AccessSTEM

Many keyboards have a Windows key which will bring up the start menu. The keyboard combination Ctrl+Esc also brings up this menu. The up and down arrow keys allow you to move through the menu items. Those items with a submenu are visually indicated with a small black triangle/arrowhead. These submenus may also branch out further into other submenus. The Esc key allows you to go back one step in the navigation process. Once you have arrived at the desired item, pressing the Enter key acts in the same way as a left-mouse click to make a choice.

Some web browsers are more accessible than others for users with disabilities. In order to be accessible, a web browser, like any other software product, must have an interface that is accessible. For example, the browser must be operable by keyboard only (for people who are unable to use the mouse), and it must be compatible with assistive technologies such as screen readers. In addition to having an accessible interface, web browsers must be capable of presenting web content in an accessible way, provided that the web author practiced accessible web design techniques.

Course curricula can be enriched by integrating accessibility for people with disabilities as a topic for discussion and application. Students whose education includes an opportunity to learn about accessibility may be more likely to practice accessible design techniques and implement universal design in their future careers.

Dr. Stephanie Ludi, software engineering professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology, is working to increase the participation of people with visual impairments in computing fields. The Robotics Track, part of the 2009 National Federation of the Blind Youth Slam summer camp, is designed for high school students who have visual impairments and would like to learn more about computing.

Although people who are blind use speech output systems to read aloud electronic documents, tactile formats are often most effective in highly technical disciplines such as mathematics, physics, computer science, and engineering. Braille translation software translates electronic documents into braille code. From these files, a refreshable braille display can present tactile braille or a braille embosser can produce a hard-copy on special paper.

Dr. Jon Gunderson, Director of IT Accessibility Services at the University of Illinois at Urbana/Campaign, provided a web accessibility training event to postsecondary staff and faculty at the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. The Tools and Techniques for Accessible Web Content event shared best practices and reviewed accessibility management and visualization tools used to improve the design and verification of the functional accessibility of web resources. After the event Dr.

XML is short for Extensible Markup Language and is a specification from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). It is not a replacement for HTML but is one level up: It is a meta-syntax, used to define new markup languages. XML's key benefits are its extensibility (XML-based languages can be extended with new custom tags) and its portability (XML-based languages can be used across different platforms and devices).

Standard print textbooks are often not accessible to students with disabilities. A number of disabilities—such as blindness, low vision, learning disabilities, or mobility impairments—may make standard print very difficult or completely impossible to read. In such cases, the transformation of print textbooks into alternate formats is often necessary. Common alternate formats include Braille, large print, audio, or electronic text.

The Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 strives to improve the legal definition of "disability" and strengthen the focus of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on preventing discrimination.

The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) maintains Accommodation and Compliance Series: The ADA Amendments Act of 2008 to share implications of the legislation and updates from the courts and the government.

Tactile graphics, sometimes referred to as the haptic sensory modality, deliver information through touch. They often accompany Braille textbooks to convey content in maps, charts, building layouts, schematic diagrams, and images of geometric figures. Tactile graphics are often handmade by Braille transcribers as part of Braille textbook production. In some cases, the creation of tactile graphics is facilitated by automated processes using various software applications. Some methods used to create tactile graphics are described below.