The University of Colorado at Boulder Assistive Technology, or AT, Lab and the Disability Services office will host a conference titled "Accessing Higher Ground: Assistive Technology in Higher Education" on Friday, Nov. 20.
Assistive technology provides technological access to people with vision impairments, and physical and learning disabilities.
Pre-conference workshops on Internet access and design for persons with disabilities is set for Nov. 19. Cost of the conference is $95 for both days, $80 for one day and $35 for the pre-conference sessions.
The keynote speaker will be Norman Coombs, chair of Equal Access to Software and Information (EASI) and professor of history at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, New York. Coombs speaks on the mainstreaming of students with disabilities into higher education through unique opportunities provided by distance learning and assistive technology.
He has taught history at RIT since 1961 and also teaches distance learning classes.
The conference is sponsored by the CU-Boulder Parents Association to educate faculty, students, staff and the public on the availability and potential benefits of assistive technology in education, particularly in university settings.
Participants will receive information on how to implement assistive technology in the classroom and in other campus environments. Legal and policy issues and the Americans with Disabilities Act also will be addressed.
Workshops throughout the day will focus on legal issues, higher education's responsibilities, community outreach and technical accommodations for people who are learning disabled, visually impaired or deaf and hard of hearing. The conference will conclude with a panel discussion by assistive technology users and service providers.
For a registration packet or more information, contact Disability Services at 303-492-8671 (v/TTY) or send e-mail to hkramer@colorado.edu. A full agenda and registration form also can be found at .