Resources for Students:
Financial Aid Information:
College for all Texans: http://www.collegeforalltexans.com/apps/financialaid
http://www.onlineschools.org/financial-aid/disabilities
Tuition Waiver for Blind and/or Deaf Students:
http://www.collegeforalltexans.com/apps/financialaid/tofa2.cfm?ID=547
Blind/Deaf Student Exemption Program
Program Purpose: To help enable blind and deaf students to attend public colleges or universities in the state of Texas.
Eligibility Requirements
- Texas residents
- Declare a program of study at the time he/she applies for the exemption
- Provide certification from the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services of status as a blind person or a deaf person
- Enroll in classes for which the college receives tax support (i.e., a course that does not depend solely on student tuition and fees to cover its costs)
New Requirements Fall, 2014
Senate Bill 1210 (83rd Texas Legislature, Regular Session) adds a Grade Point Average requirement for persons to receive continuation awards through the program. The Bill also establishes a Limit to the Total Number of Hours, cumulative, that a student may take and continue to receive awards through this program. These changes go into effect in fall, 2014. Contact financial aid for more information.
Award Amount
All dues, fees, and enrollment charges whatsoever for which exemptions may be lawfully made, including: fees for correspondence courses, general property deposit fees, and student service fees; but, does not include fees or charges for lodging, board, or clothing. No funds may be used to pay tuition for continuing education classes for which the college receives no state tax support.
Application Process
- Provide the registrar with certification from the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services of status as a blind person or a deaf person
- Provide the registrar a written statement of purpose indicating which certificate, degree program, or professional enhancement will be pursued
- Provide the registrar a copy of the high school transcript and a letter of recommendation
- Provide the registrar proof that all admissions requirements have been met
Additional Information
- Contact your college for additional information.
- To read more about this program check out:
For more information, contact the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) or read more details at the College for All Texans web page on waivers:
- DARS Division for Blind Services: http://www.dars.state.tx.us/dbs
- DARS Office for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (DHHS):http://www.dars.state.tx.us/dhhs
Certificates of Blindness and Certificates of Deafness should be sent directly to the Business Services office in order for the waiver to be applied to the student's account.
Resources for Faculty/Staff:
7-ways-to-make-your-class-accessible.docx
Ways to Make Your Class and Documents Accessible: Follow these steps to improve the accessibility of your Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files as well as PDF files and videos you create.
Web-Accessibility-Checklist.docx
Web Accessibility Checklist: Make sure your website is accessible by using this checklist. Visit other helpful links that are included in this document.
Designing-for-Screen-Reader-Compatibility.docx
Designing for Screen Reader Compatibility: Understand how a screen reader works and the best practices for making Web sites, documents, and PDF files accessible for people that are blind or visually-impaired.
Large Print Basics: Guidelines to follow when creating a document or Web page. Here's a large print document example.
Microsoft-Word-Accessibility.docx
Microsoft Word Accessibility: Make content in Microsoft Word accessible. Feel free to follow this accessible class syllabus example.
PDF Accessibility: Make content in Adobe PDF accessible. You will be shown how to best convert Word documents to PDF. *Note: Though PDF files can be made accessible, it is best to post a Word document version of the file alongside the PDF whenever possible. A Word document is more usable and reliable than a PDF document when read by a screen reader.
PowerPoint Accessibility: Make content in Microsoft PowerPoint accessible.
Section 508 Checklist
http://webaim.org/standards/508/checklist
WCAG 2.0 Checklist
http://webaim.org/standards/wcag/checklist
Website Accessibility Links
Authoring Tools | Content and Structure | Flash | Forms | Frames | Images | JavaScript | Keyboard Accessibility | Presentation and Styles | Tables | Video Captions
Authoring Tools:
Dreamweaver: http://webaim.org/techniques/dreamweaver
Content and Structure:
Creating Semantic Structure: http://webaim.org/techniques/semanticstructure
Designing for Screen Reader Compatibility
http://webaim.org/techniques/screenreader
Links and Hypertext
http://webaim.org/techniques/hypertext
Site Searches, Indexes, and Site Maps
http://webaim.org/techniques/sitetools
“Skip Navigation” Links
http://webaim.org/techniques/skipnav
Flash: Creating Accessible Flash Content
http://webaim.org/techniques/flash
Forms: Creating Accessible Forms
http://webaim.org/techniques/forms
Usable and Accessible Form Validation and Error Recovery
http://webaim.org/techniques/formvalidation
Frames:
Creating Accessible Frames
http://webaim.org/techniques/frames
Images:
Creating Accessible Images
http://webaim.org/techniques/images
Appropriate Use of Alternative Text
http://webaim.org/techniques/alttext
JavaScript: Creating Accessible JavaScript
http://webaim.org/techniques/javascript
Accessibility of AJAX Applications
http://webaim.org/techniques/ajax
Accessibility of Rich Internet Applications
http://webaim.org/techniques/aria
Keyboard Accessibility:
http://webaim.org/techniques/keyboard
Presentation and Styles: Creating Accessible CSS
http://webaim.org/techniques/css
CSS in Action: Invisible Content Just for Screen Reader Users
http://webaim.org/techniques/css/invisiblecontent
Fonts:
http://webaim.org/techniques/fonts
Tables
Creating Accessible Tables
http://webaim.org/techniques/tables
Video Captions: Web Captioning Overview
http://webaim.org/techniques/captions
MAGpie
http://ncam.wgbh.org/invent_build/web_multimedia/tools-guidelines/magpie
25 Ways to Make your Website Accessible
http://www.webhostingsearch.com/articles/25-ways-to-make-your-site-more-accessible.php
American Printing House Guidelines for Print Document Design
http://www.aph.org/edresearch/lpguide.htm
Web Accessibility Resources
http://sc.edu/scatp/documents/WebResourcesHandout_March2014.doc
Updated: Tuesday, May 3, 2016 - 12:51pm