Ed Awards $3.6 Million for Accessible Tech
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 11/02/15
The field of accessible technology has just received an infusion of funding. The Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs recently awarded $4.8 million in grants for projects intended to improve outcomes for students with disabilities. The bulk of that — $3.6 million — will be allocated to universities and other organizations to promote the development and use of accessible technology, media services and educational materials. The remaining funding is going to be directed to projects that increase literacy outcomes for students in grades 6-12.
The big award was funded under the Educational Technology, Media and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities Program and spread among eight recipients. Their projects include captioning and video description of educational materials and providing accessible materials to students with disabilities "in a timely manner."
Among the projects:
Other fundees included CaptionMax, Narrative Television Network and Bridge Multimedia, all of which provide services that make content accessible.
About the Author
Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.