III. Overview of Accommodation Solutions

A. Introduction

In preparation for a visit to an agency's accessibility support office or COCA, discussion between the manager and employee should focus on the employee's description of information access problems encountered on the job. Areas of accommodation consideration should include: 1) difficulties associated with collection, review, preparation, storage and retrieval of information, 2) difficulties with phone usage, and 3) accessibility to all information tools and systems currently available in the office or anticipated. Individual consultation is necessary to identify appropriate accommodation solutions. There is no single "best" solution for all people who are blind, or have low vision, or a mobility impairment. The functional requirements of an accommodation are determined by the nature of the job and how the individual will be using information resources.

A wide array of accommodation addons are available to meet the diversity of needs of end users with disabilities. Choosing the optimal combination of addons requires exposure to the range of possibilities and review of how each could augment the work process. After defining the tasks to be accomplished by an individual user and the anticipated functional problems associated with completing those tasks using standard equipment, vendors should be contacted to review specific descriptions, features, and capabilities of the tools that might best resolve the problem(s). Most of the accommodations currently in use have been developed for the PC environment. A number of solutions are being successfully used within Local Area Network (LAN) configurations and in terminal emulation modes to both mainframe and mini systems using a variety of operating system platforms.

Successful solutions are most readily achieved with a team approach that includes the supervisor, the end user, and a technical support person. Additional accessibility topics less directly related to information processing technologies that managers and employees should discuss include: 1) difficulties with participation in discussions and meetings, 2) additional assistance needed or currently provided through readers, personal assistants, or interpreters, and 3) architectural or physical barriers at the worksite.

A brief description of some tools frequently used by end users with disabilities follows. The review is organized by the functional limitations of vision, hearing, and mobility impairment. A more indepth discussion of many of the topics introduced here is in Appendix A: Technical Considerations in Product Selection.

B. Accommodating Users with Visual Impairments

Low Vision

The term "low vision" covers a broad range of possible conditions and types of visual impairment. The solutions offered below may be of benefit to some individuals with low vision, but not to everyone. The individual to be accommodated must be included in any product decision since no one else can see the world in exactly the same way they see it through their eyes.

• Glare Protection Screen Minimizes visual fatigue associated with glare on the monitor.
• Large Monitor with High Resolution (19" 25") Increases character size in proportion to monitor dimensions and provides a crisp, sharp image.
• Magnified display of computer screen Either software or hardware solutions exist to present the images on the computer in a larger format. Character size can be increased approximately 216 times.
• Magnified display of hardcopy material Hardware exists that will magnify any item placed under a special camera. Documents, drawings, phone messages, etc. can be seen enlarged on a special monitor.
• Large print production Several software packages are available that will print large, bold text on either a dot matrix or a laser printer.
• Copy machine with enlarging and reducing capability Provides enlarged print copies for persons with impaired vision that find magnification helpful and small print copies for persons with visual impairments such as tunnel vision which narrowly restricts the field of view.
• Color and contrast selection Systems or applications which allow the individual user to choose the color combination and level of screen brightness to be displayed.
• Keyboard orientation aids A raised dot or bleb can be added to certain keys such as the home row keys or the number five on the numeric keypad to give a tactile orientation to the keyboard to augment visual orientation.
• Other keyboard aids Adhesive backed keycap labels can be purchased and applied to the standard keyboard that have very large, bold letters. These labels can be purchased in either white on black background or black on white background.

Blind

For those users with very limited or no usable vision, accommodation options include refreshable braille display devices, synthesized speech output, optical character recognition, and braille print embossers. A common misconception among sighted users is that braille is always the best solution for blind users. Only about 10 percent of the adult blind population in the U.S. can read braille. Typically, users who have lost their vision later in life tend to rely on speech output as their access strategy rather than braille. Potential equipment addons for blind users are briefly reviewed below.

