The FCC is not the only agency focused on both access to
online educational content and communications access by those with
disabilities.
On Tuesday, the Justice Department said it has settled with
Louisiana Tech University over allegations the school violated the Americans
With Disabilities Act when it used an online learning product inaccessible to a
blind student.
"Emerging technologies, including internet-based learning
platforms, are changing the way we learn, and we need to ensure that people
with disabilities are not excluded or left behind," said Eve Hill, deputy
assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division, in a statement.
Under the settlement, the university has agreed to implement
"learning technology, Web pages and course content that is
accessible..."
The university will also be required to make Web pages and
materials created since 2010 accessible, to train teachers and administrators,
and to pay the student $23,543 in damages.
The FCC is currently reforming government E-rate
subsidies to schools and libraries to ensure that students, disabled and not,
have equal access to the latest online educational tools. It is also in the
midst of implementing the Communications and Video Accessibility Act, including
boosting making online content more accessible to those with disabilities.
