Web accessibility topic of Vassar lecture, October 22

John Slatin, director of the Institute for Technology and Learning at the University of Texas at Austin, will give a lecture titled "Bridging the Imagination Gap: Making the Web an Inclusive Learning Environment" on Tuesday, October 22, at 5:30 p.m. in Taylor Hall, room 203, at Vassar College. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Slatin will present a "Universal Access Workshop" on Wednesday, October 23, from 8:30-10:00 a.m. in the library's Media Cloisters for Vassar's staff and student web designers. The workshop will be followed, from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the Media Cloisters, by a roundtable discussion featuring a diverse cross-section of campus constituents. The workshop and roundtable discussion are open to invited members of Vassar College.

Slatin's visit is cosponsored by the Media Cloisters, the Office of College Relations, the Office of the Dean of the Faculty, Disability and Support Services, and Campus Activities.

Slatin's lecture is intended to raise awareness and induce discussion of issues related to disabilities and interactive technologies, including the importance and meaning of web accessibility and universal design.

He is widely known for his work in the area of accessibility and technology, especially as concerns higher education. Slatin has taught at the University of Texas at Austin in the Department of English since 1979, and the Division of Rhetoric and Composition, since its inception in 1993. He is currently teaching a course titled, "Accessibility: The Web, Multimedia, and the Virtual Body." Slatin is also a member of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group of the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative.

For additional information, contact the Media Cloisters at (845) 437-7629. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Cathy Jennings, Office of Campus Activities, (845) 437-5370, as far in advance as possible to request appropriate and reasonable accommodations.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations or information on accessibility should contact Campus Activities Office at (845) 437-5370. Without sufficient notice, appropriate space and/or assistance may not be available.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

This article was posted on Tuesday, October 22nd, 2002.