• Speech synthesizer A hardware device used in conjunction with a screen reader to convert screen contents into spoken words by using synthetic speech.
• Screen reader software Software package that allows the individual to read the screen by directing the screen contents to a speech synthesizer. The individual can choose to listen to the information appearing on the screen by the letter, word, line, entire screen, etc.
• Braille printer/embosser Several braille printers are available to provide hardcopy braille documents.
• Braille translation software and firmware Before a standard word processing document can be printed on a braille printer, it must be converted into the proper format. Both software and firmware exists that will perform this translation function.
• Refreshable braille A device with a row of braille cells that change to reflect what is being presented on the computer screen. The individual reads the screen contents using the dynamically changing braille display.
• Braille notetaker Small, portable device that allows braille code entry for notetaking, editing and storage of information.
• Braille input devices This refers not only to portable notetaking systems that can generate a file to be transferred to the PC, but also to other devices designed to be connected to the PC in place of the standard keyboard to provide for a braille input mechanism. In addition, there are software packages available that will configure a standard keyboard so it can be used for braille input.
• optical character recognition (OCR) Printed documents may be converted to speech output or written to a PC by use of an OCR configured to support use by a visually impaired person. Use of an OCR allows blind or low vision individuals to independently access many printed materials. Keyboard enhancements A raised dot or bleb, or a braille marker can be added to the standard keycaps on selected keys such as the home row keys, control, or alt keys to provide tactile keyboard orientation. In addition, auditory status indicators for toggle keys, such as "shift lock" or "num lock," can often be provided by software.
• Speech recognition Some blind computer users have begun to employ speech input systems to give voice commands and/or mouse movements instead of using the keystroke equivalent. This strategy is becoming increasingly useful with new applications employing pulldown menus that may be more difficult to access using speech output and keyboard commands alone.
• Tactile output nonbraille Tactile output such as raised line drawings may be useful for some blind individuals. Several braille printers and wax jet printers have the capability of producing raised line drawings. There are also handheld devices that use an array of vibrating pins to present a tactile outline of the characters or text under the viewing window of the device.
• CDROM There are dictionaries, encyclopedias, and magazines currently available on a CDROM format. Even for braille readers, CDROM offers a more easily manipulated, nonbulky format for accessing this type of information.
• Telephone light pen Blind individuals that use a multibutton phone set may have problems identifying which line is ringing, on hold, or not in use. A light pen is a device that will give an auditory signal when it is held next to the phoneset button that is lit or blinking.

C. Accommodating Users with Hearing Impairments

Although the general term "hearing impaired" is being used to include both deaf and hard of hearing individuals, the needs of these two groups may vary greatly. In general, deaf people depend more upon visual skills for communication and information from their environment while hard of hearing people try to enhance their usable hearing and still rely on auditory input more than visual input. This general difference drives many of the concerns and needs mentioned in this section. It is key that the individual participate in the process of identifying the accommodation solution to ensure it is the proper approach for that particular individual and their needs.

Many individuals that are hard of hearing can benefit from several of the devices available that provide amplification of standard auditory input. Both individuals with hearing aids and those who do not wear a hearing aid may benefit from use of amplification devices. It should be kept in mind that many deaf individuals also wear hearing aids. For these individuals, the hearing aid allows them to hear loud sounds, but not to discriminate speech regardless of the amount of amplification.

Many of the accommodations discussed for individuals who are deaf focus on the need for visual redundancy to augment what others hear auditorily. The supervisor should discuss with the hearing impaired employee what support structures or procedures may be necessary to perform the job. These discussions should focus on providing visual redundancy to accommodate the individual employee's communication needs relative to onetoone communications, telephone calls, meetings, and training courses. Accommodation needs vary by the individual, the communication situation, and the job function to be performed.

Considerations:

Visual redundancy on computers Ensure that important information conveyed by beeps or speech during computerrelated tasks are also displayed visually for the user unable to benefit from the auditory information.

