Article: IT in Education Accessibility Checklist

Article 3: “What is Accessible Technology?”

AccessIT. (2004). Information Technology in Education Accessibility Checklist. Retrieved September 17, 2007, from http://www.washington.edu/accessit/it-checklist/

Cool checklist. I guess I sometimes forget to think about the physical environment of our school building (and my classroom). It’s funny, you get used to things a certain way, and they blend into the “woodwork” (speaking figuratively, we have no real woodwork in our classrooms – mostly plaster). What I like about this website is that it compels you to think about your space and your technology in a new (and better, more inclusive) way. It reminds the user of all the things that should be considered and allows one to conduct an evaluation and reflection on the accessibility of the educational environment.

Just something the website reminded me of…Web-content accessibility is a pet peeve of mine. I understand that we need to have a filter on our web access at a public school. However, it’s so hard to find really meaningful, useful sites. I do a good amount of my planning at home. When I get to school and find an awesome site has been blocked – I’m so disappointed. Our district has a means by which to petition for a site to be “unblocked”, but it’s a lengthy process, and usually by the time the site is available, the teachable moment is long gone. I’m not sure what the remedy is for this – except for teachers having the administrative password (I don’t see this happening anytime soon!). Any suggestions?

Anyways, great site… and a helping of food for thought!