This Demonstration, Enrichment and Information Dissemination project is a collaboration between the CPB/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) and the League for Innovation in the Community College. NCAM will work with the League to disseminate and institutionalize use of resources that can make technology-enabled science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) learning resources accessible to students, faculty and administrators at community colleges. Project goals are to elevate the issue of accessibility within the community college system; disseminate NSF-funded demonstration models, guidelines, tools and resources that enable creation of accessible STEM content; and encourage the community college system to participate in the development and implementation of accessible specifications for distributed learning platforms. NCAM will conduct presentations and workshops at annual League conferences, offer on-site Accessibility Forums at member colleges, and deliver online training and resources through the League's Web-based learning community, Transformational Learning Connections (LeagueTLC). Products and demonstration models that will be shared include: * distributed learning industry specifications and standards * developers' guidelines to creating accessible content, focused on math and science solutions * accessible online physics curriculum with multimedia lectures, quizzes, and electronic texts * demonstration models of accessible math and science content within software * access authoring tools including shareware and commercial products and tutorials Project activities will strengthen capacity within community colleges to create and utilize accessible math and science content in technology-enabled learning. Guidelines and technical resources will facilitate community college creation, maintenance, control, packaging and presentation of accessible digital content. Results will serve a wide array of users of online community college content " people with sensory disabilities, people with learning or print disabilities who benefit from multiple modes of presentation, and people with physical disabilities who use assistive technologies for navigation and control of content. Accessible content and systems will improve the quality of learning, teaching and/or work life for all of these users, whether they are community college students, faculty members and/or administrators. Through this initiative, the League for Innovation in the Community College will encourage use of its resources to connect and empower learning between innovative leaders and model programs in community colleges that are recruiting and preparing students with disabilities for STEM careers. This Project will also serve to build support and generate strategies within the League to mount a major learning thread on accessibility at one of the League's conferences.