Interpreter To accommodate hearing impaired people that communicate using American Sign Language or need an oral interpreter, professional interpreters are available on a contractual basis or may be hired by the agency. Hearing impaired individuals and their supervisors should develop a plan to ensure that interpreter services are available when necessary. Interpreters should be available onsite for interpreting at meetings, conferences, and training courses.

Hearing aid compatible phones When a person wearing a hearing aid attempts to use a telephone that is not hearing aid compatible, they often hear a very loud, high pitched squeal similar to the sound heard when a public address system exhibits a microphone feedback problem. This can be quite uncomfortable, and precludes using this telephone to carry on a conversation. Individuals with hearing aids should be provided with hearing aid compatible phones. The Hearing Aid Compatibility Act (Public Law 100394) required that by August 1989, all essential telephones and all telephones manufactured in the U.S. or imported "provide internal means for effective use with hearing aids that are designed to be compatible with telephones which meet established technical standards for hearing aid compatibility." Some individuals that wear hearing aids may still need an additional phone amplification device.

Speech amplification telephone For hard of hearing individuals, there are several methods of amplifying the speech being heard over a telephone. There are devices designed both for people who use a hearing aid and for those who do not use a hearing aid. Battery powered, portable handset amplifiers are available for calls made at other phones and on travel.

Speech amplification meeting or conversation Portable speech amplification devices may be easily set up for use in a group meeting, training course, or lecture for a person who is hard of hearing.

TDD For an employee who cannot use an amplified telephone, a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or TDD compatible device will be required to support workrelated needs. A TDD permits a hearing impaired person to communicate over a standard telephone line with another TDD user or through a relay operator to reach a nonTDD user. The TDD enables the sender to type a message that is displayed as text for the receiving party to read rather than using auditory output like a standard phone. A personal computer can also be configured to function as a TDD by adding a special modem that supports both the PC code (ASCII) and the code used by most older TDDs (Baudot). A PCbased solution should reflect a user's requirements and allow call announcement and pickup without exiting other PC application programs. TDDs that support Baudot only are rapidly becoming obsolete technology as more TDDs that support both Baudot and ASCII are being produced and used.

TDD with refreshable braille display Deaf/blind individuals may need a specialized TDD that also has a refreshable braille display unit attached. Using this device, a deaf/blind individual and a sighted manager can communicate in a facetoface situation. Both people would type their messages using the TDD keypad. What is typed on the TDD keypad is displayed on the TDD readout and on the refreshable braille display unit. This device also enables a deaf/blind individual to access the telephone system in the same way a standard TDD user would. Instead of reading the text displayed visually, the deaf/blind individual would read the refreshable braille display.

Signalling system For a person that is hard of hearing or deaf, the normal sounds and tones that alert one to take action, such as a phone ringing, may not be heard. A transmitter can be attached to a phone that will cause a light to be flashed or a personal alerting device to vibrate when the phone rings. Transmitters can be used to activate a visual signalling system for fire alarms and door buzzers in addition to telephones. For some individuals, tone ringer devices that convert the ring of telephones into a frequency range more easily heard are beneficial.

Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) The General Services Administration provides a relay operator service to support government business calls between TDD and nonTDD conversing parties. The operator serves as an intermediary between the hearing impaired or speech impaired (TDDequipped) caller in one direction and the nonTDD equipped caller in the other direction. This service is available to any federal employee as well as members of the public when calling a government office. Within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area the number is (202) 7089300 v/TDD. Outside the Washington, D.C. area the number is (800) 8778339 v/TDD. More information on this service is available in Appendix D.

Captioning Captioned videos provide the text equivalent of sounds and speech as they occur on the video. Any videobased media produced for instructional, training, or informational purposes either by the agency or for the agency should be captioned so the information presented is accessible to hearingimpaired viewers. When purchasing training tapes, permission should be obtained from the copyright holder to caption them if they are not already captioned.

