Terrill F. Thompson
Technology Accessibility Specialist
DO-IT, UW Accessible Technology
UW Information Technology
University of Washington
Box 354842
Seattle, WA 98195-4842
(206) 221-4168
tft@uw.edu
Professional Experience
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Technology Accessibility Specialist
University of Washington, Seattle, WA, November 2001 to Present
Responsible for providing consultation and support on information technology accessibility to customers within the university community, as well as external customers with support from various grant-funded projects including DO-IT, AccessComputing, AccessSTEM, and AccessIT. For each of these grant projects, responsibilities include developing training and informational materials for distribution via print, web and video; delivering presentations, seminars and workshops worldwide; providing individual consultation on specific technology access issues; establishing partnerships with vendors and associations toward greater accessibility awareness throughout the IT industry; developing web-based applications that facilitate the creation and promotion of accessible content; and conducting primary research on technology accessibility.
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Coordinator of Assistive and Information Technology
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, May 2000 to November 2001
Responsible for providing leadership and technical expertise toward assuring that the university's courses, programs, web and information technology resources are accessible to persons with disabilities. Established partnerships and ongoing communication with a wide variety of groups across campus including centralized administrative groups and relatively autonomous groups within NCSU's ten colleges. Worked extensively with the Provost; Vice Provosts for Information Technology, Distance Learning, and Equal Opportunity; Council of the Deans; Teaching and Learning with Technology Roundtable; and Legal Affairs toward development of the Web Page Accessibility Regulation, which was ultimately passed by NCSU's Executive Board and issued by the Chancellor following my departure.
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Information Technology Accessibility Consultant
October 2000 to Present
Assist organizations in improving the accessibility of their information technology infrastructure, with a primary emphasis on web accessibility.
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Computer Learning Center Coordinator
Independence, Inc., Lawrence, KS, May 1994 to April 2000
Coordination and management of a computer training facility for persons with disabilities. Responsible for all facets of program management, including lab maintenance, purchasing, budget management, student counseling, marketing, outreach, curriculum development, teaching, and staff hiring and supervision. Increased community awareness and involvement in the center, and established a Business Advisory Council for guidance in curriculum development and to facilitate improved positive employment outcomes for students. Established the Center as a respected regional resource for IT accessibility, and provided IT and web accessibility consultation to area secondary and post-secondary educational institutions and to the State of Kansas.
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Owner/Developer
Peakware.com, January 1995 to December 1999
Developed the internationally acclaimed Peakware World Mountain Encyclopedia web site. Peakware is now under new ownership, but I continue to do contractual work developing and maintaining the site. Peakware has over 10,000 users who actively contribute content, and remains the web's premier source for information about mountains and mountaineering. It also continues to be fully accessible to users with disabilities.
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Market Research Analyst/ LAN Manager
Business Technology Association, Kansas City, MO, July 1990 to May 1994
Conducted primary market research for members of an international trade association of business technology vendors and dealers. Also responsible for design, installation and support of the organization's local area network.
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Research Assistant
Menninger Foundation, Topeka, KS, February 1986 to July 1990
Designed, conducted, and analyzed research data in a multi-national research project. Proposed and implemented the automation of the data analysis process. Supervised staff of research assistants and student interns while project administrator worked over extended periods in Asia.
Education
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University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Graduate studies toward Master of Science degree in Special Education
Fall 1999 and Spring 2000
Grade point average for 12 credits: 4.0 (A=4.0) -
University of Missouri at Kansas City, Kansas City, MO
Computer Science classes, Summer and Fall 1992
Grade point average for 9 credits: 4.0 (A=4.0) -
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Bachelors' degree with distinction, December 1986
Major: Psychology
Minors: Philosophy, English
Cumulative grade point average: 5.57 (A=6.0) -
College of St. Mark and St. John Foundation, Plymouth, England
Fall term 1985
Selected Papers Presented at International, National and Regional Conferences
- IT Accessibility Law, Policy, and Implementation (co-presented with Tracy Mitrano, Cornell University; Gerald Hanley, California State University, Office of the Chancellor; Daniel Goldstein, Brown Goldstein & Levy; and Tony Olivero, National Federation for the Blind). EDUCAUSE, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 10/11.
- Developers' View of Web Accessibility: Pitfalls, Gotchas, and Solutions (co-presented with John Foliot, Stanford University; Christian Vinten-Johansen, Penn State University; Robert Crisler, University of Nebraska; and Susan Cullen, California State University, Northridge). EDUCAUSE, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 10/11.
- Web Accessibility 101. AHEAD, Seattle, Washington, 7/11.
- Accessible Video: Techniques, Tools, Strategies, and Solutions (co-presented with Sean Keegan, Stanford University; Ken Petri, The Ohio State University; and Jayme Johnson, HTCTU, California State Colleges). AHEAD, Seattle, Washington, 7/11.
- Crowd-Sourcing Accessibility: Can Accessibility be fixed for free with Community Help? Accessing Higher Ground, Westminster, Colorado, 11/10.
