University aware of issues before e-mail migration took place
Students with low vision or blindness may be having trouble using their CU e-mail accounts, a problem that originated with the university’s switch to the CULink service last February.
“I don’t think it’s an accessible website,” said Howard Kramer, the assistive technology lab coordinator with Disability Services.
This newly revealed trouble with CULink comes after last week’s performance problems that affected three of its five servers.
Kramer said at least one blind student and one retired professor were having difficulties working with the site thorough their screen readers, a type of software that can interpret text on computer screens and have it translated back as speech.
The student and professor were unavailable for contact.
Screen readers are one example of assistive technology aiding the disabled in maintaining communication.
Kramer said the software is having difficulty navigating some the site’s graphics, which were not set up properly to cooperate with screen reading technology.
Jon Giltner, the director of IT architecture with Information Technology Services, confirmed that there were known problems between CULink and screen readers prior to switching e-mail platforms. He said while the old webmail service was more screen reader friendly, it was not a more viable option overall.
“We had to make a choice,” Giltner said.
Giltner said CULink was the best choice of program based factors such as web interface, scalability, and interaction with CUConnect.
Kramer said the problem exists in CUConnect and CULearn as well, though the university is now taking a closer look at CULearn.
CULink may work better with screen readers if viewed through a third-party e-mail provider such as Outlook. Giltner said this solution would allow the university to continue working with CULink while minimizing the problems encountered by the disabled.
He said that ITS would also be able to provide programs such as Outlook to those who would need it.
“We would assess what software could be made available, and honor any other requests,” Giltner said.
Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act states says that people with disabilities must be given an equal opportunity to benefit from public education.
Kramer said this statement includes the ability to obtain communications and information as effectively as other students can, something that is partly lacking on campus given the difficulties encountered with CULink.
Kramer also said CU was aware of the problem prior to migrating e-mail accounts to the new service.
“The university has never put any pressure on the manufacturer to make [CULink] accessible,” he said.
CULink may work better with screen readers if viewed through a third-party e-mail provider such as Microsoft Outlook.
Kramer says this is a point through which the university is able to defend using the service and make the stipulation from the Americans with Disabilities Act “a question of legal interpretation.”
Giltner added that there is an alternate web interface being tested with CULink, though he said he does not know if it would be more screen reader friendly.
“If there are options with the vender, we’ll work them out,” he said.
For now, Kramer says the problems between the site and the screen readers make it more difficult than it should be for those with disabilities.
“Somebody who’s really an expert with screen reading technology may get around it, but for the average user, it’s pretty daunting,” he said.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer George Plaven at George.Plaven@thecampuspress.com.
