GSA eLearning Section 508 Compliance Panel Discussion
I’m pleased to report that the US General Services Administration will be holding a panel discussion on accessibility in eLearning at the GSA’s Section 508 Coordinators Annual Conference this November, 2010, in Gettysburg, PA. Attendees will learn of the requirements, challenges, myths, and best methods for creation of courses that are also fully Section 508 compliant. It is my hope that the attendees will find this information useful in pursuing active validation of eLearning compliance under Section 508.
Section 508 eLearning Compliance Discussion
The panel will include experienced personnel from the USDA, the Department of Education, and other agencies and will be moderated by Joe Gorup of CourseAvenue. They will examine examples of compliant and non-compliant eLearning, and discuss a range of issues, obstacles, and solutions that apply to eLearning under Section 508 accessibility compliance such as
- The causes that contribute to uneven compliance to Section 508, including the wide range of compliance processes between agencies.
- Examples of non-eLearning eLearning such as pure .pdf files; a maze of HTML links; and a .PPT with a play button will be looked at in comparison to examples of what most people agree is truly self-paced eLearning.
- The role of active validation of Section 508 compliance vs relying on standard and guidelines, VPAT’s and the like.
- The effect active validation has on rejection rates for Section 508 compliant eLearning and the downsides of non-compliance will also be examined.
Agencies Take The Lead On Accessibility
It’s good to see these agencies taking an active lead in eLearning accessibility. The acknowledgment of the need for accessibility in eLearning certainly seems to be moving in the right direction, even if slower than I’d like. As authoring platforms become available that allow a single, media rich course to be used for all learners–including those with disabilities–the old excuses of “it can’t be done” become harder (and more costly) to maintain.
ADA and Section 508 Lawsuit Tsunami
A tsunami of lawsuits may hit businesses, government agencies, and educational institutions. The targets are websites and elearning. The advance lawsuit storm waves have already hit Target, the VA, Arizona State University and others. Your website or elearning courses may be next.
The New Definition of Facilities
Though providing equal access to buildings, restrooms, elevators, and the like has become common and expected, until recently equal access to an organization’s “digital” facilities” has often been more of an afterthought—if thought about at all. The ADA and Section 508 are essentially civil rights legislation aimed at ensuring equal access to people with a disability. Though the acts were initially aimed at access to physical facilities, with the pervasive rise of the internet, wheelchair ramps and wide restroom stalls are not enough. As a result, the ADA and Section 508 now encompass the accessibility (or lack thereof) of websites and elearning.
But I Don’t Have Blind Employees
It’s a common misunderstanding that the ADA and Section 508 only apply if the organization has a blind employee. Wrong. The acts apply to a wide range of disabilities including color blindness, reduced vision, hearing disabilities, and physical disabilities such as the inability to use a mouse or keyboard. In addition, the acts are not restricted to employees but include those in the general public who might use your facilities. Finally, if you operate a business open to the public, or have accepted federal funds, or are a local, state or federal government agency, you are subject to the equal access requirements regardless of whether you have employees with a disability. Again, failure to provide equal access is a civil rights violation and a losing hand in a lawsuit.
Inaccessible Website Costs $6 Million
In brief, Target does business with the public and its website was not fully accessible to people with disabilities. Target paid $6 million and corrected their website. The VA had training courses it’s employees were required to complete. However, the courses were not accessible to employees with disabilities. The VA lost the lawsuit. The list goes on.
Accessible vs. Usable
Faced with the daunting obstacles of creating an accessible course— whether to avoid a lawsuit or to simply provide users an accessible elearning experience—several common methods are used. Unfortunately, many may simply be providing a false sense of security. Creating an accessible course is often not as simple as checking a “make accessible” box; adding some alt text; saving a PDF; or creating a Flash file. These methods may be little defense against the ADA/Section 508 lawsuit tsunami. For example, a “Make Accessible” check box in an elearning authoring tool does not say “Make Section 508 Compliant”! Adding alt text only addresses some elearning accessibility issues, and a PDF or Flash file may be technically accessible but practically unusable. What is meant by “practically unusable”? A 45 degree wheelchair ramp may be a ramp, but the steepness makes it unusable by someone in a wheel chair and an expensive lawsuit would likely result.
