Just thought I’d pass this link on: http://www.assistiveware.com/videos.php (short write-up here — thanks to Roger Johansson for the link.)
Update: The original link is now broken, but http://www.assistiveware.com still hosts great videos.
These are video profiles of people with mild to severe disabilities who use assistive computer technology to improve their lives. Some people use their computers to simply help them with their jobs (such as a blind person who is a professional French-to-English translator), while others use their computers as a lifeline to the rest of the world.
I want to publicize this link for two reasons: One reason is because the people in the videos are completely inspiring; I can only hope that if faced with a similar situation I can be as positive and productive as they are.
The other reason is because as e-learning/web developers, we have a responsibility to be aware of the needs of people with disabilities, and try our best to make our work accessible. For e-learning and web development, this has become surprisingly easy, yet many developers still don’t do their part, or even realize that what they create isn’t particularly accessible.
Armed with a basic understanding of accessibility, and with a little planning, a web developer can create courses and/or websites that contain rich content — even Flash movies and videos — while supporting a majority of assistive computer/alternative web browsing technologies.
If you Google “web accessibility“, you’ll find a ton of tips and rules of thumb for making websites accessible. Here’s a great starting point: http://www.w3.org/WAI/quicktips/Overview.php
I hope you can spare some time to read a little about the subject; in this case, I think a little knowledge can go a long way. It isn’t hard to make sites accessible, I promise! 🙂
PS – I’m not affiliated with nor do I endorse AssistiveWare, the company that produced the videos.