Are you looking to build accessible training and Internet Websites? Do you want to build training without dedicating the time to become a Flash guru or a programming wiz? Would you like to create online training courses in a cost effective manner? Do you want to get information on the Internet quickly and make it available to everyone, but don't know a lot about accessibility for those with disabilities? Are you the only training professional in your organization? Do you wish that you had more technical skills than you do?

Many organizations have the need to simply and quickly create training courses, informational Websites, or other multimedia projects; they may or may not have the skills and tools in place to do what needs to be done. Does this sound like you and your organization or company?

Now things can be even more complicated. Those dealing with Federal contracts must comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act ensuring that those with disabilities have the same access to any electronic training or documents as those without disabilities. And many states, like Oklahoma, have followed suit, passing HB 2197 for those dealing with state contracts.

At times it may all seem like an impossible task.

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But don't despair! It's not impossible! If you already own a copy of Adobe's Macromedia Flash 8, we may have just the solution that you need!

Two units of The University of Oklahoma's College of Continuing Education, The National Center for Disability Education and Training (NCDET) and The Center for Public Management (CPM)*, have partnered to create the tools to quickly build accessible Web training. In fact, these tools (think easy-to-use wizards) can be used to build any type of Internet document you might be looking to publish on the Web.

The components that we have created can be downloaded FREE from this site! They will install into your version of Flash as Flash extensions. The components will allow novice Flash users, as well as those unfamiliar with 508 compliance and accessibility issues to build creative, interactive, and accessible training. They provide several graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that have all the programming and accessible navigation already built in. The components will help you with layout, alternative text for graphics, and are programmed for interactivity and judging, such as for multiple choice and text entry questions. Components also provide solutions to other accessibility issues such as keystroke equivalents, easy to read fonts and text size, and color considerations.

And as our final gift to you we've created some clip art that you can also download and use in the components, or any way that you see fit. Many of the images deal with accessibility issues, while others are more generic.

*Grant Award #H133G030063 was provided by The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR).

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We think we've succeeded with our plans. Now it's your turn. The components are ready and available for you to download by clicking Downloads on the menu on the left. They can be used by anyone who has Flash 8 or later. And to make things even easier we've built a tutorial explaining how to download, install, and use the components found on the Examples page. There you will also find an example course created using the components for the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services, which you can use as a guide.

The components can be distributed freely as can the clip art. However, we would appreciate an acknowledgement and a link back to our site.

If you use our components we would love to hear from you about your experiences and to see a sample of your courses. Contact us at feedback@accessibletrainingbuilder.com.

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