Separate But Not Equal is Expensive
Besides the extra cost and maintenance issues inherent in creating a separate “accessible” version of an elearning course, many simply do not provide the same rich learning experience of the “standard” course it is based on. Then there is the issue of lack of SCORM and AICC conformance. The solution to accessibility as well as usability is to create one course, usable by everyone. Sounds easy, but up until now that meant hand coding by a team of very skilled (and expensive) programmers. Coordinating the complexity of a two-way learning experience to accommodate assistive technology such as screen readers and voice control, while correctly building in appropriate navigation focus, a glossary, table of contents, and assessment questions is not for the inexperienced or those on a tight budget.
A New Approach
Until now, many organizations were caught between the looming lawsuit tsunami and the expense and time required to achieve ADA and Section 508 compliance. However, there is a new approach that is both affordable and more efficient than maintaining separate course versions. It also enables staff to create courses, rather than a team of expensive programmers. By starting with an authoring platform that has accessibility built in (and is independently certified), your staff can shorten development time while delivering media rich elearning courses that are both accessible and usable by everyone. Better to do the job right the first time and avoid separate course versions that are expensive, hard to maintain, and often an easy target for a lawsuit.
e-Learning Lessons for Electric Car Development
We are beginning to see something new in automotive mass manufacturing: electric cars. Sure, there have been electric cars before. But this time it’s on a different scale. Many automotive manufactures have at least one electric car coming to market. Many more are in testing. Tesla is selling high-end electric cars to the rich and famous, GM is delivering the unique Chevy Volt starting in November of 2010, and Nissan’s Leaf all electric car is due in December, 2010.
Chevy Volt’s Range Extender
Unlike other electric cars, the Chevy Volt is an all electric vehicle with a gasoline powered “range extending generator”. Drive around town powered by cheap electricity stored in high tech batteries that recharge overnight from a standard wall outlet, or drive cross country with electricity generated by the quiet, fuel-efficient gasoline engine. Because 75-78% of cars are driven less than 40 miles a day, many Chevy Volt drivers will never need gasoline for daily errands around town or going to work. Electricity is about 66% less expensive per mile than $2.50/gal. gasoline. For longer trips, the range extender insures a steady supply of electricity no matter the distance. Very innovative.
The Sounds of Silence
Besides the sports car handling and powerful torque reported by test drivers, the Chevy Volt is quiet. Very quiet. A trait it shares with other electric vehicles. While drivers remark favorably about this, others have noted that ultra quite cars are potentially dangerous to pedestrians and particularly the blind. As a way of alerting pedestrians, the car manufacturers have now agreed on standards for electric cars to actually create some sound at low speeds. The Nissan Leaf sounds a bit like a quieter version of the Jetson’s flying car. But adding exterior sound to a quiet car has created heated controversy.
Accommodating the Blind and Others
I was surprised by the tone of some online discussions about this accommodation for the visually impaired, children, elderly, and others. Many comments derided the idea of using sound to prevent injury to pedestrians. Some seemed to feel it was exclusively the pedestrian’s problem and responsibility, blind or not. Some felt the electric car was being unfairly singled out compared to traditional cars or even bicycles. Of course it’s easy to overlook or minimize obstacles that you or someone you know have not faced. This battle has been fought before when the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed.
Accessible e-Learning Shows the Way
Prior to the ADA, people with a disability where often confronted with barriers to entry, etc. Of course, the need for equal access is not limited to the physical world. As many know, Section 508 of the ADA applies to e-Learning accessibility. In many ways, e-Learning has traveled along a similar path to eliminating barriers for those with a hearing, sight, or physical disability.
