Albany – State University of
New York Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher today commended Google, Inc. on its new
initiative to increase accessibility for visually challenged users on its major
Web services.
In March, Chancellor Zimpher
wrote to Eric Schmidt, Chairman of the Board & CEO of Google, urging the company to make their Apps
for Education service more accessible to the visually impaired. SUNY campuses
began using the service in 2010, but some visually impaired SUNY students and
faculty were having difficulty with the site, which prompted Chancellor Zimpher
to contact Google.
“SUNY enrolls tens of
thousands of blind and otherwise disabled students, and we are committed to
providing them with the same top-quality technology that is available to all
students and faculty,” said Chancellor Zimpher. “It is clear that Google shares
our commitment to education and to students of all ages, and I commend the
company for its prompt response to the needs of our students and faculty by upgrading
its education technology in time for the 2011-12 school year.”
In the letter,
Chancellor Zimpher praised the service, but noted that changes needed to be
made “in order to fulfill our mission to provide the people of New York with
educational services of the highest quality and with the broadest possible
access.” The letter continued, “Technology should make their educational
experience more accessible, not less so.”
Google recently announced
that it is rolling out accessibility improvements to Google Docs, Sites and
Calendars, including new keyboard shortcuts and enhanced screen reader support.
About the State University of New York
The State University of New
York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States,
educating more than 467,000 students in more than 7,500 degree and certificate
programs on 64 campuses with nearly 3 million alumni around the globe. To
learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu
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