Access Technology for Student with Disabilities

The purpose of this WebQuest is to present best practices and procedures to accommodate students with disabilities using accessible technology and alternate media formats.

According to Eskridge Law Firm, California’s definition of disability is that physical or mental disability require a limitation upon a major life activity. Meaning that limitations that make working, public activities, physical or mental activities challenging, is a disability under the California law. Once postsecondary institutions and educators identify a student with disabilities and has records of such impairment it is important to understand that key legislative mandates are in place to protect a student with disabilities. Federal legislation Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1998 require non-discriminatory academic opportunities to students with disabilities. Not only it is important that all student be treated equally, but more important is to distinguish their differences to help them improve skills and discover their own learning style and strategies. (Habermann, 2013)

Education institutions are required to work to identify and implement reasonable accommodations that provide equal access to education for students with disabilities. Colleges in California have Disabled Student Programs Services (DSPS) services to help students with disabilities identify best academic practices that help them achieve educational goals and academic success. A very important aspect of DSPS that once a disabled student is accepted in the program, counselors will recommend reasonable academic accommodations to provide equal educational opportunities. Once recommendations are in place, a student with a disability may request that those accommodations be implemented. Students with disabilities will receive accommodations though DSPS High Tech Center (HTC) computer lab and with their instructors. When a school provides a well-designed computer technology center, disabled students will  access a wealth of opportunities and provisions when using the various readily available technology programs. (Brown et al., 1989) DSPS High Tech Centers provide the appropriate technological opportunities for using a variety of readily available programs and services that disabled students benefit from when they are enabeled to access academic information.