Despite much progress, today there are still many e-Learning courses that give little or no thought to those with disabilities, or do so more as an afterthought. Thankfully, there is an increasing movement toward using state-of-the-art e-Learning course development platforms that generate courses accessible to everyone, handicapped or not. A SCORM compliant “one course everyone can use” approach that saves time, eliminates update issues, and enables compliance with Section 508 of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The richer learning environment provided by these “accessible by everyone” courses benefits all learners, not just those with hearing, sight, or physical disabilities. Now that the capability exists to easily create a single course that everyone can use, old legacy courses can be converted as well. As a result, letting learners with a disability “fend for themselves” is no longer justifiable even from a technology standpoint.
Woof!
Like many other things originally designed to address the needs of people with a disability, an electric car that “advertises” its presence at low speeds will likewise benefit not just the blind, but other pedestrians too. No word yet on what car chasing dogs will make of a visit from the Jetson’s!
Barriers to Communication in E-Learning Continue to Fall
Enabling the Disabled Enables Us All
During a recent conversation with Anna Bradley, CEO of Criterion 508 Solutions, she reminded me of how many devices and technologies were initially aimed at enabling people with disabilities, but whose utility later made them popular with the general public as well. I had one of those light bulb moments where “Enabling the disabled enables us all©” popped into my head. With quotes and copyright!
Kitchen Faucets and Closed Captioning
For an example of a common item that works for the disabled but is often preferred by the non-disabled as well, we need look no further than our kitchen sink. The convenience of single handled, easy-swivel kitchen faucets are popular with everyone, not just those with disabling arthritis of the hands. Similarly, closed captions were developed for the hearing impaired or deaf, but I often use them for films when an English accent gets a bit thick for my Midwestern ears.
The Language Disabled
That brings me to what I call the “language disabled”. The definition of disabled is not hard-edged in my mind. Certainly, those who are blind or deaf or physically challenged in some way are generally thought of as disabled. Their disability may create roadblocks that hinder or impede communication with others. So what about all those millions (billions?) of people who can’t communicate with others simply because they speak a different language? Surely they are disabled in that situation.
The Future of Star Trek is Here Today
Fortunately, Star Trek’s “universal translator” enabling two users speaking different languages to converse in real-time seems closer to reality than ever. Google’s Translate now supports more than 30 languages and recently added text to speech capabilities. Microsoft is now demonstrating live language translation using a program that combines speech recognition software, machine translation, and text-to-speech technology. Meanwhile the Jibbigo voice-to-voice translator app for Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch supports Spanish-English, Japanese-English, Chinese-English, and Iraqi-English real-time translation. “You talk in one language, it talks back in the other. Simple as that,” according to the company.
One can imagine this type of technology being applied to all sorts of travel situations. Enabling the “disabled” English-only speaker to converse with her new French speaking friend for example. The implications for the classroom and learning are equally interesting. Better communication between foreign exchange students and their classmates or teachers could be facilitated—though immersion language learning could suffer.
Assistive Technology in e-Learning
Could these technologies be applied to e-Learning? Along with the growth in e-Learning has come a growing need for tools and technologies that enable the disabled to fully participate. Voice activated controls that don’t require physical movement of a mouse, closed captions for video with sound, audio versions of text, and text versions of audio are all needed to make the learning experience available to the disabled. But those learners who are not generally thought of as disabled will also appreciate the richer, more engaging learning experience these assistive accessibility technologies provide. Proving once again that enabling the disabled enables us all.
Volcanoes vs. e-Learning
Engaged Learning
Sometimes Mother Nature likes to re-assert herself in little ways—like the recently erupting Eyjafjallajokull (AY-yah-fyah-lah-YOH-kuul) volcano in Iceland for instance. Millions of tons of volcanic ash spewing into the atmosphere does seem to engage our attention! For a few days the world learned about Iceland, volcanoes, and the affect of an eruption on air travel. Some people likely went online to learn more about these subjects. After all, it’s a headline grabbing 3D spectacle accompanied by fireworks and deafening sound.
The Cost of Travel
Of course, rocky grit—such as volcanic ash—does not play well with precision mechanical parts operating at high speed. Cars, helicopters, and planes tend to break down in very gritty, dusty conditions. So when the Icelandic volcano erupted and its enormous ash clouds began blowing over the skies over Europe, air traffic over much of the continent ground to a complete halt for days. People were stranded everywhere. Travel became, well, difficult. The well known Monty Python cast member and actor John Cleese was stranded in Norway by the ash cloud. No longer “pining for the fjords”, a $5,100 taxi ride finally got him to Belgium. Which brings us at long last to what a volcano has to do with e-Learning.
