NETWORKING YOUR CAMPUS: PROVIDING DISABILITY RELATED INFORMATION THROUGH THE WORLD WIDE WEB
Olivia Raynor, Ph.D., OTR
Director, National Arts and Disability Center
UCLA University Affiliated Program
300 Medical Plaza, Ste. 3330
Los Angeles, CA 90095-6967
Voice: 310-794-1141; Fax:310-794-1143
email: oraynor@npih.mednet.ucla.edu
Patrick Burke
Adaptive Technology Analyst, Disabilities and Computing Program
email: burke@ucla.edu
Kelly Stack
Senior Technical Analyst, UCLA Office of Academic Computing Microcomputer Support Office
email: stack@mic.ucla.edu
Daniel Hilton Chalfen, Ph.D.
Coordinator, Disabilities and Computing Program
email: danny@ucla.edu
Dave Green
Assistant to the Coordinator, ADA & 504 Compliance Office
email: dgreen@saonet.ucla.edu
Web Posted on: December 12, 1997
With the surge of Internet usage throughout higher education, today's technology can be instrumental in providing information about your university or college campus. Although increasingly we are seeing more accessible university and college Web sites, these sites do not contain comprehensive information about their services and programs for persons with disabilities. Access Web is a Web site of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) http://www.ucla.edu/access/ linking students, faculty and visitors with disabilities to campus services and programs. UCLA's Access Web exemplifies how to use the Web to build bridges to existing campus information resources that are not currently universally accessible to persons with disabilities. This presentation describes
- 1) the history, mission and goals of Access Web;
- 2) the Web site development process;
- 3) description of Access Web
- 4) Access Web as an advocacy activity; and
- 5) on-going and future plans.
HISTORY, MISSION AND GOALS
In January 1996, the Access Web committee, representing a number of departments and programs within UCLA that provide accommodations and services to persons with disabilities was established. Our mission was to develop a Web site that would provide information about the University's accessibility to persons with disabilities on the Internet. The committee consists of representatives from the Office of Academic Computing, Office for Students with Disabilities, the Chancellor's ADA & 504 Compliance Office, University Library, Disabilities and Computing Program, and the National Arts and Disability Center.
There are two major goals related to the development of Access Web. The first goal is to provide an entry point for Internet users to be linked to UCLA disability-related services. In accordance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, UCLA conducted a Self Evaluation Study and formulated a Transition Plan to modify existing programs and make them accessible. The issue of Technology is covered by UCLA's Self Evaluation and Transition Plan based on Section 35.163 of the ADA's Nondiscrimination Statement. This section requires public entities to provide information to individuals with disabilities concerning accessible services, activities, and facilities. Additionally, the requirement includes signage to direct individuals to locations with information about accessible facilities and features. Access Web is intended to demonstrate the commitment of a major research university to provide accessibility throughout the range of its programs and services.
The second goal was to make disability accommodation information available from all relevant UCLA departments, not just those with Web servers. For those services and programs that do not have Web sites, telephone, TTY and fax numbers are provided.
WEB SITE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
We were fortunate at UCLA to have significant technological resources available to support the development of the web site. These resources included: microcomputers, software, departmental local area networks, a campus backbone network with a T3 connection to the Internet, and space for the Access Web on the main UCLA Web server, which has 24 hour, 7 day support. In addition, staff from the UCLA Disabilities and Computing Program administer the Access Web, and provide the HTML programming with an emphasis on accessibility. Most of our meetings were conducted in special media classrooms at the University Research Library or the Office of Academic Computing. Equipped with a backbone-connected microcomputer and projection equipment, these classrooms allowed us to work as a group, viewing and updating Web pages in real time. Individual tasks related to Access Web were accomplished outside of committee meetings. We used an internal Web site, and listserv email list to communicate in between meetings. The Access Web group email list proved to be an excellent way to post "to-do" lists, and advise HTML programmers and other committee members of new information.
The initial planning committee recognized that it was important to expand the Access Web committee to include as many departments and services within the University as possible. We wanted to ensure representation from all UCLA entities concerned with staff, faculty, students, and community services and programs. By establishing a broad based work group we were able to identify and later query appropriate services and programs we wanted readily identified for persons with disabilities campus wide.
A representative from the Office of Academic Computing served as the coordinator of the project. In this capacity, the coordinator led the meetings, summarized the "to do" lists for committee members, and served as a group facilitator. The coordinator made recommended changes directly into HTML format during the meetings and the group browsed the results on our site in real time.
During the meetings we also browsed and discussed other relevant home pages on the Internet. Published sites by campuses and/or organizations known for their excellent services and programs for persons with disabilities were reviewed. Typically disability related information, services or programs were hidden on low-level pages and therefore difficult to find.