Electronic mail Electronic mail presents few barriers to communication because it is essentially a visual process. Systems that provide for an interactive "chat" mode in addition to the noninteractive mail mode can greatly expand the communication possibilities for deaf or hard of hearing individuals. The chat mode may be a very viable alternative for many internal communications needs. The electronic mail system should include a feature that provides a visual indicator of message status.

Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) Access to bulletin board systems may be useful in addition to or to supplement access to electronic mail systems. Many BBS exist with information covering a wide variety of topics. A few BBS are accessible by the older Baudot only TDDs. Many more BBS are accessible using the newer TDDs with the ASCII option or the PCbased TDD compatible modems.

Fax Facsimile is the electronic transmission of letters and pictures over regular telephone lines. Sending computer generated information, hard copy documents or handwritten notes through a facsimile machine may provide a valuable alternative to telephone messaging in some situations. The noninteractive nature of fax communications makes it unsuitable as a substitute for providing TDD communication capabilities. Fax can serve as a technology supplement, to a TDD or TDD compatible device. The fax system used should provide all necessary status information and messages needed for completing the fax transmission in a visual manner. Fax machines that rely on the sender responding to tone or beep indicators are not acceptable for use by deaf or severely hard of hearing individuals. A PC fax card option may be a viable alternative to a standalone fax machine for individuals that typically transmit data that has been generated on a PC. A combination fax machine/telephone may also be an alternative to a standalone fax machine.

Pay phone TDD A pay phone TDD can be purchased or leased. Placed next to other pay phones, it ensures equivalent communications opportunities for visitors to the building who use TDDs. The TDD is in a closed case to protect it from vandalism. The case opens when a TDD is detected at the number that has been dialed. If the number being dialed is a voice and TDD number, a spoken message can be generated that informs the person answering the call that a TDD needs to be connected to respond to the caller.

Videoconferencing As videoconferencing becomes used more widely in the Federal government, the communication needs of deaf individuals should be taken into consideration. At the higher transmission rates used for videoconferencing, a sign language interpreter can still be understood on the receiving end. At lower speeds, movements blur and signs cannot be understood by the receiving individual.

Automated attendant systems If an agency or office is considering installing an automated information service with prerecorded voice messages, plans must be made for providing the same information in a text messaging mode that would support equivalent information access by TDD users. Either a singleline configuration designed to handle both hearing callers and TDD callers or two separate phone lines can be used. In either case, the number should be distinctly identified as being TDD accessible.

D. Accommodating Users with Mobility Impairments

There are a variety of accommodation solutions available for users with various degrees of mobility limitation. In addition to the actual computer or telecommunications access needs, the entire office environment should be reviewed for barriers to access. Some examples would include narrow aisles that do not allow wheelchair passage, workstation surfaces that are too high or low which may result in fatigue or render the work area inaccessible, or doors that are too heavy for the individual to open. Although many mobility impaired individuals are able to adequately determine which potential accommodation solutions would be most useful for them, others may need additional assistance. For individuals with severe mobility impairments, possibly compounded by muscle control problems or involuntary spastic movements, a professional evaluation of needs may be in order. In this case, a rehabilitation engineer or an occupational therapist may be able to provide assistance during product selection. Specific computer and telecommunications access strategies and products include:

Sequential keystroke input Software programs can be loaded that allow the user to enter keystrokes sequentially that others enter simultaneously and still achieve the same effect. For example CTRLALTDEL keys are all held down together to perform a soft reboot on a PC. With this program running, CTRL is pressed, then ALT is pressed, then DEL is pressed and a soft reboot still occurs.

Key repeat rate control Programs exist that allow the individual PC user to adjust the sensitivity level of the keyboard or completely turn off the keystroke repeat function.

Keyboard macros Software and hardware solutions exist to allow a few keystrokes to be automatically translated into multiple keystrokes. Macros reduce the number of keystrokes needed to generate a word, phrase, or paragraph. For example, an individual's initials can be used to generate the entire signature block on the screen.

