Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore both accessibility and usability and examine the inhibitors and methods to evaluate site accessibility. Design techniques which improve end-user access and site interactivity, demonstrated by practical examples, are also studied. Design/methodology/approach: Assesses various web sites for…

Today we are confronted with a new challenge in product development: "Diversity" needs to be implemented in the engineering design and development teams. Such diversity means to "mirror" within the teams the characteristics of different customer groups: the two genders, the different age groups, and the different cultural…

The purpose of this article is to examine Universal Design (UD) applied to instruction as a means of promoting educational access to higher education, not only for students with disabilities but also for a broad range of diverse learners now very much a part of the fabric of higher education. A brief overview of UD is provided. Seminal literature…

Think of New England higher education and one probably thinks of ivy-covered brick or perhaps 1950s concrete, but the environment of New England's college campuses is far more diverse, more complex, more daring, and more educational than the stereotype. It is changing fast, thanks to profound forces such as consumerization among students,…

In this article, the author talks about the importance of competence and how to be competent. Feeling competent is pretty important to a person in the places where he lives and works. Competence is also important to kids. That sense of "I can do it" fuels the child's drive to explore and succeed well. However, competence is always a moving target…

The objective of this report is to answer the big questions about whether in the foreseeable future most school overcrowding in New York City will be eliminated and all city children will have class sizes and access to school libraries, science labs, art/music rooms, and physical fitness activities that are the norm for students in the rest of the…

This article presents findings from research in a school district using handhelds to support writing across the curriculum. The authors report that handheld devices can be useful to foster classroom note-taking activities, assist students who have handwriting difficulties, and provide inspiration to teachers who want to create collaborative and…

This mix of presentation graphis, forms, and text presents guidelines for developing a school-district policy for selecting consultants to design and carry out school-building projects. The specific policy presented is that of the Bellevue (Washington) School District. The manual describes how to: (1) develop a written consultant-selection policy;…

In an increasingly technological environment, traditional teaching presentation methods such as the podium, overhead, and transparencies are no longer sufficient. This document serves as a guide to designing and planning an electronic classroom for "bidirectional" communication between teacher and student. Topics include: (1) determining…

Presenting specifications for the design and construction of a new campus for Arizona's Coconino Community College (CCC), this report reviews requirements related to the layout of the physical plant, the quality of building materials, and the incorporation of educational technology. The first section describes the mission of the new Flagstaff…

Designed as a special continuing education program for rehabilitation professionals, this document is divided into five lessons. Lesson 1, "Technology Assessment: Determining the Needs" (Ricardo G. Cerna), includes discussion on technology assessment and determining the needs of the clients as well as different types of assistive…

Findings of a survey of educational plants in Dade County, Florida, are presented in this document. The survey's purpose is to aid in formulating plans for housing the educational activities of district students and staff. Volume 1 contains facilities lists for elementary, middle, and high schools; vocational technical centers; exceptional…

This report provides a summary of the 2-year IVSET (Interactive Videodisc for Special Education Technology ) project which refined microcomputer and videodisc system hardware, produced instructional packages, and investigated the system effectiveness. These activities built on the achievements of a pilot project which had developed a preliminary…

This description of an interactive instructional computer program in sentence combining for upper elementary and middle school students begins by summarizing the content of the program, which focuses on the instructional technique in which students are given two or more short simple sentences to combine into one longer, complex and/or compound…

Guidelines and sample designs for the construction or renovation of libraries providing services to blind and handicapped individuals are introduced by brief discussions of the responsibilities of members of the planning team, planning prerequisites, funding, and architect and site selection. Barrier-free designs are then suggested for the entry…