[music]
Narrator:
Welcome to Georgia Tech’s
information and communication
technology (ICT)
accessibility course.
Designing an information
and communication technology
environment
for individuals
with disabilities
can be challenging. 
This course is designed
to provide
the strategies and resources
to help you address
accessibility challenges.
In 2006, when the United Nations
adopted
the Convention on the Rights
of Persons with Disabilities 
the global initiative
to promote, protect,
and ensure full human rights
for all persons
with disabilities, 
it not only acknowledged
the importance of the cause, 
but also took vital steps to
address this worldwide issue. 
With an estimated $3.5 trillion
spent in the United States
on IT annually,
integrating accessibility
becomes a puzzling and
overwhelming global concern
for corporations,
governments, and nonprofits.
As costs continue to grow, 
accessibility becomes
a necessary goal
requiring both expediency
and efficiency.
Join our seven instructors
and hear from international ICT
accessibility professionals
and individuals
with disabilities
sharing real life experiences
in this Georgia Tech
six-week course. 
We have identified a number
of the general obstacles
organizations face with regards
to electronic accessibility. 
This introduction course
does not offer
a holistic curriculum
of the ICT field. 
However, this course does
provide a foundation
and resources for employees
and others
to address practical daily
questions
in core topic areas such as
information, communication,
and technology accessibility;
principles of ICT accessibility
design;
assistive technology;
accessible documents
and accessible multimedia;
Web accessibility evaluation
and design;
[and] ICT accessibility
operations.
This is the Georgia Institute
of Technology, 
where science and technology
merge
to foster
a deeply-held commitment
to improving
the human condition.
Georgia Tech is pleased to offer
this online course
on information and communication
technology accessibility.
My name is Christopher Lee,
Director of AMAC Accessibility
Solutions and Research Center,
here at Georgia Tech, and I will
be one of your instructors.
In this course we will also be
exploring emerging questions
related to our core
instructional topics, such as: 
How vital is incorporating ICT
accessibility
into your organization?
What is digital content
accessibility
and what are the first steps in
ensuring you are compliant?
Who in your organization needs
to be involved
in the ICT accessibility
roadmap?
What resources are required?
Who is responsible
for information communication
technology accessibility
in your organization?
How does accessibility benefit
your employees and customers?
Join us as we explore
how to extend the benefits
of global growth
for information and
communication technology
to individuals with disabilities
across the world.
I look forward to seeing you
in this course.
