 Images. Fingers tapping on a laptop. At a computer, a young man dons headphones. A man in a wheelchair moves through a lab. Braille labels on a keyboard. Words appear. Access. Universal design of computer labs. On campus, computers are a fact of life. Good education today requires access to technology. In planning a computer lab, universal design is crucial. That means thinking about every potential visitor's abilities and disabilities. Dan Comden. It's important to think about universal design early in the design process, if that's possible. The Americans with Disabilities Act makes it clear that equitable access is a requirement. Access Technology Consultant. Visitors to your lab may have obvious disabilities such as blindness, hearing impairments or mobility impairments. Or they might have disabilities that are not apparent, such as low vision or learning disabilities. As we look at all of the things that we're going to need for a lab, we need to consider everybody that's going to be using it, or everybody that's potentially going to be using it. Student access and computing. By planning ahead, you can make sure everyone has a positive experience in your lab. The first step is getting there. A woman in a wheelchair halts at steps. If they can't find the lab, they can't use the lab. Eliminate those external barriers. Consider these examples. Words appear. Parking areas with spaces for wheelchair users. Clear paths to the building with ramps if necessary. Building entrances at least 32 inches wide with thresholds no higher than one half inch. Ramps or elevators inside. Elevator controls marked in braille and accessible from a sitting position. Clear entrances and hallways with protruding obstacles removed. Wheelchair accessible restrooms near the lab with high visibility signs. Now for the lab itself. Look at the physical details for users. Remember that people with various abilities will be using the room. For example. Words appear. Large print, high contrast signs for those with visual impairments. Braille labels on computers for blind users. Wide clear aisles for wheelchair users. Damian Cremons. We really try to focus on making wide and open pathways from our access points particularly for Computer lab managers. Students that have physical disabilities. Student wheels to a low counter. Hi. Can I help you? Yes. We try to make sure that there's a lot of clearance on desk heights so that students can get underneath things and that there's generally kind of a large workspace. Words appear. Some adjustable tables with wheelchair accessible adjustment controls. Document holders for ease in reading printed material. Controls on computers, printers, scanners and other technology that can be reached from a seated position. Another thing to consider is the accessibility of your lab handouts or documents. Be prepared to provide lab documents in large print and Braille. Put them in an accessible format on your website. Internet access will make those documents available to all lab users including students who are blind and using speech output systems to read the text. Put it under the screen and you can change the size with the center knob. If you provide a magnifying system, a visitor with low vision can read your printed material. A large magnifying glass is a lower cost option. Design the documents themselves in a clear and consistent format. This is especially helpful to people with learning disabilities. Finally, be sure that printed materials are within easy reach from a variety of heights and that furniture doesn't block access. Once everything is in place, think about people actually using the computers. Plan on having adaptive technology available but don't worry about trying to anticipate every possible request. People mostly are interested in the adjustable table on our special keyboards and on Braille production. The main thing is to have the basics that most people are going to need. You don't have to have every little thing that's out there. Can you find the message area? Yeah, it's right here. It's important for staff to know about the basics and to be able to talk to the clients about what those basics are. And if a student is in need of a more involved accommodation then those staff need to know where to go to make those additional arrangements. Keep it simple at first adding new technology as requested. For people with visual impairments you might want to start with Words appear Large print key labels Software to enlarge screen images and large monitors Speech output systems Braille conversion software and embosser For people with mobility impairments you can provide Words appear A track ball Wrist and forearm rests An adjustable table For all users, but especially those with learning disabilities Grammar and spell checkers should be available. And finally, be sure that webpages and other electronic resources offered in your lab are designed to be accessible to people with a variety of disabilities. For example, provide text alternatives to graphic images. Cheryl Burgstahler Almost every unit on campus now has a website to document their services and provide electronic resources. And most of these people who are developing these websites don't have the expertise in how to make them accessible. And so in most cases it's useful for that person to work with the central computing organization staff to develop strategies for making an accessible website. The key to all of this is simply equal access. Everyone who needs to use your lab should be able to do so comfortably. As you plan services in your computing facility consider all of your potential users including those with disabilities. Make sure everyone feels welcome. Words appear Ask yourself if visitors can get to the facility, access lab information and other printed materials, and access equipment and software. A boy with headphones uses a computer in a lab. Make sure also that staff are trained to support people with disabilities and have a plan in place to respond to specific requests in a timely manner. With those key issues in mind you'll be able to make your lab accessible to everyone. Words appear To get started develop policies and procedures that assure access to lab facilities, computers and electronic resources for people with disabilities. Consider accessibility in the procurement process. Include students with disabilities in planning and evaluating lab products and services. In key lab documents include pictures that show lab users with diverse characteristics with respect to race, gender, age and disability. Also in lab documents state your commitment to universal access and include procedures for requesting disability related accommodations. Make signs with high contrast and large print. Make all information resources available in accessible formats. Have frequently requested assistive technology on hand and add products when students with disabilities request them. Train staff on accessible products in the lab, appropriate communication and procedures for addressing requests for accommodations. To help you in your plans there are many resources for locating and selecting assistive technology, for designing accessible web pages and for dealing with other lab accessibility issues. Describe by audio eyes. For more information about IT accessibility consult www.uw.edu.accessibility. The content of this presentation is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under grant number 9800324. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Copyright 2015, University of Washington. Permission is granted to copy these materials for educational non-commercial purposes provided the source is acknowledged.