Outlines basic considerations about playground safety and accessibility. Proposes playgrounds to be constructed for children in inner-city neighborhoods that would be carefully supervised, be easily accessible to the community, and provide children with a range of activities and experiences. (MLF)

Offers suggestions for adapting vocational and technical labs and classrooms to accommodate students with disabilities. Suggests that teachers talk with students about their disabilities and lists sources of additional information. (JOW)

Examines the regulatory differences between three pieces of federal legislation that address facility accessibility: the Americans with Disabilities Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Discusses why these differences are important for school officials to understand. (GR)

Data comparing disabled black and white Americans from one state revealed that a disproportionate number of blacks received inadequate services or were not accepted for service after applying. Among applicants accepted, more black cases were closed without rehabilitation, and among those with successful placements, blacks were more likely to…

Computers have the potential to help adults with learning difficulties in innovative and empowering ways. Promising developments include touch screens, voice recognition, and multimedia. (SK)

Discusses issues schools and universities have encountered in complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and making their facilities more accessible to the disabled. The ADA's vagueness and the architect's need for understanding the regulations is highlighted. (GR)

This status report on instructional software accessibility for individuals with disabilities notes current initiatives to further instructional technology accessibility and reports on a survey of 19 major companies producing instructional software. Only two responses reflected awareness of accessibility considerations and all the remaining…

In this article, the author discusses the accessibility features of Microsoft's Windows Vista. One of the most innovative aspects of Windows Vista is a new accessibility and automated testing model called Microsoft UI Automation, which reduces development costs not only for accessible and assistive technology (AT) developers, but also for…

This paper demonstrates how case stories can be used to disseminate the findings of several case studies on negotiating accommodations in the workplace. It highlights the power of interactive technology and of the partnership between the researchers and the Canadian Council for Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW). The paper describes the process of…

This paper reports on a 3-year, NSF-funded research and development project called ACED: Adaptive Content with Evidence-based Diagnosis. The purpose of the project was to design, develop, and evaluate an assessment for learning (AfL) system for diverse students, using Algebra I content related to geometric sequences (i.e., successive numbers…

This biennial survey, issued to all New Jersey postsecondary institutions, provides the Commission on Higher Education with current information about both the population of college students with disabilities in the state, as well as the extent to which this population is served by the state-funded regional centers. The survey was sent to all…

Family and community interactions provide important opportunities for facilitating the integration of children and youth with hearing loss, yet these environments have received little research attention. In this study, facilitators and barriers to integration associated with the social milieus of young people with hearing loss were identified.…

There is very limited information regarding current practices in the field of assistive technology, particularly in Canada. This research project was undertaken to address this limitation and to gather information in the following areas: 1) the current levels of and satisfaction with training in assistive technology; 2) current funders of…

Disabled students require full access to the higher education curriculum without suffering from discrimination due to their disability. This is a simple ethic of civilised societies, but is also increasingly becoming a legal imperative. In a relatively small number of cases access may mean accommodating manifest physical impairments such as those…

The fifth of six volues in a series on the "Making Special Friends Project," a program designed to promote interaction between severely handicapped and nonhandicapped persons in school and community settings, details an approach for developing community resource and accessibility guides. Steps in the process are outlined, including…