E-Learning Trends
ASTD (American Society for Training & Development) Learning Circuits recently asked readers how e-learning is being used in their organizations. Customer service was the leading application. Obviously it is easier to provide customer service if travel time, travel expense and volcano eruptions can be eliminated!
E-Learning Benefits Highlighted by a Volcanic Eruption
Iceland’s volcano reminds us that e-Learning takes place online via the learner’s computer—no travel required. It has an accessibility that travel based alternatives can’t match. E-Learning is not stopped by erupting volcanoes. Expensive, time consuming travel by taxi is not needed. In fact, it’s not even a consideration. So there you have it. In a match between a volcano and e-Learning, e-Learning wins. But thanks for the fireworks, Mother Nature.
PPT to Section 508 compliant eLearning Virtual Workshops
Recently we conducted a series of webinars on the challenges of developing accessible eLearning and how our Accessibility Player can help you bypass many of the technical issues involved. We discussed how PowerPoint presentations can be imported into the CourseAvenue development platform, and easily published as Section 508 compliant courses.
We heard from webinar participants how previous attempts at compliance had failed and how they need a solution, fast. One request we heard numerous times was the need to understand, and to actually see, how this works with their specific content. To view the demonstration and see our team go through the process is one thing, but seeing it work with their content is what is really important. They want to make sure they’re not heading down just another dead end road. It’s just too costly to take chances.
In response, CourseAvenue assembled a series of Virtual Training Workshops where you learn firsthand how simple the PPT to Section 508 compliant eLearning conversion process can be. The result of the workshop is that you own a Section 508 compliant eLearning course based on your training content.
Do you need to develop accessible eLearning? We’ll give you a jumpstart on the process.
http://www.courseavenue.com/pptconversionworkshop.aspx
Four Steps on the Path to Achieving Section 508 Compliant eLearning
Is your eLearning Section 508 compliant? Unfortunately, many eLearning authoring tools support some accessibility standards, but they do so largely by relying on individual developers to interpret and apply the complexities of compliance requirements. From what we’ve seen the likelihood and cost of producing non-compliant eLearning is very high when inexperienced developers make their first attempts at accessibility. Attempting to meld instructional design, accessibility standards, and screen reader functionality with a wide array of content and assessment elements has resulted in a number of costly mistakes. We have discussed Why Technology Makes 508 eLearning so Challenging and some Tips for Organizations Starting eLearning Development. Today we discuss four steps that’ll help get you on the path to Section 508 compliant eLearning for your organization.
- Scope– identify and define which eLearning courses should be made accessible. Really, shouldn’t this be all your eLearning courses? Well, those that are discontinued or no longer in use certainly won’t be on the list. And some eLearning courses may already be accessible. Again, focus on the ones that need to be accessible.
- Assess– determine where the eLearning courses are not meeting the requirements of the code.
- Remediate– fix the eLearning courses not meeting Section 508 requirements.
- Maintain– now that you’ve come this far, keep the eLearning courses current both in terms of content and for accessibility.
Starting from scratch, ensuring Section 508 compliance for a typical Flash-based eLearning course can add over $25,000 to the development costs and extend the development cycle at least 6 months. Our clients can expect to cut this additional time and costs between 70%-80% by using the CourseAvenue platform.
Utilizing CourseAvenue Studio, our collaborative web-based and team-based authoring environment, and the Accessibility Player, the technology that “plays” the course in a Section 508 compliant manner, course developers can rapidly create accessible eLearning. Moreover, using the CourseAvenue platform allows you to cost effectively maintain your eLearning program. CourseAvenue will take care of incorporating the latest changes in adaptive technologies as they evolve, and ensures that even when changes are made to your eLearning courses, they will continue to be Section 508 compliant.
