There’s accessibility. And there’s UC Davis accessibility.

“We are bringing it to the forefront,” said Joshua Hori, a computer resource specialist with the Student Disability Center, one of the partners in the campus’s new Center for Accessible Technologies, or CAT. A grand opening is scheduled for Oct. 25 (see more information below).

The celebration is the second of two Davis campus events marking National Disability Employment Awareness Month and the 20th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act. The first event, the Accessibility Technology and Resources Faire, which took place Oct. 5, drew an estimated 100 people.

The CAT brings together resources that formerly were scattered around the Davis campus, and adds a whole lot more:

• Four new computers, dual-booting (PC or Mac), and new ClaroRead software (particularly useful for people with learning disabilities), which can be used on the PC and Mac platforms.

• 30-inch monitors (one of them on an arm mount, so each person who uses the computer can adjust the monitor’s position to his or her liking), and other new hardware.

• Height-adjustable desks and a variety of chairs to try out, for the ultimate in ergonomics. Plus a variety of mice and keyboards for the same purpose.

The CAT actually opened over the summer, well in advance of a new electronic accessibility policy that is forthcoming from the UC Office of the President.

In expressing his support, President Mark G. Yudof wrote in a letter to chancellors on July 21: “This initiative offers an exciting new opportunity to enhance UC’s ongoing commitment to excellence and to think systematically and creatively about how we serve the growing number of people who, with or without formally disclosing a disability, increasingly depend on a fully accessible electronic environment.”

UC Davis got its jumpstart with the Electronic Accessibility Committee, comprising campus service providers, faculty, staff and students. Vice Provost Pete Siegel, who heads Information and Educational Technology, established the committee last year, and history professor Catherine Kudlick is the chair.

Several units pooled existing resources and contributed funds to create the CAT: Administrative and Resource Management (and specifically its Human Resources, Disability Management Services and Safety Services departments), the General Library, IET (Academic Technology Services) and Student Affairs (Student Disability Center).

“This center is a pioneering initiative, one of a few in the country, that will position UC Davis as a model to other educational institutions in our region and beyond,” officials said in an Oct. 14 letter to the Council of Deans and Vice Chancellors and other key groups.

Accessible to everyone

Besides consolidating the latest in accessible technologies in one place, the CAT stands out for two other reasons:

• The center itself is accessible to everyone — students, staff and faculty, disabled or not.

• And it is in an easily accessible place, the first floor of Shields Library, in Room 163. From the lobby, Room 163 is a straight shot down the corridor on the right, just past the reserves counter. The CAT is open whenever the library is open, and a student assistant is in the room at most times.

People with disabilities receive priority; they are the only people who can reserve computer time at the center. Reservations can be arranged as follows:

• Students should contact Joshua Hori, (530) 752-3184 or jhori@ucdavis.edu.

• Staff and faculty should contact Dave Ritz, (530) 752-7227 or daritz@ucdavis.edu.

All of the new computers are loaded with two kinds of text-to-voice software: JAWS (Job Access With Speech), for use on the PC platform; and VoiceOver, for the Mac platform. And one of the computers is loaded with Dragon NaturallySpeaking, for voice-to-text conversion.

And all of the computers have ClaroRead, which its maker describes as a “highly effective multisensory software solution
for supporting those who struggle with reading, writing or learning.”

ClaroRead’s features include highlighting and magnification, a screen ruler (to help users keep their place on a page) and overlays (to change the background color, for example), and tools to help with note-taking and sourcing (for bibliographies).

In addition, ClaroRead can convert PDFs or text to audio or video files, for playback on mobile devices.

For students and employees who may be considering the purchase of such software, the center is a place where they can try it out before buying. The same goes for hardware: keyboards and mice (including a foot-operated mouse), scanners and noise-canceling headphones.

People without disabilities are welcome and encouraged to use the center as a way to inform themselves about e-access issues and strategies for greater inclusiveness.

For example, faculty and staff can learn how to prepare accessible documents for students and colleagues, and about the technologies that people with disabilities rely on.

The center also is a place that can help people with temporary disabilities. For example, say you are a staff member with a broken arm, leaving you unable to type — and yet you need to finish a report. You are welcome to come to the CAT to use Dragon NaturallySpeaking, which will turn your dictation into text.

Universal design

“The Center for Accessible Technologies is a front door to a comprehensive campus strategy to bring electronic accessibility to everyone, whether or not they view themselves as having a disability,” Siegel said.

“We use an approach called ‘universal design,’ which includes designing things in the electronic world, as in the physical world, to be easy to use, intuitive, present multiple ways to access, and other things that are just common sense.”

Siegel said one way to view the new center is by comparing its technology to the ramps and curb cuts that are so important to people who use wheelchairs.

“Our electronic environment faces similar issues, except that it grows at a much faster pace and is much more widely used to convey important information and provide services.

“The trick, then, is to find ways to make sure that our environment offers the most access to the most people. This means being mindful of the fact that, as with wheelchair users and stairs, not everyone accesses electronic places in the same way. We need the electronic equivalent of the curb cut.”

Grand opening

The celebration is set to begin at noon Oct. 25 in the courtyard of Shields Library, with Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi among the speakers. The program also includes tours, demonstrations, practical tips and light refreshments.

On the Web

Center for Accessible Technologies