J OINING THE 21 ST C ENTURY : D ISABILITY, D ISTANCE E DUCATION AND N EW T ECHNOLOGY M EGAN A. C...

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JOINING THE 21 ST CENTURY: DISABILITY, DISTANCE EDUCATION AND NEW TECHNOLOGYMEGAN A. CONWAY, PH.D. THOMAS H. CONWAY, M.B.A. CENTER ON DISABILITY STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII

Transcript of J OINING THE 21 ST C ENTURY : D ISABILITY, D ISTANCE E DUCATION AND N EW T ECHNOLOGY M EGAN A. C...

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JOINING THE 21ST CENTURY: DISABILITY, DISTANCE EDUCATION AND NEW TECHNOLOGYMEGAN A. CONWAY, PH.D.THOMAS H. CONWAY, M.B.A.CENTER ON DISABILITY STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII

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OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION

I. Overview of EmployAble Project

II. Virtual Worlds: Creating a World Without Barriers

• Introduction to MUVE

• Considerations for accessibility

• Examples

III. Communities of Practice to Promote Accessibility and Universal Design

• Benefits and challenges to distance learning

• Communities of practice to create solutions

• Examples

IV. Resources

M. Conway

T. Conway

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OVERVIEW OF PROJECT

EmployAble: World Without Barriers•Virtual employment center using Second Life as a platform.•2 year innovation grant funded by the Kessler Foundation.•Partnership between University of Hawaii, Abilicorp, Virtual Ability.

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EMPLOYABLEMajor Components/Rooms

• Skill BuilderEnhancing employment skills

• Match MakerBuilding connections between employees, employers, and mentors

• Access InfoSupporting hiring and retention through information

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CREATING A WORLD WITHOUT BARRIERS

MUVE Technology•Multiple User Environment•Avatars in a 3-D online environment•Key Benefits

o Real timeo Immersiono Anonymity o Interactive

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WORLD WITHOUT BARRIERS

Accessibility of MUVE•Familiarity and level of technology skills•Access to equipment, software, internet•Device output independence

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WORLD WITHOUT BARRIERS

Examples•Building specific skill sets•Accessing information about accommodations, accessibility, technology, opportunities•Bringing together people with disabilities, employers, educators, mentors

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COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE

Benefits and Barriers to Distance Learning•Bridge barriers of distance, cost, environmental access.

•Bring together teachers and learners from diverse perspectives and cultures.

•Accessibility – ability to access material, content and mode of delivery

•Universal Design – designing material, content and mode of delivery for best learner outcomes

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COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE

Using COPs to Address ChallengesChallenge: How do we

actually implement

accessibility and Universal

design so that people with

disabilities benefit from

distance learning?

COP: A group of stakeholders with diverse perspectives but a common goal.

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COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICES

Examples •Identifying individual objectives that lead to common goals.•Using social media and new technology.•Making it easy – usability and low investment.•Documenting achievements for easy implementation.

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RESOURCES

EmployAble www.cds.hawaii.edu/employable

W3C Web Accessibility Initiative www.w3c.org/wai

Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) www.cast.org

Easy Chirp http://www.accessibletwitter.com/

WebAIM http://www.webaim.com

Virtual Ability www.virtualability.org

Radegast www.radegast.org