Accessibility Links

Here are just a few of the many sites on the Web which are associated with disabilities, technology, media and education. The descriptions of the Web sites on this page were taken from the sites themselves.

Blindness

• American Council of the Blind (ACB) The nation's leading membership organization of blind and visually impaired people.
• American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) A leading national resource for people who are blind or visually impaired, the organizations that serve them, and the general public.
• Descriptive Video Service (DVS) A service of the WGBH Educational Foundation that makes television programs and movies released on home video accessible to blind and visually impaired people.
• National Federation of the Blind (NFB) The largest organization of the blind in America, NFB helps blind persons achieve self-confidence and self-respect and to act as a vehicle for collective self-expression by the blind.

Deafness/Hard-of-Hearing

• Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf A non-profit membership organization that was established in 1890 to empower hearing-impaired persons to function independently.
• The Caption Center The Caption Center is a non-profit service of the WGBH Educational Foundation and the world's first captioning agency, established in 1971.
• Closed Captioning Web Resources and general information regarding the closed-captioning industry.
• National Association of the Deaf The National Association of the Deaf (NAD), established in 1880, is the oldest and largest constituency organization safeguarding the accessibility and civil rights of 28 million deaf and hard of hearing Americans in education, employment, health care, and telecommunications.
• Self Help for Hard of Hearing People The nation's foremost association representing consumers who are hard of hearing.
• TDI Promoting equal access in telecommunications and media for people who are deaf, late-deafened, hard-of-hearing or deaf-blind.

Federal Government

• The Access Board An independent Federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities.
• FCC Disabilities Issues Task Force Information on FCC activities that are of particular interest to people with disabilities.
• General Services Administration-Center for Information Technology Accommodation (CITA) A clearinghouse of information on making information systems accessible to all users.
• National Council on Disability (NCD) An independent federal agency making recommendations to the President and Congress on issues affecting 49 million Americans with disabilities.
• Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) OSERS supports programs that assist in educating children with special needs, provides for the rehabilitation of youth and adults with disabilities, and supports research to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities.
• Section 508 Web Site A Web site where federal employees and the public can access resources for understanding and implementing the requirements of Section 508.

Manufacturers and Vendors

• Alva Access Group Makers of outSPOKEN, a Macintosh-based screen reader, and inLARGE, a screen magnifier.
• Apple Apple makes the QuickTime Player, which implements SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language), a language for multimedia layout and display.
• GW Micro Makers of Window-Eyes, a PC-based screen reader.
• Freedom Scientific, Inc. Manufacturer of JAWS, a PC-based screen reader, and other access devices.
• IBM Accessibility Center The Accessibillty Center brings together product and service information for people with disabilities, including information on IBM Home Page Reader, a talking Web browser.
• Microsoft Accessibility Microsoft is dedicated to developing technology that is useable and accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities. See information here about the SAMI (Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange) captioning language.
• Oratrix Oratrix manufactures the GRiNS player and editor, which support the W3C's SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language), a language for multimedia layout and display.
• RealNetworks RealNetworks manufactures the RealONE Player, which implements SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language), a language for multimedia layout and display.
• Sun Microsystem's Enabling Technologies Program A general resource for information on Java and accessibility.

Research, Development and Education

• Adaptive Technology Resource Centre (ATRC) at the University of Toronto - Advancing technology to meet challenges faced by people with disabilities.
• Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) A non-profit organization whose mission is to expand opportunities for people with disabilities through innovative multimedia computer technology. Developers of the accessibility checker, Bobby,.
• Technology Assessment Program at Gallaudet University A research group focusing on technologies and services that eliminate communication barriers traditionally faced by deaf and hard of hearing people.
• Idea Practices The IDEA Practices Web site provides extensive resources to assist educators implement the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA '97).
• National Center for Disability Dissemination Research (NCDRR) Disseminates efforts of NIDRR-funded research projects and increases the accessibility of research outcomes for the benefit of their consumers, particularly those from minority backgrounds.
• National Center to Improve Practice (NCIP) Promotes the effective use of technology to enhance educational outcomes for students with sensory, cognitive, physical and social/emotional disabilities.
• Project Archimedes Seeks to promote equal access to information for individuals with disabilities by influencing the early design stages of tomorrow's computer-based technology.
• Project EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information) Works to make information technology accessible to persons with disabilities with the use of adaptive computer technology.
• Trace Research and Development Center An interdisciplinary research, development and resource center on technology and disability.
• World Institute on Disability WID is an international public policy center dedicated to carrying out research on disability issues and overcoming obstacles to independent living.
• World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) An international industry consortium, the W3C was founded in 1994 to develop common protocols for the evolution of the World Wide Web. The W3C also sponsors the Web Access Initiative (WAI), which pursues accessibility of the Web through five primary areas of work: technology, guidelines, tools, education and outreach, and research and development.