Organizations

The following organizations provide a variety of services and information about accessible website and software design.

Easy Access to Software and Information (EASI)

http://www.rit.edu/~easi/

"EASI's mission is to serve as a resource by providing information and guidance in the area of access-to-information technologies by individuals with disabilities. We stay informed about developments and advancements within the adaptive computer technology field and spread that information to colleges, universities, K-12 schools, libraries and into the workplace."

EASI provides free and tuition-based online courses on a variety of accessibility issues, including: Barrier-free Information Technology, Beginner Barrier-free Web Design, Advanced Barrier-free Web Design, Barrier-free E-learning, Accessible Multimedia, Train the Trainer, Learning Disabilities and Adaptive Technology and Business Benefits of Accessible Information Technology Design. For course times and fees, contact EASI (easi.cc/workshop.htm).

EASI also provides consulting services. Email EASI consulting at consulting@easi.cc.

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Information Technology Technical Assistance and Training Center (ITTATC)

http://www.ittatc.org/index.cfm

"The Information Technology Technical Assistance and Training Center (ITTATC) is charged with providing accessibility training and technical assistance related to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act. We want to help our audiences - industry, state officials, trainers, and consumers - to understand the requirements of Sections 508 and 255 and to achieve success in their efforts to develop, market, and buy accessible E&IT.

"ITTATC, which is funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), is located at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia."

The ITTATC website provides information about accessibility events, training, and consultants.

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Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST)

http://www.cast.org

"Founded in 1984 as the Center for Applied Special Technology, CAST is an educational, not-for-profit organization that uses technology to expand opportunities for all people, especially those with disabilities."

The CAST website contains information on Universal Design for Learning; CAST products, including eCAST, a text-to-speech reader; and CAST research initiatives.

CAST has two particularly noteworthy inititiatives addressing educational issues: National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum, and the National File Format Inititiative.

National Center on Accessing the General Curriculem (NCAC)

In a collaborative agreement with the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Programs (OSEP), CAST has established a National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum to provide a vision of how new curricula, teaching practices, and policies can be woven together to create practical approaches for improved access to the general curriculum by students with disabilities.

National File Format Initiative

The Secretary of Education has authorized OSEP, The Office of Special Education Programs, to issue a supplement to the National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum led by CAST, to convene an expert panel to establish a voluntary national standard for accessible digital instructional materials for students with disabilities.

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National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM)

http://ncam.wgbh.org/

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

(http://www.w3.org)

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