BYTE.com > Editorial and Opinion > 2002
Graduation Day
By Shannon Cochran
(Graduation Day
: Page 1 of 1 )
It's almost back-to-school time again: Time to start shopping for textbooks and
Trapper Keepers.
But it's also time to extend congratulations to a recent set of graduates. On
July 26th, ten
students graduated from the Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation's School of Adaptive Computer Training,
earning
certifications such as "Microsoft Office User Specialist," "Certified Field
Support Technician,"
or "Certified Help Desk Professional."
The School of Adaptive Computer Training, located in Wichita, Kansas, opened its
doors in 2000
with a three-week course in basic computer literacy. By the end of the year,
SACT was offering
national computer certifications. SACT achieves its success through the use of
assistive
technology, such as ergonomically modified workstations, one-handed keyboards
and voice
recognition systems. The school's administrators are also working towards
establishing a national
certification for teachers trained to work with assistive technology.
Accessibility issues in technology have become much more familiar lately, ever
since Section 508
of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act was enacted, requiring Federal agencies to
provide equal access to
information for people with disabilities. All the largest software development
companies now
offer tools to help programmers keep their applications accessible, and these
technologies are
improving: Apple's made a big deal of the accessibility features that Jaguar opens
to developers,
and Macromedia has similarly stressed the new accessibility features of Macromedia MX.
There's one
company, UsableNet, that focuses heavily on
tools for
accessible web development.
But almost everyone agrees that there's a long way to go, and web development is
just the tip of
the iceberg. Practical training centers like SACT are invaluable not only as
educational
facilities, but also as testing fields to reveal areas where assistive
technology must improve or
expand.
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BYTE.com > Editorial and Opinion > 2002
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