WASHINGTON STATE
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTS GROUP

November 02, 2017

Rob Tracey, Facilities Manager at the Washington State School for the Blind, presented on the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. He talked to codes as related to parking and signage in addition to advising what questions are permitted when a client has a service animal. 

November 02, 2017

Cindy Varley, Administrative Assistant with the Washington State School for the Blind, provided an overview of how to prepare Microsoft Word documents so they are accessible for people using screen readers. In addition to guidance on creating well-structured documents, Cindy also demonstrated providing text alternatives for images and graphics, gave an overview of text with strong contrast with background color, how to correctly format tables, and important tips on hyperlink labels.

November 02, 2017

Danya Borowski, IT Supervisor/Webmaster at the Washington State School for the Blind, provided information on website accessibility tips and tricks. She taught us to ask questions about "POUR"; perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. Her presentation file also includes links to evaluation tools to help test your website for accessibility.

November 02, 2017

Mike Sivill, Nationally Certified Braille Proofreader at the Washington State School for the Blind, provided an extraordinary peek into accessing the web with a Screen Reader.  Screen readers are software programs that allow blind or visually impaired users to read the text that is displayed on the computer screen with a speech synthesizer or braille display. He demonstrated the "Jaws Professional" Screen reader and also mentioned free software that is available including NVDA, a handy, free program only available for Windows. In addition, Mike provided information about his guide dog and recommend http://theseeingeye.org/ for more information. 

November 02, 2017

Shawn Broderick, ASL Specialist at the Center for Deafness and Hard of Hearing, and his two interpreters presented information on deaf culture. Shawn discussed and demonstrated different forms of sign language, information about deaf culture and provided a list of contractors in Washington State that provide certified interpreter services. 

November 02, 2017

This is a presentation available on the internet from COAST, the Central Office for Assistive Services & Technology at the U.S. Department of Labor. Authors are Darlene Avery, Disability Accommodation Manager, and Derek Shields, Program Manager. 

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For more information on disability resources check out: https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/disability

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