<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=Windows-1252">
</head>
<body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">
I think this is a good idea.
<div>We have such a list for Washington state. It is focused on accessible IT in postsecondary education.</div>
<div>Best.<br>
<div>Sheryl<br>
<div apple-content-edited="true">
<div>------------------------------------------------------------<br>
Sheryl Burgstahler, Ph.D.<br>
Director, UW Accessible Technology & DO-IT, UW-IT<br>
Affiliate Professor, Education<br>
University of Washington, Box 354842<br>
Seattle, WA 98195<br>
206-543-0622 FAX 206-221-4171<br>
<a href="http://staff.washington.edu/sherylb">http://staff.washington.edu/sherylb</a><br>
sherylb@uw.edu<br>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<div>
<div>On Apr 15, 2015, at 8:44 AM, Shadrick, Megan E <<a href="mailto:MeganShadrick@MissouriState.edu">MeganShadrick@MissouriState.edu</a>> wrote:</div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
<blockquote type="cite">
<div lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">
<div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1;">
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
Ron<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
That is a great question. A few weeks ago I was looking into the accessibility of a product that is being used here in one of our courses. After our local rep told me that another university had already done a pilot with the product and didn’t have any problems
I contacted that particular school. While visiting and sharing information with that colleague we talked about how we wished there was a way to connect with others working on similar things in Missouri. We thought it would be so much more powerful if we could
join together and push back at these reps<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">and companies<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>as a collective body rather than as individuals<span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">.
Although we have both worked with the accessibility contacts at these companies directly we aren’t getting anywhere and the local reps just keep going directly to faculty pushing their products.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>We also thought
it could save us a lot of time and frustration if we had an easier way to share product review<span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">s since most of us don’t have a lot of time to do this on top of everything else.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>The
benefits to the larger school is that we aren’t duplicating each others work and we can benefit from each others knowledge and talents. In addition; the smaller schools that have people that ware multiple hats and aren’t able to test the accessibility of products
on their own won’t have to take the reps “word for it” they can avoid potential problems from learning from other schools.<span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
Some additional benefits to this state list are:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
-State Rehab professionals can connect easily with many state schools at one time and learn what is going on in higher ed so they can best prepare their consumers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
-Special Educatio<span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">n professionals working with transition age students can have a clearer understanding of how to best prepare their students to attend local schools i.e. what programs are being used, what problem solving
skills they may need to have, etc<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">-Not all Missouri professionals belong to ATHEN, AHEAD, or some of the other great resources that are available for a variety of reasons; so valuable local connections don’t happen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Megan Shadrick M.S. M.A. COMS<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Associate Director<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Disability Resource Center-Access Technology Center<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Missouri State University<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<a href="mailto:meganshadrick@missouristate.edu" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114); text-decoration: underline;">meganshadrick@missouristate.edu</a><span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
</div>
_______________________________________________<br>
athen-list mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:athen-list@mailman13.u.washington.edu" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114); text-decoration: underline;">athen-list@mailman13.u.washington.edu</a><br>
<a href="http://mailman13.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/athen-list" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114); text-decoration: underline;">http://mailman13.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/athen-list</a></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<br>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>