Humber recently hosted a networking event to introduce industry to the college's new Centre for Technology Innovation!

Take a look at the video below to learn how Humber connected with industry to encourage collaboration on applied research projects:

What is WCAG 2.0?

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 defines how to make Web content more accessible to people with disabilities. Accessibility involves a wide range of disabilities, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, language, learning, and neurological disabilities. (Ben Caldwell)

WCAG Myths

1. Creating a text-only equivalent is sufficient 
Creating a separate text-only equivalent can lead to a number of problems:

• A text-only version is not necessarily accessible 
• Two versions of the same website represents a huge time and money investment for you
• Your primary site may not be accessible to many users
• An ‘extra’ accessible website for blind and disabled users can be one more way to make them feel marginalized from mainstream society

Web accessibility isn't just about blind and disabled Internet users being able to use your site - it's about everyone being able to access it successfully. It really doesn't have to take very much time or money to make your website accessible.

2. It's complicated and expensive to make my website accessible 
To develop an accessible website from scratch will cost virtually the same as to develop a website that isn't accessible. A very large, highly inaccessible website may take a bit more time and money to fix up, although the basic layout and design usually need not change. Web accessibility is not complicated and anyone with basic web design skills can easily implement it.

3. Blind and disabled people don't use the Internet
On the contrary, blind and disabled people benefit from the Internet perhaps more than anyone else. For example, visually impaired people have to phone up a supermarket when they want to go shopping to inform them of their arrival. When they get there, a store assistant will accompany them around the store. Through accessible websites blind people can now shop at home, and in their own time.

Conclusion
Web accessibility isn't brain science. It's not just about disabled users being able to access your website - it's about everyone being able to access your website, including people using handheld devices, WebTV and in-car browsers. Any web developer with basic HTML and CSS design knowledge, and a bit of time on their hands, can easily learn and implement web accessibility.

I am pleased to announce that Gian Michele Pileri has joined the CTL team in the new role as Educational Technologist Specialist.

Gian is a digital media specialist with more than 18 years of production and teaching experience across a number of multimedia disciplines including: entertainment, fashion, education, and service industries. Most recently, Gian held similar roles at McMaster University and at the University of Guelph Humber.

Gian will fill a pivotal role in supporting faculty in their exploration, experimentation and use of educational technologies to support learning. Specifically, he will work directly with faculty to identify and demonstrate how specific technologies can influence and support pedagogical approaches for learning in the digital age.

Gian completed his postsecondary education in Fine Arts at The European Institute of Design in Milan, Italy and completed a secondary degree in Audio-Visual and Communication Technologies from the Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.

As an Educational Technology Specialist, Gian’s combined education and experience will support faculty with new insights and usage scenarios and will provide personable and informed technology advice. 

We are excited to have Gian join the CTL team! Please join me in welcoming him to the Humber family.

EIleen De Courcy
Associate Vice President, Teaching & Learning

Save the date on Tuesday, June 6, 2017 for the 50th Birthday Bash Employee Celebration, President's BBQ and more!

humber50.ca