The activities of the committee meetings included: assigning committee members tasks to review and acquire information about relevant UCLA program/services/Web sites; creating subdivisions for major headings and developing an organizing framework for the Access Web home page. Once we had developed a preliminary home page we sought feedback from potential users outside the project. Modifications of the site were made based on comments received.
We needed to identify a symbol for directing consumers to our site from other UCLA home pages. After reviewing available information and choices, we selected the universal symbol for access (i.e., white wheelchair with blue background) to direct consumers to our site. Although we are aware that the wheelchair symbol does not represent all disability groups, and would not be the symbol of choice for those groups not wanting to be aligned with the medical model, we felt that it is the only available symbol with immediate international recognition.
DESCRIPTION OF ACCESS WEB
The information contained on Access Web is organized into four formats:
- 1. Frequently Used Departments: Examples of frequently used departments at UCLA are the Office for Students with Disabilities and the ADA & 504 Compliance Office. These departments are experienced in directing or implementing accommodations for access to a broad range of UCLA campus activities.
- 2. Topic Areas: Information on the Web site is organized under the following topic headings: "Services, Access and Mobility"; "Getting Involved"; "Health and Wellness"; "Problems or Concerns"; and "What's New?"
- 3. The Consumer's Relationship to UCLA: This format is designed for consumers who may prefer to browse the site based on their relationship to UCLA as students, employees, or visitors. Programs or services that are student or employee specific are identified as well as the appropriate contacts for accommodations or information for visitors to the University.
- 4. Alphabetized Listing of Services and Programs: The fourth format is designed to provide a comprehensive alphabetical list of all services and programs on the Web site. Within each of the departments or programs listed there are staff with expertise in disability-related issues as it pertains to their area. For example, within Campus Human Resources, ADA and employment is a disability-related issue connected to their specialty.
- Campus Human Resources
- The Chancellor's ADA & 504 Compliance Office
- Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Disability
- Cultural and Recreational Affairs
- Disabilities and Computing Program
- Disability Awareness Month
- Disability Legal Society
- Disabled Student Housing Appeals Board
- Faculty and Staff Service Center
- Fitness Program: Rehabilitation Services
- Health and Disability Benefits
- Health and Safety Programs
- Injury Prevention Program
- Medical Center Human Resources
- National Arts and Disability Center
- New Horizons - Office for Students with Disabilities Newsletter
- Occupational Health Facility
- Office for Students with Disabilities
- Office of Environment, Health and Safety
- Office of Insurance and Risk Management
- Ombuds Office
- Risk Management Policies and Procedures
- Special Olympics
- Student Health
- Student Psychological Services
- Union of Students with Disabilities
- University Extension Disabled Student Services
- Vocational Rehabilitation/Disability
- Workers' Compensation
ACCESS WEB AS AN ADVOCACY ACTIVITY
We serve the role of encouraging many facets of the UCLA community to highlight their accessibility. In the course of gathering information for the Access Web site we identified programs or departments within the UCLA community that provided services and accommodations for persons with disabilities but had not yet identified such services on their Web sites. We encouraged revisions of their sites to note such information.
We advocate for the prominent inclusion of Access Web on the home pages of important groups within the UCLA community. We want persons with disabilities to avoid undo hardship and frustration trying to find disability related services and programs at UCLA. By prominently displaying an internationally recognized symbol that is "one click away" from relevant information, we believe UCLA is demonstrating it's inclusive policies. As a consequence of meetings with other campus Web publishers, such as the UCLA home page team, we have learned to anticipate, plan and present a cogent rationale based on the laws and tenets of the ADA.
We are conducting educational sessions for relevant campus and community groups as means of advocating for the development of accessible Web sites. A presentation to such groups as the UCLA Campus Web Publishers allows us to demonstrate our site and simultaneously advocate for accessibility to a group of persons responsible for Web page development and maintenance.
ONGOING ACTIVITIES AND FUTURE PLANS
With the work of building the initial Access Web completed, we are now beginning to turn our attention to other aspects of our mission. First, we have undertaken a project to make links to Access Web context-sensitive, where possible. Initially this will be accomplished by providing other campus webmasters with special URL's to Access Web. For example, the link to the Access Web from the UCLA Student Information Page will be a link to the "Students" section of the Access Web instead of to the top level of the Access Web. Eventually we plan to write CGI scripts that will automatically generate the appropriate page within Access Web, depending on the URL from which the user is coming. Second, we are in the process of finalizing Access Web funding issues by convening a steering committee of senior management from departments who might potentially fund Access Web. Third and finally, we will continue to devote time to research into the latest Web technologies and their impact on persons with disabilities' access, and to share this research with the rest of the campus. For example, client-side image maps represent a relatively new technology that makes it possible to have graphical menus without sacrificing access to the data via text-based browsers like Lynx.