Alternative keyboards Several alternative keyboards exist that may be more easily used by various mobility impaired individuals. There are small versions of keyboards and large, expanded keyboards. There are also keyboards that are not physically connected to the PC it controls, but rely on infrared transmission to a receiver attached to the PC. The standard keyboard can also be remapped to be used as a righthanded or lefthanded Dvorak keyboard for a person that types with a single hand.

Nonkeyboard dependent input devices There are a variety of alternative input devices that allow keystrokes to be generated by various mechanisms and then transmitted as if generated by the keyboard. Examples are sip and puff systems, muscle switches, optical pointer devices, Morse code input systems, and eye scanning systems.

Word prediction packages Word prediction packages may be used in conjunction with many PC application packages, keyboard enhancement products, and alternative input mechanisms. Word prediction packages try to anticipate the next word the user will be typing and display a list of choices for the user. If the word desired is not on the list, the user selects the first character of the word and the selection list changes. Word prediction can significantly reduce the number of keystrokes the user must enter from either a keyboard or an alternative input device. Some packages will change the listing of words predicted based on the users past usage. Others have a set listing of selections and a predefined presentation order.

Speech recognition Speech input can be successfully used by many individuals that are unable to access the keyboard at all or have very limited access to the keyboard. Speech recognition may be used to either supplement or replace the use of a keyboard.

Robotic devices Voice activated robotic arm devices are available in conjunction with a work station. These units provide a severely mobility impaired user with voice control of the computer and the robotic arm to perform tasks such as loading diskettes, turning pages in a book, and answering the phone. Other environmental control systems may also be attached to this system to control the room lights, blinds, and other things in the office.

Mouse alternatives For programs dependent on mouse functions, there are often keyboard commands that can provide equivalent functions. The use of a trackball may also be a viable alternative to the large sweeping motions often needed for effective utilization of a mouse.

Keyguard A keyguard is a smooth surfaced template with holes corresponding to key locations. The keyguard is placed over a standard keyboard and promotes keyboard accuracy by stabilizing the user's hand movements and preventing inadvertent multiple keystrokes.

Optical character recognition Using an OCR to convert printed documents to an ASCII file may be quite useful. Many mobility impaired individuals are able to read a document on the PC with greater ease than handling a printed version of the document.

Speaker phone For individuals unable to easily pick up or hold a telephone handset, a speaker phone may be quite useful.

Gooseneck receiver holder For individuals in an office setting where a speaker phone would not be appropriate, a flexible gooseneck arm with a clamp to hold the phone receiver may be useful. Typically, a small device would be used in the handset cradle to perform the "offhook" or "hangup" function that happens when the handset is physically placed in the handset cradle.

Phone headset Some individuals may prefer to use a phone headset that is worn on the head with a small microphone positioned in front of the mouth. Unlike the gooseneck receiver holder mentioned above, this option usually tethers the user to their phone. For an individual unable to put on and remove the headset by themselves, this would decrease their independent movement around the office.

Speed dialing Many phone systems offer enhancements that allow a short one or two digit code to be used to dial a number. For an individual who has difficulty dialing, this can be quite helpful. Some phone sets can also be purchased that have a speed dial feature built into the phone set itself. A few are available that have voice activated speed dialing.

E. Areas of Unmet Accommodation Needs

Although there is a wide range of accommodation products readily available, there are still areas of unmet need where accessibility cannot be readily achieved. Hopefully, technology advances will be able to meet these needs in the near future. A few of these areas of unmet accommodation needs will be discussed briefly in the sections below.

General

One general trend in computer and technology advancements that continues to be a problem is that accessibility is addressed as an afterthought rather than being considered from the beginning in the design of products. Rapid advances leave accommodation practices in a "catchup" role. In some cases, new products are developed that render current accommodation products useless in providing the accessibility required.

