Mid-Atlantic Regional Technology in Education Consortium   1301 Cecil B. Moore Ave. Ritter Annex 9th Floor Temple University - CRHDE Philadelphia, PA 19122 800-892-5550 215-204-5130 (fax) General Inquires: Laurence Peters Johann Sarmiento Judith Stull   Technical Assistance: Barry Mansfield   Professional Development: Joan Pasternak Temple University Center for Research in Human Development and Education Does the software present images that flash too fast or too slow? An optically induced seizure may result if the screen flickers too fast or too slow. If an educator suspects that specific instructional software may have a problem, they must request verification from the software producer. Instructional software with a frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz should not be purchased for any students. There is no accommodation or alternative instructional strategy to fix this problem. Since educators cannot predict who may have a tendency toward seizures, they must avoid software with flickering images. If the software is not compatible with screen readers such as JAWS for Windows and Window-Eyes, which read aloud (textual) information presented on the computer screen, several accommodations can be made. Testing for compatibility requires teachers to use a screen reader with the instructional content. Again, in this situation, teachers should consider the student’s abilities and needs. If a student’s screen reader does not work with the educational software, a screen magnification system such as ZoomText or BigShot might work. Another alternative is to use a learning system, such as Kurzweil 3000 or WYNN Reader that may work with the chosen instructional software or online content.   Conclusion If digital content is not accessible to students with physical and mental disabilities, educators may employ instructional strategies and accommodations to help their students access the content. Teachers should first consider their students’ capacity and needs and then select software and hardware that might allow access to the digital content. Teachers should also consider teaching strategies and behaviors that may support the learner. However, teachers should not group students unless all they all can participate as equal learning partners. References COMAR (1999). 13A.05.02 Administration of services for students with disabilities. Retrieved February 2004, from http://www.msde.state.md.us/technology/comar13a.htm Rose, D. & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning. Retrieved March 2004, from http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes Previous     Page 1 2  3 4  Copyright 2001 © MARTEC