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1. I just downloaded the free Kindle for PC
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_pc_mkt_lnd?docId=1000426311
and it installed fine but a final window comes up for registering the program, and that step seems to be totally inaccessible, with no links I can locate with a screen reader.
Have other people had a better experience?
And speaking of the Kindle and access:
2. A couple of universities have rejected using the Kindle for textbook use until Amazon improves the accessibility
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jEvsVQEnfo1Y-ibxGgcsCqTzjOJwD9BT4BD81
By RACHEL METZ (AP)
SAN FRANCISCO — Amazon's Kindle can read books aloud, but if you're blind it can be difficult to turn that function on without help. Now two universities say they will shun the device until Amazon changes the setup.
And two more links to articles which reflect the state of accessible education at the university level
3. University's disabled population increasing: Students worry about lack of support staff.
http://www.diamondbackonline.com/news/university-s-disabled-population-increasing-1.863397
block quote start
The number of students with disabilities at [U of Maryland] has increased 18 percent over two years, echoing a nation-wide trend, but disabled students worry they may not have sufficient support on the campus.
Enrollment among disabled students nationally jumped 49 percent from 2000 to 2008, compared with a 27 percent increase in total students, according to a Government Accountability Office report. Despite the increases here and nationally, the campus’ Disability Support Services only has four counselors to advocate for and help more than 1,400 students. Of the four, two are part-time graduate students, and one exclusively advises those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
4. Higher Education and Disability: Education Needs a Coordinated Approach to Improve Its Assistance to Schools in Supporting Students
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-33
Summary
Research suggests that more students with disabilities are pursuing higher education than in years past, and recent legislative changes, such as those in the Higher Education Opportunity Act and Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, have the potential to increase the number and diversity of this population. GAO was asked to examine (1) what is known about the population of postsecondary students with disabilities; (2) how postsecondary schools are supporting students with disabilities; (3) what challenges, if any, schools face in supporting these students; and (4) how the Department of Education is assisting schools in supporting these students. [...]
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_pc_mkt_lnd?docId=1000426311
and it installed fine but a final window comes up for registering the program, and that step seems to be totally inaccessible, with no links I can locate with a screen reader.
Have other people had a better experience?
And speaking of the Kindle and access:
2. A couple of universities have rejected using the Kindle for textbook use until Amazon improves the accessibility
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jEvsVQEnfo1Y-ibxGgcsCqTzjOJwD9BT4BD81
By RACHEL METZ (AP)
SAN FRANCISCO — Amazon's Kindle can read books aloud, but if you're blind it can be difficult to turn that function on without help. Now two universities say they will shun the device until Amazon changes the setup.
And two more links to articles which reflect the state of accessible education at the university level
3. University's disabled population increasing: Students worry about lack of support staff.
http://www.diamondbackonline.com/news/university-s-disabled-population-increasing-1.863397
block quote start
The number of students with disabilities at [U of Maryland] has increased 18 percent over two years, echoing a nation-wide trend, but disabled students worry they may not have sufficient support on the campus.
Enrollment among disabled students nationally jumped 49 percent from 2000 to 2008, compared with a 27 percent increase in total students, according to a Government Accountability Office report. Despite the increases here and nationally, the campus’ Disability Support Services only has four counselors to advocate for and help more than 1,400 students. Of the four, two are part-time graduate students, and one exclusively advises those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
4. Higher Education and Disability: Education Needs a Coordinated Approach to Improve Its Assistance to Schools in Supporting Students
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-33
Summary
Research suggests that more students with disabilities are pursuing higher education than in years past, and recent legislative changes, such as those in the Higher Education Opportunity Act and Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, have the potential to increase the number and diversity of this population. GAO was asked to examine (1) what is known about the population of postsecondary students with disabilities; (2) how postsecondary schools are supporting students with disabilities; (3) what challenges, if any, schools face in supporting these students; and (4) how the Department of Education is assisting schools in supporting these students. [...]
