OSU-Tulsa professor presentation to explore web accessibility

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

A wealth of information is available to anyone who wants to explore the Internet. However, many web users, including the visually and hearing impaired, may be locked out.
 
Oklahoma State University-Tulsa professor Dr. Nicholas C. Romano, Jr., will explore the economic, social and legal importance of website accessibility in his lecture “Web Accessibility Research: Disabled Users Still Locked Out” on March 29th at 6 p.m. in the OSU-Tulsa Conference Center. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Romano said website accessibility is essential today because more than 50 million U.S. citizens and 750 million people worldwide may be locked out of the knowledge economy.
 
“The market is larger than most executives and marketers realize, and it is comprised of individuals with several types of disabilities, not only blindness as some mistakenly assume,” Romano said. “Sadly, one of the main reasons so many companies have not made their sites compliant, even the minimum standards, is due to misconceptions about the importance of accessibility.”
 
During the presentation, Romano will discuss several misconceptions, realities and government regulations surrounding the issue. He will also demonstrate software, such as automatic validators and screen readers, that helps those with disabilities visit web pages.
 
“Research and education in this area is fundamental to all of us,” Romano said. “We may know someone who has a disability. In addition, as we age, we may face our accessibility challenges in the future.”

Romano’s lecture is part of the Faculty Research Excellence Series presented by the OSU-Tulsa Library. The following faculty lecture is planned for April 17 at OSU-Tulsa. OSU-Tulsa management and information systems professor Dr. JinKyu Lee will discuss his privacy and security research and how it impacts our society.

OSU-Tulsa is located just north of downtown at 700 N. Greenwood Avenue, near I-244 and Detroit Avenue. To learn more, call 918-594-8000.