Advancing Technology Use Beyond Tradition
AHEAD 2015 Session 1.6
Presenters
Alex Axelsson – Assistive Technology Manager, Disability Access Services,
Oregon State University
Jennifer Gossett – Accessibility Specialist, Disability Services, Portland
Community College
Gabriel Merrell – Associate Director/ADA Coordinator, Office of Equity and
Inclusion, Oregon State University
Conversation on Unconventional Tech
What do you think this topic means?
What we mean.
Technology solutions for accommodations/processes where technology is not
typically considered.
So, beyond alt formats, captioning, notetaking, or record keeping systems.
Why did you come, what takeaways?
Conversation on Unconventional Tech
Have you ever wondered how we could use technology beyond the standard
methods to improve access?
Do you have ideas, or have you implemented unconventional tech solutions
already?
Projects for Discussion
Classroom Furniture Project (OSU)
Parking Sensor Project (OSU)
Beacon Wayfinding (OSU)
Accessible Online Maps (PCC)
DIY Assistive Technology (PCC)
Brainstorming Conversation
Classroom Furniture Project
Problem – arranging for furniture placement and tracking untenable, lost
furniture, required students to register with office.
Partners – Disability Access Services and Facilities Services (Finance &
Administration).
Outcome – find solution that reduces staff time needed for both offices.
Classroom Furniture Accommodations
Old Way
 Students request before term
 Coordinate list of needs
 Determine how to fulfill
 Request placement
 Rely on student to confirm or complain if missing
Solution
 Pursue universal design with furniture in each room
o Table
o Lumbar chair with arms
o Lumbar chair no arms
o Interpreter/Transcriber chairs
o Podiums
 Track
Problems/Challenges
 Data on classrooms lacking
 General purpose vs departmental space
 Funding
 Tracking improvement
Types of Classrooms at OSU
General Purpose
 125 Classrooms
 Central control by the registrar office
 Central funding
 Furniture placed
o 250 Interpreter transcriber chairs
o 155 Lumbar support chairs
o 52 Tables
Departmental
 238 Classrooms



Dispersed control by each department
Funded by Dept.
No furniture placed through this project, but still need for
accommodations
Classroom Furniture Purchased
Three kinds of furniture purchased and placed in general purpose
classrooms: accessible height adjustable tables, chairs for interpreters and
transcribers, and lumbar support chairs (some with arms, some without).
Lumbar support without arms can provide access for those of larger
stature.
Data on Improvements
Data shows that improvements have been made in number of
accommodations automatically covered, versus number of locations where
furniture still needs to be placed. When taking into account that
departmental classrooms far outnumber general purpose classrooms, the
impact has been great.
100%
90%
Needing Furniture
80%
Already Present
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
2010 2011 2011 2011 2012 2012 2012 2013 2013 2013 2014 2014
Fall Winter Spring Fall Winter Spring Fall Winter Spring Fall Winter Spring
1 Interpreter Transcriber Chairs Data
Before furniture was placed, 100% of the accommodation requests for
interpreter or transcriber chairs had to be fulfilled by placing furniture in
each and every room. After the project, about 75% of rooms needing
chairs term to term already have them placed. The chart “Interpreter
Transcriber Chairs Data” shows this trend by identifying term by term what
percentage of furniture was already present in classrooms versus needing
to be placed.
100%
90%
Needing Furniture
80%
Already Present
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
2010 2011 2011 2011 2012 2012 2012 2013 2013 2013 2014 2014
Fall Winter Spring Fall Winter Spring Fall Winter Spring Fall Winter Spring
2 Requests for Tables Data
Before furniture was placed, 100% of the accommodation requests for
tables had to be fulfilled by placing furniture in each and every room. After
the project, around 50% of rooms needing tables term to term already
have them placed. Tables are more likely needed in smaller rooms,
departmental classrooms tend to be smaller rooms. The chart “Request for
Tables Data” shows this trend by identifying term by term what percentage
of furniture was already present in classrooms versus needing to be placed.
100%
90%
Needing Furniture
80%
Already Present
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
2010 2011 2011 2011 2012 2012 2012 2013 2013 2013 2014 2014
Fall Winter Spring Fall Winter Spring Fall Winter Spring Fall Winter Spring
3 Requests for Lumbar Support Data
Before furniture was placed, 100% of the accommodation requests for
lumbar support or larger chairs had to be fulfilled by placing furniture in
each and every room. After the project, about 45% of rooms needing
lumbar chairs term to term already have them placed. The chart “Request
for Lumbar Support Data” shows this trend by identifying term by term
what percentage of furniture was already present in classrooms versus
needing to be placed.
Classroom Furniture Tracking



