Download Digital Odyssey 2008 Final Program as an MS Word document

Digital Odyssey 2008:
Accessibility and Technology in Libraries
Friday, June 6
CNIB Centre, 1929 Bayview Avenue, Toronto

Practical Information

The registration desk is located in the Level 1 corridor, just north of the café and south of the doors to the main conference room.

The main conference room is Room 118/124. Some sessions will take place in Room 218A on the second level. Take the accessible elevator across the corridor from the main conference room or the stairs at the north end of the corridor. Room 218A is in the northwest corner of the building.

Accessible washrooms are located on both levels just north of the elevators. On Level 1, the men’s washroom is on the west side of the corridor, just north of the doors to the main conference room.

Please ask at the registration desk if you need assistance.

Program Schedule

8:30-9:15

Registration – Level 1 corridor
Coffee, tea – Room 118/124
Exhibits – Room 118/124

9:15-9:30

Opening remarks – Shelagh Paterson, Executive Director, OLA
Room 118/124

9:30-10:30

Opening keynote – Building inclusive and accessible communities
Room 118/124

John Draper, Togetherwerock.com

Building Inclusive and Accessible Communities highlights the collective responsibility communities have to ensure full citizenship for people who have a disability. Through wit and candour, John shares highlights of his own journey. He inspires his audiences to ‘walk the talk’ in their daily lives. He shows how an accessible and inclusive community can be realized through vision, learning, leadership and teamwork.

10:30-10:45

Break – Room 126
Exhibits – Room 118/124

10:45-12:00

Session 1A: Accessibility and the law: Ontario and beyond
Room 118/124

Panel chair: Karen Taylor, CNIB
Scot Weeres, Accessibility Directorate of Ontario
Mary Frances Laughton, Initiative for Equitable Library Access
Jutta Treviranus, Adaptive Technology Resource Centre, University of Toronto

In Ontario, standards for accessible customer service recently became law, and regulations for information and communications are soon to follow. At a national level, Library and Archives Canada has launched an Initiative for Equitable Library Access. Internationally, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act in the United States is under revision, and the World Wide Web Consortium is updating its web accessibility guidelines to address new and emerging technologies. The panelists in this session are leading the way in developing the provincial, national and international standards that your organization will need to implement. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear their perspectives on the principles and practice of achieving accessibility.

Session 1B: Enabling through AT: using adaptive technology to access information and communication
Room 218A – Space limited, sign up at registration desk

Panel chair: Athol Gow, University of Guelph Library
Jo-Ann Bentley, Canadian Hearing Society
Martin Courcelles, CNIB
Neil McGregor, Strategic Transitions
Paul Feldman, Computing by Voice

This session will introduce attendees to the different forms of adaptive technology (AT) used by people with hearing impairments, mobility and learning disabilities and vision loss to communicate and access information in a variety of formats. Presenters will also discuss communication and information barriers they have encountered while using AT. Attendees will develop a better understanding of AT and the need to ensure that their communication and information resources are accessible.

12:00-1:30

Lunch – Room 118/124/126
Exhibits – Room 118/124

Interest group tables – join others with the same questions about accessibility you have – and people who might have the answers. Sign up at registration desk in advance or just show up

CNIB Centre tours – Learn about spatial design for accessibility, CNIB Library services, alternate format production. Advance sign-up required – ticket is included with your conference badge. Meet at 12:45 sharp in the Visitor Centre at the main building entrance.

1:30-2:45

Session 2A: Make it right the first time: Creating barrier-free documents
Room 118/124

Karen McCall, Karlen Communications

This session provides an overview of the elements that provide access to digital documents. It also discusses the elements that cause accessibility issues. The principles of creating accessible documents are usable in all applications that create documents. This session will focus on accessible tagged PDF, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft PowerPoint documents. These formats are used in most of our daily activities so making sure that they are as accessible as they can be is essential…and relatively easy to do.

Session 2B: An introduction to Web accessibility: from alt tags to AJAX
Room 218A – Space limited, sign up at registration desk

Jan Richards, Adaptive Technology Resource Centre, University of Toronto

It goes without saying that the Web is an increasingly indispensable communication medium. As such, it is imperative that it be as accessible as possible to the widest range of people. The continued rapid evolution of Web technology provides challenges as well as opportunities. This session will provide an overview of Web accessibility from the well-established to the cutting-edge.

2:45-3:00

Break – Room 126
Exhibits – Room 118/124

3:00-4:15

Session 3A: Adaptive technology access: policies, programs and partnerships from around the province
Room 118/124

Panel chair: Alison McCullough, Oshawa Public Libraries
Susan Back, Toronto Reference Library
Athol Gow, University of Guelph Library
Dorothy Macnaughton, Friends of Canadian Libraries

We learned in session 1B (Enabling through AT) what adaptive technology is, who uses it, and how it helps remove barriers to information access. The next step is implementing this access. But this experience varies greatly across library types and sizes. Our panel members will share some of these different experiences: the who/what/when/why/where on purpose, policies and procedures, support, funding, etc. Time will be allocated to audience participation. Bring your story to share with others.

Session 3B: Accessibility of library catalogues and databases
Room 218A – Space limited, sign up at registration desk

Michele Chittenden, Queen’s University
Philip Springall, CNIB Library
Stephen Cutway, Queen’s University

Libraries must create and provide an online environment that will allow all users to access the information that they need. A number of recent studies indicate that while most electronic library indexes and databases are now largely compliant with accessibility standards, more can be done to ensure accessibility.

This session will explore: (1) barriers to access; (2) how people with disabilities navigate the online environment using assistive technologies; (3) various methods of ensuring that online library resources are accessible and usable for users with disabilities; and (4) ways in which database vendors are addressing accessibility concerns.

4:15-4:30

Break
Exhibits – Room 118/124

4:30-5:00

Closing keynote – Compass for an Odyssey
Room 118/124

Jutta Treviranus, Adaptive Technology Resource Centre, University of Toronto

Access to information, civic engagement, literacy and community building have been at the heart of libraries since they were established. In this time of transformation brought about by the wide scale adoption of information and communication technology these roles are even more relevant and necessary. As libraries adjust to meet radically shifting realities, inclusive design is a catalyst for innovation and a fitting structure for charting a future.

5:00-5:15

Closing remarks – Michael Vandenburg, OLITA President
Room 118/124

5:15-6:30

Rush-hour reception
Room 126, advance sign-up required – ticket is included with your conference badge

Conference Evaluation

Please take a few minutes after the conference to fill out the online evaluation survey form. You will find a link to the form on the Digital Odyssey 2008 website. You will also receive a reminder email. Thank you!

Thank You!

OLITA Council would like to thank everyone who has made Digital Odyssey 2008 a success:

Speakers, bloggers, convenors, and delegates

Sponsors
CNIB
Humanware

Exhibitors
Canadian Hearing Society
CNIB
Frontier Computing
Humanware
Microcomputer Science Centre Inc
Strategic Transitions

Organizing Committee
Alison McCullough, Oshawa Public Libraries
Athol Gow, University of Guelph Library
Lisa Weaver, Toronto District School Board, OSLA
Jennifer Soutter, University of Windsor
CNIB Library Administration and Conference Services
Ontario Library Association

Margaret Williams
OLITA Council 2007-09
Coordinator, Digital Odyssey 2008

Michael Vandenburg
OLITA Council President 2008