Welcome to "An Introduction to Accessibility and Inclusive Design." This four-week course will introduce you to some of the fundamental principles of accessibility and prepare you for further study in the areas of accessibility and inclusive design. In addition to the lesson content and instructional activities in this course, you'll find a number of spotlight interviews and videos that offer some exciting and insightful perspectives on the various course topics. We've got an exciting course planned for you, and we'd like to take a moment now to let each of the instructors tell you a little more about the specific modules in this course, starting with Lori Lane, IT Accessibility Specialist in Universal Design here at the University of Illinois. (female interpreter) <i>Module 1 is entitled</i> <i>"Understanding Disability</i> <i>and Assistive Technology."</i> <i>In this module, you'll develop</i> <i>a basic understanding</i> <i>of some of the major</i> <i>disability types:</i> <i>visual, hearing,</i> <i>physical, and cognitive,</i> <i>And some of the main</i> <i>functional challenges</i> <i>that accompany them,</i> <i>as well as how</i> <i>assistive technologies</i> <i>assist people</i> <i>with disabilities.</i> <i>Additionally, you'll learn</i> <i>about disability etiquette</i> <i>and best practices to ensure</i> <i>positive interactions</i> <i>with people with disabilities.</i> <i>Finally, you'll get valuable</i> <i>firsthand perspectives</i> <i>on disabilities</i> <i>and assistive technology</i> <i>from people</i> <i>with different disabilities,</i> <i>including a spirited</i> <i>panel discussion</i> <i>on disability etiquette</i> <i>from a team</i> <i>of disability experts.</i> <i>We hope you enjoy</i> <i>this first introductory module</i> <i>on Understanding Disability</i> <i>and Assistive Technology.</i> <i>For the second module</i> <i>of this course,</i> <i>I'll hand you over</i> <i>to our lead instructor,</i> <i>Marc Thompson,</i> <i>Senior Instructional</i> <i>Design Coordinator</i> <i>at the Center for Innovation</i> <i>in Teaching & Learning</i> <i>here at</i> <i>the University of Illinois.</i> Module 2 is entitled "The Legal Landscape and the Workplace." In this module, you'll develop a basic understanding of some of the key legislation that impacts accessibility. We'll try to put some of the legal landscape into a general historical framework as well. This will include an exciting historical spotlight video on Timothy Nugent who founded the first comprehensive program of higher education for individuals with disabilities in 1948 and who served as Professor of Rehabilitation Education, and as Director of the Rehabilitation Education Center Division of Rehabilitation Education Services (DRES) at the University of Illinois. From the workplace perspective, we'll explore some insightful firsthand occupation-specific perspectives from a web developer, a media specialist, an instructional designer, and a computer science instructor. Finally, you'll get an insider's view on accommodation from a team of accommodation specialists who handle document conversion, captioning, audio description, accessible document design, and testing accommodations. Overall, we think you're going to really enjoy this module on "The Legal Landscape and the Workplace." For our next module on Universal Design, I'll hand you over to Tania Heap, Instructional Design Coordinator at the Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning here at the University of Illinois. Module 3 is entitled "Universal Design." In this module, you will get a basic understanding of the 7 principles of universal design and the roots of Universal Design in architecture. We'll consider how universal design can be applied in a learning context through Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and its inclusive design practices. You will also learn how UDL can make learning content compatible with a wide range of technologies and allow people to view and interact with content in ways that are best suited to their individual learning practices. On the topic of Universal Design, our video interviews will highlight insightful IT perspectives from Jon Gunderson, Hadi Rangin, and Keith Hays. On the topic of Universal Design for Learning, you will get exciting perspectives from Sheryl Burgstahler, lead editor of the book "Universal Design in Higher Education: From Principles to Practice." We do hope you will enjoy this module on Universal Design as much as we enjoyed creating it for you. And now back to Marc for a quick overview of Module 4 on Accessible Digital Materials. Module 4 is entitled "Accessible Digital Materials." This module will give you an introduction to some of the major accessibility considerations that apply to common digital formats like HTML, MS Word, PDF, and PowerPoint. You'll also learn some of the key accessibility considerations for multimedia, including areas like captioning and complex images. This module will include a number of helpful demos and hands-on activities to give you a clearer idea of how you can make your digital content more accessible, including a brief demo of some of the tools that can be used to evaluate accessibility. In short, this module should give you a basic introductory understanding of the major accessibility considerations for some of the most common digital formats, as well as an opportunity for a bit of related applied, hands-on experience. We'll wrap things up in Module 5 which we've entitled "Where Can You Go From Here?" This is the last module, and it will help you identify some of the key professional networks <b>and organizations</b> <b>in accessibility</b> and point you to some of the major educational pathways you can explore for further learning and professional growth in the area of accessibility. This will include some specific advice on joining a community of practice, on certificate programs like the Information Accessibility Design and Policy program or the IT Accessibility badging courses offered by the University of Illinois. In this last module, you'll also learn about some of the major fields for professional certification exams in the area of accessibility through professional organizations like the International Association of Accessibility Professionals. Overall, we hope you'll find this course a fun and engaging introduction that will spark your interest in learning more about accessibility and inclusive design. Welcome to the course! Welcome to the course! (interpreter) <i>Welcome to the course!</i>