Tracked with RFID tags and software
Tags installed on each piece of furniture not locked (all but
interpreter chairs)
Integration with accommodation management database
Classroom Furniture Project Costs
Furniture Costs
o $153,463
o 271 interp. chairs with wall mounts
o 186 lumbar chairs
o 67 adjustable tables
o 10 adjustable podiums
o Delivery and labor
Technology Costs
o $77,275
o RFID tags
o Licenses
o Engineer/install
o Negotiated annual renewal
Parking Sensors
Problem – lots of request for reserved parking spaces, scattered accessible
spaces, good/bad spaces, difficult to find.
Partners – Disability Access Services, Transit and Parking Services, Office of
Equity and Inclusion.
Outcome – find solution that provides better knowledge of
parking/availability.
Sensors were installed in 76 of the most central accessible parking spaces on
campus. We avoided installing sensors in known low-usage areas and in
areas where the accessible parking is not as accessible as it could be.
Parking Sensors – Finding Parking
How to find accessible parking
 Apply filters
 Notice current location
 Nearest parking highlights
 Get auditory directions
 Click “park” to remember where
Sensors send constant info through network to program.
App updates in real time with number of spaces available.
Parking Sensors - Costs
Start Up Costs
 24 month contract
 $25,000
 50 parking sensors (76 installed)
 Real-time data available 24/7 to us, quarterly reports provided by
vendor
After Initial Contract
 Annual fee $10,000
 Maintain current service only
 Parking could not provide funding
 Est. usage 30/month
 Service discontinued
Beacon Wayfinding
Access through emerging technologies
Problem – Many new students, especially ones with visual impairments, find
it difficult to navigate indoor locations on campus.
Objective – To find a mobile, technological solution for all students.
Accessibility features are essential.
Solution – Beacon Wayfinding, bluetooth technology for indoor navigation
using smart devices (phones, tables, etc.).
What is iBeacon Technology?
Low-power Bluetooth technology
Provides ID to smart device
Smart device goes to cloud for more info
Very flexible in terms of solutions
Similar Solution – London Subway
London Underground wayfinding video
How Far Did We Get?
Capstone project video
What We Envision
Open Source project
iBeacons used in a variety of ways
Collaborations with other institutions
Accessible Online Maps
Accessibility Features Displayed and Described


Accessibility features are displayed and described via online maps
that have been built to work well with text to speech and keyboard
navigation.
PCC access maps
Collaboration is key to solving common problems
Collaborator Role in the Project
Facilities
Services
Supervises interns and facilitates generation of
architectural plans for the project
Web Team
Develops the map and administrative interfaces
Keeps an eye on analytics and feedback
Ushers in improvements and upgrades
Disability
Collects information on location of accessibility features
Services (DS) Brings end users who experience disability to the table as
active participants and evaluators
Supervises interns and hires accessibility technicians
Academic
Areas
Internship opportunities from Architecture and Drafting,
Engineering, Graphic Design, Web Design, and Technical
Writing
Process and Project Management










Web Team and DS met to discuss
Established wiki page to track project
o Phase one – floor plans with accessibility features
o Phase two – path of travel info for all campuses
DS surveyed accessibility features
Web Team and DS met with Facilities and agreed to recruit Intern
for Phase One
Pull floor plans for each building, upload to wiki
Web Team developed administrative interface
DS collected data for intern to map
Quality Control/End User Testing
Map additional locations (with QC & refinements)
Transition from Phase One to Phase Two
o Web Team will finish documentation and enhancements for
Phase One then move on to Phase Two
o Disability Services will work with additional interns to produce
additional Phase One features
AT Computer Station Pages






Text description of location
Photograph
Features
Hardware
Software
Furniture
Tactile Maps
4 PCC Rock Creek Campus Map
Mapping Costs
Approx. $10,000 in intern labor costs
Internal hours/costs not tracked
Partner offices provided no cost support
Interested in Replicating?
Portland Community College that we would love to see benefit others. We
will be happy to talk through logistics with teams who are interested in
replicating the process at other schools.
The Word Press Template developed was by Gabriel Nagmay.
Do It Yourself Assistive Technology
3D Printing to create tactile learning objects
 Open source repositories
 Partnerships between students and educators
 Availability of accessible learning objects
Creating custom equipment and adaptations
 Portable desks
 Custom magnification stands
 Universal cranks for adjustable height tables
Analysis
Process for each project




Determine desired outcome/steps
Search for partners
Advocate for project/resources
Sustainability after initial push
Takeaways




Infrastructure needs
Relationships and buy-in are key
Best practices
In-house vs vendor products
Conversation
Based on these examples, spend 5 minutes in groups discussing other
potential ideas of uncommon technology solutions.
 Simple solutions?
 Complex solutions?
If you have examples from your work, share!
Group conversation to follow