Where It's AT – Assistive Technology Blog

Assistive Technology Lawsuits to Watch

As 2011 draws to a close, TAP would like to note that it was a year that included several important or interesting AT-related lawsuits worth watching. The outcomes of these lawsuits could have a big impact on assistive technology users in the years to come!

March 2011: National Federation of the Blind filed a complaint with the Department of Justice against Northwestern University, New York University, and several Oregon universities. The complaint concerned the schools’ use of Google Apps for Education in their classrooms. Google Apps for Education is a free software suite that Google describes as “free email and collaboration tools for schools.”  It was discovered that not all of the components of Google Apps for Education are fully accessible to screen reader programs used by persons who use screen readers to access information on their computers.  The complaint contends that by using Google Apps for Education as a primary means of sharing educational materials that are not fully accessible, universities deny equal educational opportunities to students and other members of the university community who
have visual or print disabilities.

More about the complaint here: http://www.nfb.org/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=771  It should be noted that in September, Google did make changes to Google Docs, which is a component of the Google Apps for Education suite.  Read MDTAP’s review of
Google Docs in its previous post!

Beginner Tip # 4 – Form Labels

Difficulty:
Beginner

Category:

• Presentation
• Structure
• Validation

Most types of form elements (text boxes, text areas, checkboxes, radio buttons, etc.) have a text label adjacent to them that identifies the function of that particular form element (e.g., “First name” adjacent to a text box). Sighted users make a visual associate between a label and its corresponding form element based on proximity and positioning. A user who is blind cannot make this visual association, so the label must be programmatically associated with its form element using the HTML <label> tag. When properly associated, a screen reader will read the text label when it encounters the form element.

<label for=”fname”>First name:</label> <input type=”text” id=”fname”>

For more information, see Creating Accessible Forms.

Launched by the University of Maryland College Park, The Maryland Community Service Locator makes it possible to find approximately 9,000 health, social service and criminal justice resource programs in Maryland. Just enter an address, city/state, or zip code and you can find a range of services to meet most social needs.

Visit http://www.mdcsl.org/advantagecallback.asp?template=map_search to start your search for services.

Beginner Tip #3 – Conveying Information Using Color Alone

Difficulty: Beginner

Category:

• Presentation

Avoid using color or other stylistic differences as the only means of conveying information or meaning. Blind users do not care about  the color, font size, or styling of text, so long as the visual aspects of that text are not used to convey content. Screen readers generally do not present stylistic information to the end user. Users with certain types of color deficiencies (color blindness) may not be able to differentiate certain color combinations. Users with low vision may override page colors. Each of these may have difficulty differentiating content based on color alone. The following relies on color to convey information:

The green mushrooms listed here are OK to eat. The red mushrooms will kill you.

• Amanita
• Chanterelle
• Porcini
• Shitake
• Tylopilus

This can be made accessible by simply creating two lists – one for mushrooms that OK to eat and one for mushrooms that will kill you.

Assistive Technology Lawsuits to Watch

As 2011 draws to a close, TAP would like to note that it was a year that included several important or interesting AT-related lawsuits worth watching. The outcomes of these lawsuits could have a big impact on assistive technology users in the years to come! Over the coming weeks, stay tuned as we explore some of the most significant lawsuits from 2011.

January 2011:
Disability Rights Advocates and the United Spinal Association filed a class action lawsuit against New York City for failing to provide taxis with lifts or other modifications that would make them accessible to persons who use wheelchairs.  Of the city’s 13,237 yellow cabs, only 231 are currently accessible.  In October 2011, the Department of Justice filed a brief in support of
the lawsuit, suggesting that the federal government is paying close attention to accessible transportation issues. Read more about the lawsuit here: http://disabilityrightsgalaxy.com/2011/10/16/justice-department-joins-nyc-taxi-accessibility-lawsuit/

Are you in nursing facility but would like to move out?

Are you unable to communicate your needs, thoughts, and desires?

Would you be willing to use technology to help you “speak”?

Then you might be eligible for a communication device through the Voice for Freedom Project!

The Voice for Freedom Program is a project run jointly by the Maryland Department of Disabilities Technology Assistance Program (MD TAP) and the Freedom Center. The goal of the project is to provide augmentative communication devices to non-speaking nursing facility residents who qualify for the LAH Waiver so they can communicate preferences, coordinate services, and eventually move into the community. MD TAP provides the facility resident with a communication evaluation provided by a speech language pathologist, device purchase, and additional device training. As an AT provider (only for communication devices) for the LAH Waiver, MD TAP can receive reimbursement for device purchases once the individual has a transition date identified in the plan of service, thus allowing the program to recycle funds to purchase additional devices and create a sustainable, long-term integral program for Marylanders with communication disorders and support community transition for facility residents.

For more information on this program, contact Lori Markland with the Maryland Technology Assistance Program at 1-800-832-4827, lmarkland@mdtap.org or the Freedom Center at 301- 846-7811.