Graphical User Interface

Few technological areas are changing faster then the field of computers. The PC is less than twenty years old, yet we have already gone through several evolutionary changes. The manufacturers and designers of systems to make computers accessible to persons with disabilities have had to constantly keep up with these changes.

Once IBM introduced their PC and the Disk Operation System (DOS) became a widely excepted standard, programmers of speech, braille, large print and manufacturers of special keyboards made great strides in providing techniques to make PCs accessible. In the general software market, programmers during the eighties and early nineties began using more and more sophisticated screen layouts. The human computer interface moved into the realm of pull-down menus, color bars and special cursors. Programmers of adaptive equipment have added a variety of features to their programs to make these features accessible. Although challenging, most of these screen innovations have not posed problems that programmers could not overcome.

In the late eighties, the advent of the graphical user interface posed a very strong challenge to computer accessibility. At first, it was assumed that there was no answer to the problem. People who could not see the screen were not going to be able to access these new interfaces. The graphics screen could not be read by a speech or braille system. Fortunately, these fears have not been realized. Programmers are beginning to make advances in developing speech and braille systems that can translate the graphics screen information into an accessible form. As of this publication, these access programs are having limited success with the graphics environment. The main focus is on accessing the Windows environment. There is limited access for the Apple Mackintosh graphical interface and IBM has developed a screen reader to operate in the OS2 graphical environment.

In the realm of the graphical user interface, the biggest challenge will be to just keep up with change. Most of the access software is produced by small companies with limited resources. Producing programs that will work in the graphics environment takes many hours of manpower. The most serious problem arises when we realize that unlike the DOS environment, access programs in the graphics environment are version specific. A program written to give access to Windows version 3.1 will not work with version 3.0, and most likely will not work with Windows 4.0. Additionally, a Windows access program only works with Windows and does not give access to other graphical environments. Anyone facing the prospect of acquiring an adaptive system to work with any graphical interface should always insist on proof that the system will work in the specific environment. An on-sight demonstration of the access program to assure the employee can actually perform work with the system is highly recommended.

POSIX

Accommodation product development has not kept pace with the "addons" needed to be utilized with POSIXcompliant systems. Many people with disabilities are left with only one option. This option is to add the appropriate accommodation tools to a personal computer running a VT100 or VT220 emulation as an interface to the POSIXcompliant operating system. The problem is that not all the commands and keystrokes needed are available through these emulations. Better emulation solutions and accommodation products designed for POSIXcompliant operating systems are needed to fill the existing technology gap for people with disabilities.

Local Area Networks (LANs)

Even though many people using accommodation products are able to access and work within LAN environments, this is not true of all LANs. Many accommodation products have software that runs in a terminatestayresident (TSR) mode. On some LANs there are memory management problems between the accommodation TSRs and the LAN software. Other LANs will automatically terminate any TSR programs running when the workstation accesses the LAN. In addition to these potential software incompatibilities, there may also be conflicts between the LAN boards and some of the accommodation product boards. Often the board level conflicts can be resolved, but not always.

Telephone Status Indicators

For many years, blind individuals have had few difficulties in working with telephones. For those with multiline sets, a specialized light probe could be used to determine which of the indicator lights was lit, and whether it was solidly lit or blinking. With the change to newer style phonesets, the smaller, red indicator lights are not detectable by the light probes. Several of the newer phone features, such as using a light emitting diode (LED) display to indicate that messages are waiting and to display the numbers to be called, are inaccessible to individuals who are blind or have low vision. Having auditory redundancy added for these features would be helpful.

