The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) develops international standards for the Web: HTML, CSS, and many more. The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) develops standards and support materials to help you understand and implement accessibility.
Material Type: Primary Source
This PPT goes over how those who are able-bodied need to be more mindful in our actions and sayings to those who have a disablity. Resources on how to make your content more accessible is also provided.
Material Type: Lesson
The ADA National Network provides informal guidance on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other disability-related laws. The ten regional Centers that comprise the ADA National Network staff a toll-free information line and respond to inquiries submitted online via email or regional Center websites. Business owners, architects and designers, representatives of state and local government agencies, employers, people with disabilities and their family members, service providers, educational entities, and others interested in the ADA can receive individualized responses - Find Your Region/ADA Center. Our ADA Specialists can answer most questions immediately and, if necessary, will research complex questions to provide you the most thorough guidance possible. Referrals to local and state/territory resources for disability issues, which are not addressed by the ADA, can also be provided.
Material Type: Primary Source
Federal ADA Regulations and Standards The ADA statute identifies who is a person with a disability, who has obligations under the ADA, general non-discrimination requirements and other basic obligations. It delegates fleshing out those obligations to federal agencies. The agencies issue regulations and design standards. The regulations have the details on the rights of people with disabilities and responsibilities of employers, state and local governments, transportation providers, businesses and non-profit organizations. The design standards specify how many entrances need to be accessible, how many toilet rooms and the design for those elements. To know what the ADA requires, you need to read the law, regulations and design standards.
Material Type: Primary Source
Learn About the National Network [Version en Español] The ADA National Network provides information, guidance and training on how to implement the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in order to support the mission of the ADA to “assure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities.” Funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), the network consists of 10 Regional ADA Centers located throughout the United States and an ADA Knowledge Translation Center (ADAKTC). Each Regional ADA Center focuses on its region’s unique needs. This regional focus is critical to ensuring that ADA National Network services meet the needs of a diversity of populations and stakeholders throughout the country.
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Top ADA Frequently Asked Questions Below are the 13 questions that are asked most frequently. If you have other questions, please check out our ADA FAQ Knowledge Base.
Material Type: Primary Source
Unify Inclusive Technology Decision-Making Share: Individualized educational plans (IEPs) provide a student’s education team with clarity on what a child participates in and how a child engages within an educational program. IEP team members, including students, families, educators, direct service providers, and building administrators, serve as the decision-making body for these supports and services. Technology staff can also consider these plans as a foundation for how technology will support the learner to access the general curriculum. When the technology needs of students extend beyond the district-wide technology hardware and software resources, the interoperability between the laptop or tablet and the assistive technologies become critical. Device interoperability means information can be sent to and received from an array of devices, including assistive technologies such as screen readers, and other accessibility tools seamlessly. Students with physical or sensory (visual or hearing) support needs may require such specific assistive technologies. Such devices include single switches, expanded keyboards, screen readers, or captioning programs. TechMatrix is an online database provided by the American Institute for Research that provides more information about available assistive technologies. In addition, some students may have tools such as digital pens or VR sets written in their IEPs to support learning opportunities. Similarly, such tools should sync seamlessly with the student devices. Actions to unify inclusive technology decision-making with interoperable assistive technologies include: Collaborate across the IT, EdTech, and AT leadership teams to choose devices and ensure the interoperability of such devices. Require the purchase of accessible, interoperable technologies by including such requirements in requests for proposals (RFPs) and district contracts. Ensure all partners, such as state educational agencies, regional educational service agencies, and non-profits understand and mimic these practices. Include individuals with disabilities in procurement and purchasing decisions, such as students, parents, organizational partners, or community volunteers.
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This is a unique subject area in which there can be numerous variables. The Emergency School Bus Evacuation for Special Needs Students Reference Guide and Test, instructional plan gives an introduction and preparation guidelines. It prepares the learner in procedural steps, lists several scenarios and has an evaluation with an answer key.
Material Type: Textbook
AEM for Families Accessible Educational Materials: The following resources will assist students and families with questions regarding Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) and Assistive Technology (AT):
Material Type: Primary Source
Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) help students with disabilities access print- and technology-based materials in school. But what about accessing educational materials in the community? Learn about AEM in the community: where you might find it, what it can look like, what to do if community materials are not accessible, and how to equip and advocate for yourself or those you support. In addition, hear what Community Vision is doing to help make businesses, organizations, and public spaces more accessible. They also share a few resources they have created around accessibility.
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Information and video tutorials to help teachers and students take advantage of built-in features, apps and extensions on a variety of devices to support a personalized and accessible reading experience for everyone.
Material Type: Module
Information on tools for making math notation more accesible to learners.
Material Type: Module
This module is part of a course on Inclusive Educational Practices that offers professional development for educators who aspire to provide a supportive learning environment for dyslexic and with learning difficulties learners.Students have different needs, interests, and abilities. In order to effectively teach them and provide them with rich learning experiences, lesson plans need to be as diverse as they are. This module aims to help educators analyze different learning styles and accordingly build their lesson plans as to embrace and support not only the needs of specific learners but provide quality education for all students. To this end, tools, articles, guidelines, videos, and examples are provided. Planning a lesson for an inclusive classroom entails less modifications for future use in a different learning context, facilitates a substitute to take over the class, and ensures learning for every child."It is not the disabilities of the students that prevent the implementation of a long effective instructional model, but the environment that is disabling" Katz, 2015
Material Type: Module
Mada’s Glossary is the first dictionary of its kind, which includes terms related to ICT accessibility and assistive technology (AT) in the Arabic language. The Glossary was developed to serve as a vital resource for capacity building within ICT services, accessibility, and assistive technology in Qatar and beyond. Mada’s Glossary is essential to educate professionals, researchers, and individuals interested in the basic terms used in these fields. It is considered one of the first initiatives to provide such resources in Arabic.
Material Type: Reading
Public Access to Collections We strongly encourage making an appointment to request materials or meet with library staff. Staffing availability may not support immediate walk-ins.
Material Type: Reading
Michael Cantino from Northwest Regional Education Service District presents Creating Accessible Documents in the Microsoft and Google Suites.
Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Lecture, Lesson
This webinar presents information about Bookshare and how the service can be used to ensure timely access to accessible instructional materials.
Material Type: Lecture
The ADA National Network provides several ways to access informational materials about the ADA.
Material Type: Primary Source
Federal Agencies and Resources Many federal agencies issue regulations, provide technical assistance and enforce different sections of the ADA. For example the Department of Justice is responsible for title II, which applies to state and local governments, and title III, which applies to businesses and non-profit organizations. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission handles all things related to the ADA and employment. Below is a list of the relevant federal agencies.
Material Type: Primary Source
What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. The ADA gives civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities similar to those provided to individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion. It guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in public accommodations, employment, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications. The ADA is divided into five titles (or sections) that relate to different areas of public life. In 2008, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) was signed into law and became effective on January 1, 2009. The ADAAA made a number of significant changes to the definition of “disability.” The changes in the definition of disability in the ADAAA apply to all titles of the ADA, including Title I (employment practices of private employers with 15 or more employees, state and local governments, employment agencies, labor unions, agents of the employer and joint management labor committees); Title II (programs and activities of state and local government entities); and Title III (private entities that are considered places of public accommodation).
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