Services for Students with Disabilities
Providing
services for students with disabilities requires institutions to describe the specific
services available to disabled students.
Equally important, however, is the need to ensure that all Web pages developed
by your institution are accessible. To accomplish this, you must at least provide a
text-only version of all Web pages. Ideally, they should conform to the World
Wide Web (W3C) Content Accessibility Guidelines, which explain how to make
Web content accessible to people with disabilities. These guideline emphasize the
importance of providing text equivalents of non-text content such as images, pre-recorded
audio, and video. They provide three conformance levels. For an easy way to analyze your
institution’s pages, test them using Bobby,
a free service based on W3C guidelines. Although
there are some important aspects of accessible web page design that can not yet be tested
by Bobby, it is a useful first step to ensure accessible web page design. See Lane Community College
Good
Practice Recommendations
Include
general information. Provide site
visitors with a basic understanding of the services available to students with
disabilities from the disabled student services department of your institution. Also include useful information such as a glossary
of terms, policies, and ADA/504 regulations. (University of Wisconsin)
List
eligibility and documentation requirements.
Specify the disabilities that qualify and make clear what documentation is required
to receive services. (Ferris
State University)
Identify
and describe available services. Inform
students of the various services available. (Iowa State University)
Link
to related sites. Numerous Web sites
already exist that provide useful information for students with disabilities. Linking to
these sites is far easier than developing original material. (Illinois State University)
Features
to Consider
Provide a faculty/staff guide to referring or working with students with disabilities. (Eastern Michigan University)
Offer
career information specifically for students with disabilities. (University of Montana)