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OnCampus Vol. 31, No. 9, Pg. 7; November 21, 2001

Access awards

Five honored for Web design, enhancing environment

Four Ohio State Web designers have been honored for their attention to access in creating University Web sites, and one OSU administrator is credited with providing overall support to creation of a more accessible campus environment.

The five were hailed at the first Web Access Awards Reception Oct. 31, during which a number of University units responsible for enhancing work and academic life for those with disabilities gathered to praise others contributing to that effort.

Those awarded for excellence in accessible Web design for people with disabilities were:

• Robert Arnold, professor of art education, for a course Web site www.accad.ohio-state.edu/~rarnold/index.html);
• Ted Hattemer, director of new media in the Office of University Relations, for the University homepage (www.osu.edu);
• Nancy O'Hanlon, associate professor in University Libraries, for a distance-learning course site (http://gateway.lib.ohio-state.edu/tutor/120/); and
• Diane Welch, Webmaster for UNITS, for a departmental page describing the range of services available (www.units.ohio-state.edu/).

In addition, Steve Acker, director of Technology Enhanced Learning and Research (TELR), received a surprise award in appreciation of TELR's ongoing service and support in creating a more accessible environment
(www.telr.ohio-state.edu).

All awardees received a plaque and a copy of the book Planet of the Blind by Stephen Kuusisto, assistant professor of English in Ohio State's Creative Writing Program.

The awards event was coordinated by the OSU Partnership Grant, a collaborative of numerous Ohio State units that focuses on influencing faculty knowledge and attitudes by increasing awareness of a number of issues related to students with disabilities. Grant partners are the Office for Disability Services, TELR, Faculty and TA Development, the Nisonger Center and the Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator's Office.

"As the University's ADA compliance officer, I have been working with CIO Ilee Rhimes and OIT's Web Policy Committee to develop a University policy on accessible Web design," said L. Scott Lissner, ADA coordinator at Ohio State. "The Americans With Disabilities Act calls for effective communication'; the award winners have helped to shape that policy by demonstrating how much can be done by simply being aware of access as you build a Web page. In the next few weeks, we will be releasing a new policy and standard to guide the University's expanding presence on the Internet."

A major partnership initiative is to help faculty design accessible syllabi and include accessibility as a dimension in curriculum. The grant initially funded the University's Web Accessibility Center (www.wac.ohio-state.edu), which offers assistance to faculty, staff and TAs in designing distance education courses and online components of other Ohio State courses.

The grant has made a difference in the lives of students with disabilities on campus, which in turn offers benefits to others, said Ann Yurcisin, director of the Office for Disability Services. "When you enhance teaching and learning," she said, "everyone benefits."