F. End User Training Considerations and Options

Training is another key element of accommodation. Both the initial training with the new accommodation equipment and ongoing career development training should be taken into consideration. When new equipment has been procured, both the end user and the technical support personnel involved in the accommodation effort should receive training. The amount of training required varies with the individual and the technology employed. Training may range from computerassisted tutorials to formal instruction. The support personnel should be almost as familiar with the accommodation hardware and software as the end users in order to provide good ongoing support. Training is also necessary for management personnel. The first line supervisor should be the primary focus of this training. The supervisor should have an appreciation of the accommodation taking place, the technology being utilized, and its relation to the other tasks in the office.

For the user just learning to use a personal computer, training in general PC use is needed in addition to the training focused on the accommodation equipment the individual will be using with their PC. Agency managers in charge of training should be prepared to include employees with disabilities in the standard training courses offered. The individual should have some training on their accommodation addons prior to training on new systems or applications. This preliminary training will allow the employees with disabilities to focus on the application training course itself rather than on the accommodationrelated procedures.

If the training center does not offer adequate computer accessibility on their computer workstations, the training center will need to make arrangements for the accommodations used by the employee to be installed on the training center PC for the duration of the course. The training center should be prepared to answer questions about serial or parallel port availability, connector type (e.g. 25 pin male, or 9 pin female), and type of monitor (e.g. EGA, VGA, CGA, or monochrome). They should also be supportive of making the computer system available the day before the class is scheduled to begin so the necessary accommodation addons can be installed and tested. The course instructor should take a little time prior to the beginning of the course to become familiar with the rudimentary elements of the accommodation packages being used. As with any training course for any nondisabled employee, the documentation and course notebook are an important part of the total training package. Every effort should be made to provide documentation to the user in the most useful format possible. Frequently requested formats may include braille, audio tape, large print, or ASCII diskette. When an individual registering for a course identifies their disability, they should be asked the format they prefer. The assumption should not be made that "all blind students will want braille" or that "all students with low vision will want large print." If video tapes are used for training, they should be available in a captioned format for use by hearing impaired individuals.

Additional ideas that may be useful for training center managers or managers preparing to send an employee with a disability to a training class are listed below.

For a student who is blind these ideas include:

• Have a reader or personal assistant with a blind person for the first morning of training to help orient the person to the keyboard, drive slot, etc.
• Put tactile dots on the keyboard that will be used in training to provide home row key orientation and any special keys the instructor will be directing the students to use during the course of training.
• If the training center does not offer adequate computer accessibility, have the computer support person for the area set up the employee's screen reader and synthesizer at the training center the day before training is due to begin.
• For braille readers, have any "cheat sheets," such as function key assignments, available in braille.
• For all class workbooks available in braille, the page numbers should reference the print page number.
• Instructors should be reminded to read aloud any instructions or material written on the board or on overheads used throughout the course.
• Many students that are blind may want to make an audio recording of the training for their own use. If contractor trainers are being used, they should be aware of this and not prevent the student from recording the course. Courses that involve materials requiring security safeguards would be an exception.
• The instructor or class coordinator should be prepared to give directions to the break area, restrooms, phones, etc. in a clear manner that does not depend on visual references such as, "the room with the blue door." Directions given stating the distance, or the number of doorways on the left or right would be more usable by a blind individual.

For individuals with low vision, the following ideas may be helpful:

• Large print display monitors would be a nice addition to any training center and provide a benefit to many students that may utilize the center. Both large print display of computer screen contents and large print display of hard copy materials would useful.
• Large print keycap labels would be quite easy and inexpensive for a training center to add to one or more of their keyboards. Tactile dots on the keyboard are also useful to many students by giving a tactile orientation to the keyboard to supplement the visual orientation.
• Provide copies of transparencies, slides, or material normally printed on the board. Provide these in large print if possible. For individuals who are deaf, the following suggestions have been given:
• Have an adequate number of sign language interpreters so they can be easily seen and have adequate time off between sessions.
• Prearrange for hearing impaired students to share notes taken in class by nonhearing impaired students. This may be facilitated by not grouping all the individuals with hearing impairments together. Sharing notes may also be facilitated by supplying the student designated as the notetaker with paper that produces a carbonless duplicate.
• Prior to giving verbal instructions, the instructor should be sure the deaf individual is looking at the interpreter. Flashing the room lights is a simple and effective means of getting everyone's attention.
• If verbal instructions given are lengthy or involve processes the student will then be asked to perform, such as a computer exercise, it may be difficult for the student to watch the interpreter and accurately record the instructions. Preparing instructions prior to the class and giving the student a printed copy would be helpful.
• The instructor or class coordinator should be prepared to give instructions to the students for the location of a public use TDD similar to giving hearing students the location of a pay phone.

