AIR High – Accessibility in High School

Ahhhhh….High School. So many life lessons learned. So many memories forever tattooed in your psyche. What a great moment in time to be immersed in the web and accessibility. What? Teach web accessibility to high school teachers and students? Yep, that is exactly what we are doin’ right here in Texas.

Thanks to the creative mind of Sharron Rush, Director of Knowbility, AIR High has begun. We are fanning out across this great state and spreading the word of accessibility and the importance of web standards. Armed with a curriculum specially developed for high school minds, we are changing the way Texas High Schools teach and create web sites.

Now, I’ve taught more accessibility classes than I can count, but all of them have been to adults. So, as we set off on this journey, I knew I wanted the perspective of an experienced high school teacher while we designed the course materials. Hmmmm….high school teacher….accessibility….that equals Derek Featherstone! Derek’s contributions to AIR High are priceless to me. As an international accessibility expert and a former high school teacher, I feel like I hit the jackpot.

Now, as my fellow accessibility evangelists and I roadtrip around Texas and spread the word, I have a wonderful sense of collective intelligence. As I look at the course we’ve developed I see the wisdom of Jim Thatcher, John Slatin, Sharron Rush, Jim Allen, Derek Featherstone and my alter-ego, The Goodwitch.

I can’t wait to see the ripple effects. My sweetest reward? To know that our work may inspire the next generation of accessibility and web standards wizards.

All for web! Web for all!

6 comments

  1. Glenda… this is so cool! I’m simply stunned that something like this is happening. Start an educational revolution out there (and be sure to post lots of stories)! *cheers*

  2. It is inevitable that the schools are going to want to start teaching this in the classroom. I remember when I was a 12 year old at school and we had just been taught how to use a word processor, it was quite a jump from the typewriter. Everyone enjoyed the lessons, and I can only imagine how excited IT kids are going to be when they are taught the joys of web standards.

    Can only bode well for the web industry.

  3. We’ve now been to LaPorte, Edinburg, Austin, Beaumont and San Angelo…and the calendar is packed for January. It is a real kick spreading the love of accessibility and web standards to these teachers.

    I can’t wait for the competition phase of this program, where we get to see the results of the training displayed in accessible and standards compliant web sites!

  4. As an accessibility and standards enthusiast, the son of a former State Director of Vocational Education and a new resident to Dallas I’d like to wish you very good luck and complement you on your effort.

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