Introduction

Accessibility Resources and Technology

My goals for this blog are simple and they will undoubtedly adapt as I explore and learn. For this first post, I would like to outline what I hope to accomplish:

1. Establish an easy to navigate blog for students and the general public interested in the possibilities of expanding disability access through emerging accessible technology.
2. Network with other established resource providers and caches to customize a list of accessible technology resources for students attending Bellingham Technical College (BTC).
3. Personally try out accessible technology and open educational resources and review them in order that blog readers can have informed direction as to what options exist.
4. Have fun and develop my knowledge of the exciting fields of accessibility technology and open educational resources and the equity they can bring to education and the workplace.

Image sourced from: http://edtrust.org/the-equity-line/

A main focus of this blog will be on equity. In the image above, we have three individuals of varying heights attempting to view a baseball game over a fence. In the equality model, everyone has the same size block to stand on to see over the fence. In the equity model, everyone has a block appropriate to their height. Accessible technology is similar to the blocks in the images above: if everything is made equal, not everyone with have the access they need. If the focus is on equity, however, each individual has the tools to adapt to the situation at hand in order to achieve their goals or even simply participate. 

To finish this first post off, here is a great video created by the University of Washington which discusses the need for accessible technology: