Quorum is an evidence-based programming language. It is designed to be accessible to everyone, in particular to individuals who are blind and use a screen reader technology. It is used by many schools for the blind to teach programming.
Find more about Quorum on the Quorum website and/or view the video Quorum: An Accessible Programming Language. Try programming yourself by following one of the Quorum tutorials.
My name is Robbie and I am blind. I have been using computers for several years and consider myself "computer-proficient". I access the computer via a combination of speech output (Jaws for Windows™) and a dynamic Braille display. I am presently enrolled in the Computer Programming program at the local community college. One of the courses required in the program is Database Concepts. The Database Application used in this course is Microsoft Access, an application that is run under Microsoft Windows™, a point-and-click environment.
The exam must be accessible to the student with a disability. If the exam in its existing format is not accessible (e.g., a printed exam is not accessible to a blind student) you are required to work with the student and disabled student services staff to provide appropriate accommodations (e.g., a reader or scribe, a Braille or electronic version of the test).
Yes. It is most helpful if all speakers identify themselves by name prior to responding to a question or making a discussion comment. Any demonstrations or visual aides will also need to be verbally described.
When writing text or equations on the board or in PowerPoint, it is important to clearly say aloud what is being written. When mathematical expressions and formulae are involved, attention to detail, such as capitalization and the placement of parentheses, is crucial. If graphs are presented, the features relevant to the material being covered should be described during the lecture. Avoid vague terms such as "this", "that", "here", and "there".
Computer-Using Educators, Inc. (CUE), formerly the Technology in Education International Conference and Exposition (TechEd), employs the promising practice of including a presentation strand dedicated to the topic of technology and people with disabilities. Titles of talks in the strand have included:
Chat rooms can sometimes present a difficult web challenge for people with disabilities.
A project was led by the DO-IT(Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking and Technology) Center in collaboration with University Libraries at the University of Washington in Seattle. The project goal was to teach librarians and other educators about assistive technology and accessible information technology (IT) design through the development and dissemination of a video presentation, brochures, and a presentation manual. The materials created were presented at many librarian and educator conferences throughout the United States.
The Alliance for Access to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (AccessSTEM), which is funded by the National Science Foundation created an Accessibility Review Competition as a way to improve the accessibility of local science education programs and to develop the leadership skills of students with disabilities.
Undergraduate research fellowships (URFs) can have a transformative effect on students with disabilities entering science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) fields. At the Eastern Alliance for Students with Disabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics2 (EAST-2) URFs were funded opportunities for students to propose research and collaborate with faculty mentors at the University of Southern Maine (USM).