New Web Resource for Faculty from University of Maryland University College (UMUC) on Accessibility in Distance Education

UMUC’s new Accessibility in Distance Education (ADE) Web site has been designed to meet the needs of faculty who are teaching students with disabilities in the online environment. The ADE site explains accessibility problems that students with disabilities are likely to encounter in navigating Web-based resources, and shows faculty members how they can address and resolve these problems. The site also seeks to provide faculty with information about different types of disabilities, relevant laws, and best accessibility practices.

After viewing the ADE site faculty members will have a comprehensive understanding of how the online environment impacts people with disabilities and how they can address accessibility issues in online courses. The site provides numerous accessibility scenarios and shows ways that faculty can work with the available support services to resolve problems. There are wise words of advice from faculty members and students who participated in this project, and a special section on “Best Practices” shows how learning components ranging from websites to multimedia lectures can be made accessible.

The ADE Web site has been produced by the Center for the Virtual University (CVU) and the Center for Accessibility in Distance Education (CADE), in the Office of Distance Education and Lifelong Learning at UMUC. The site has been funded with generous support from NEC Foundation of America and Verizon Foundation.

We hope that online faculty members will find the ADE site attractive and useful for their purposes. If you would like to send feedback about the site or sign up to be on the CADE mailing list, visit the Contact Us page on the ADE site.

Please visit the ADE site at:
http://www.umuc.edu/ade