS screenreader (Clay Jeffcoat)
• Demonstration of ZoomText with screenreader (Grace Strother)
• Demonstration of ZoomText with Kurzweil screenreader (Jim Debus)
• 3:30 – Door Prize Drawing

To register for this workshop:

• Option 1: Complete the online registration form at: http://www.sc.edu/scatp/forms/trainingregform9-22-09.html
• Option 2: Email Sally Young at Sally.Young@uscmed.sc.edu
• Option 3: Call Sally Young at (803) 935-5263 or 800-915-4522.
• Option 4: Fax your registration information to (803) 935-5342. Please include your name, organization, address, email address, phone

To view the complete workshop details, please click on the link above and scroll down to Sep. 22.