- Mike
Adaptive Technology and eLearning
The good news and bad news
Adaptive technology allows people with disabilities to perform tasks they wouldn’t otherwise be able to perform. This is the good news… along with the fact that this technology allows better access to the internet as well as eLearning courses.
The bad news is that the eLearning market has been slow in developing courses for use with screen readers, speech recognition software and other adaptive technologies. The technology is there but people can’t use it in a way that could certainly benefit them most! Going one step further, true usability with these technologies must be considered very early in the design process. …more about usability in a future blog.
Do your learners use Adaptive Technology?
- JAWS for Windows Screen Reading Software by Freedom Scientific
- Window-Eyes Screen Reader by GW Micro
- Dragon Naturally Speaking Speech Recognition Software by Nuance Communications, Inc.
Our Accessibility Player allows access to eLearning courses through these and other adaptive technologies available on the market. Contact us to learn more about how our CourseAvenue can help your organization become and remain compliant with Section 508 requirements.
Section 508 Compliant eLearning: a Cost Effective Solution
What is Section 508 compliant eLearning?
We believe that Section 508 compliant eLearning is simply about providing people with disabilities equivalent access to electronic training material used by their peers!
Criterion 508 Solutions provides a more formal summary, briefly:
Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act (of 1973) in 1998, requiring federal agencies to make electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, to make available new opportunities for people with disabilities, and to encourage development of technologies that help achieve these goals. While the law applies to all federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology, many state agencies and corporations are also implementing internal accessibility requirements.
Though Section 508 does not include language specific to eLearning, it is still an important part of planning for accessibility for online courses. Yet, we’ve seen that eLearning development can be challenged by the complex interactions between web browsers, the eLearning content itself, and an LMS (Learning Management System). An adaptive technology layer (screen readers, for example) adds an entirely new dimension to an already complex landscape. That said, Section 508 compliant eLearning must be offered because it’s the law, the right thing to do, helps expand the knowledge base, etc. Now what?!
And is there a cost effective solution?
Yes! For arguably a small percentage of your overall eLearning course production cost, the CourseAvenue Accessibility Player is a new technology that builds Section 508 compliance into the core of eLearning content. By embedding Section 508 requirements directly into our course player, CourseAvenue provides a shorter and easier path for organizations to provide Section 508 compliant accessible training content to learners with disabilities in a very cost effective manner. Furthermore, combining the use of our Accessibility Player with CourseAvenue Studio the collaborative web-based and team based authoring environment, Course Designers can rapidly create Section 508 compliant eLearning.
Both CourseAvenue Studio and Accessibility Player are Flash-based. With a web-based access to CourseAvenue Studio there is no software to download allowing course designers, reviewers, SMEs, and a distributed team to collectively and simultaneously develop Section 508 compliant eLearning courses. In addition, CourseAvenue offers professional eLearning services that include:
- Remediation Services: Converting and/or repairing legacy content
- Development & Validation Services: Complete eLearning creation and 508 Validation
- Technology & Training: Leverage the CourseAvenue Accessibility Player and learn how to create and maintain your own Section 508 Compliant eLearning
A Free Webinar for Section 508 Compliant eLearning
One thing is certain: creating accessible eLearning is challenging. There are issues with all the interactions between the navigational features of a course, the content, the learning management system communications, as well as the additional issue of making all this work well with adaptive technology.
Many organizations are starting to feel the heat as far as Section 508 compliance for the eLearning they provide to their employees, especially government agencies. We’ve put together a webinar to discuss these issues with you and provide pointers that will help make the process more efficient.
Here’s some info on the webinar:
Section 508 Compliant eLearning: Meeting the Challenge Head on
By participating in this free webinar, you’ll learn the answers to these and other questions:
- Why is creating “accessible” eLearning so challenging?
- What approaches have been taken and why are they inefficient?
- How do today’s tools and processes help or hurt compliance and accessibility efforts?
- How can CourseAvenue technology and processes help my organization meet the challenge of Section 508 compliance head on?
Date: Thursday, August 27, 2009
Time: 11:00 – 11:45 am central time (CDT)
Sign up now for the August 27 webinar at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/464216771.