For individuals who are hard of hearing the suggestions include:

• Have the classrooms equipped with an assistive listening system. These systems can be either permanently installed or portable.
• Be sure all the instructors understand assistive listening systems and know they must use the microphone for the system to work.
• Instructors should be careful not to talk to the class while their back turned is to the class, or obstruct their mouth with their hands, a pencil, etc. while they are talking. Many hard of hearing individuals depend on visual cues to aid in their understanding and need to see the instructors lips clearly.
• Instructors should clearly repeat any questions raised by the class participants prior to giving the answer to ensure everyone has heard the question. This is particularly true if the instructor is using an assistive listening device and the question was not spoken through the system microphone.
• Care should be taken to minimize unnecessary outside noise that might make hearing more difficult.

For mobility impaired individuals attending training, the suggestions include:

• Prearrange for mobility impaired students that would have trouble taking notes to share notes taken in class by another student. This may be facilitated by supplying the student designated as the notetaker with paper that produces a carbonless duplicate.
• Ensure there is adequate space in the classroom to accommodate a wheelchair or a scooter if the student uses either of these.
• Be sure all instructors know the location of the accessible restrooms nearest the classroom location and alternate locations if that facility is not available.

• Other types of training:

  In addition to standard classroom training situations, people with disabilities may benefit from other types of training media. Training videotapes, audio cassette tapes, onetoone training, and training centers that specifically focus on the training needs of people with disabilities may all be options to supplement traditional classroom training experiences. Which type of training is most appropriate is a decision that should be made jointly between the manager and the individual.

  Considerations include:

  • The nature of the material being taught.
  • Level of difficulty, length of the course, etc.
  • Is it on a topic that is routinely taught, such as PC application courses, or something unique, such as a particular piece of accommodation equipment?
  • Is the training media accessible?
  • Are videotapes captioned for deaf and severely hard of hearing individuals?
  • Are audio cassettes indexed to make finding the proper section of the tape easier?
  • Is the training being done for just one individual or for an entire group?

  Although there are training centers that specifically focus on training individuals with a disability, managers should not assume this is the training of choice. In many cases, if the entire office is going to be receiving training for a new system, the individual with a disability would prefer to receive the same training as their coworkers. The training center performing the training for the office should make every effort to ensure the individual is properly accommodated and can attend the course with their coworkers. In addition, the standard training centers may be the only source for some of the courses needed by the individual.

  In some cases, training that is designed specifically for people with disabilities will be the best alternative for the individual and the manager. If the regularly used training center is unable to accommodate the individual's needs, or does not offer the courses needed, specialized training may be the best alternative. Several specialized training centers exist that charge no more for their training courses than the standard training centers.

  Management and supervisory training conducted by the agency should also include a component on accessibility and accommodation. In addition to general "sensitivity training," managers need to be aware of the range of possible computer and telecommunications accommodation solutions currently available. Federal government managers, employees, or groups of agency personnel that may want to see some of the computer and telecommunications solutions discussed in this handbook, can arrange for an informal demonstration at the COCA technical resource center. Please call COCA for more information or to arrange a consultation or demonstration. Hearing callers may call 2025014906. TDD callers may call 2025012010. Appendix C provides a listing of other Federal government resources.

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  COCA Handbook Section 3 / modified September 2, 1994