- Audio and Video Accessibility: Strategies and Workflows (co-presented with Sean Keegan, Stanford University; Alice Anderson, University of Wisconsin-Madison; and James Glapa-Grossklag, College of the Canyons). EDUCAUSE 2010, Anaheim, 10/10.
- Accessibility of Online Instructional Tools and Documents, Digital Accessibility Expo 2010, Chicago, 04/10.
- Video Accessibility, Digital Accessibility Expo 2010, Chicago, 04/10.
- Making Video Accessible: How to Do It, Step by Step, CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, San Diego, 03/10.
- Video Accessibility, Accessing Higher Ground, Westminster, Colorado, 11/09.
- A Longitudinal Study on Higher Education Web Accessibility: Implications for Advocates, Accessing Higher Ground, Westminster, Colorado, 11/09.
- Advancing the State of IT Accessibility in Higher Education, EDUCAUSE Western Regional Conference, San Francisco, 04/09.
- Universal Design in Higher Education: From Principles to Practice (co-presented with Tamitha Tidwell, University of Washington). CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, Los Angeles, 03/09.
- March Madness: Web Accessibility Meets the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, Los Angeles, 03/09.
- DO-IT Video Search: A Case Study in Accessible Web and Multimedia. CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, Los Angeles, 03/09.
- Is Assistive Technology Enough? What Teachers Should Know About IT Accessibility. Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education, Charleston, SC, 03/09.
- Issues in Accessible Online Learning. California Web Accessibility Conference (CalWAC), Long Beach, CA, 01/09.
- Captioning and Accessible Multimedia. California Web Accessibility Conference (CalWAC), Long Beach, CA, 01/09.
- Accessibility of Learning Management Systems (co-presented with Hadi Rangin, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and Ken Petri, The Ohio State University). Accessing Higher Ground, Boulder, CO, 11/08.
- DO-IT Video Search: A Case Study in Accessible Multimedia. Accessing Higher Ground, Boulder, CO, 11/08.
- Web Accessibility: How Higher Education is Responding to the Need. HighEdWeb, Springfield, MO, 10/08.
- DO-IT Video Search: A Case Study in Accessible Multimedia. CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, Los Angeles, 03/08.
- University of Washington: A Case Study in Accessible Technology in Education (co-presented with Sheryl Burgstahler, University of Washington). CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, Los Angeles, 03/08.
- Issues in Accessible Online Learning. California Web Accessibility Conference (CalWAC), Long Beach, CA, 01/08.
- Captioning and Accessible Multimedia. California Web Accessibility Conference (CalWAC), Long Beach, CA, 01/08.
- Web Accessibility in Higher Education: How Are We Doing? (co-presented with Saroj Primlani, North Carolina State University). Accessing Higher Ground, Boulder, CO, 11/07.
- Accessibility of Higher Education Websites in the Northwestern U.S.: Current Status and Response to Third Party Outreach. International Conference on Technology-based Learning with Disability, Dayton, OH, 07/07.
- Using Closed Captions for Accessibility and Full-text Video Search.. Ed-Media, Vancouver, BC, 06/07.
- International Research on Web Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities. International Information Resources Management Association (IRMA) Conference, Vancouver, BC, 05/07.
- Research on Accessibility of Higher Eduation Websites. CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, Los Angeles, 03/07.
- Powerpoint & Friends: Accessible Slides on the Web. CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, Los Angeles, 03/07.
- Research on Web Accessibility in Higher Eduation. Accessing Higher Ground, Boulder, CO, 11/06.
- PowerPoint & Friends: Accessible Slides on the Web. Accessing Higher Ground, Boulder, CO, 11/06.
- Current Issues Roundtable on IT Accessibility (facilitator). EDUCAUSE, Dallas, TX, 10/06.
- Campus Perspectives on IT Accessibility. (Co-presented with Sara Clark, Missouri State University; David Cook, University of Texas at Austin; Craig Jackson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Susan Lewis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Tracy Mitrano, Cornell University). EDUCAUSE, Dallas, TX, 10/06.
- Creating an Accessible Technology-Enhanced Learning Environment. ACM SIGUCCS Computer Services Management Symposium, San Diego, 04/06.
- Captioning Videos. California Web Accessibility Conference (CalWAC), San Francisco, 04/06.
- Accessible Dynamic Menus.. California Web Accessibility Conference (CalWAC), San Francisco, 04/06.
- Including Everyone: Accessible Technology in Education. TechEd, Pasadena, CA, 03/06.
- Universal Design and Web Accessibility: Unexpected Beneficiaries. CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, Los Angeles, 03/06.
- Creating Accessible Web Navigation Systems. Accessing Higher Ground: Accessible Media, Web and Technology Conference, Boulder, CO, 11/05.
- Universal Design & The Web: Techniques, Problems, and Solutions. E-Learn 2005, Vancouver, British Columbia, 10/05.
- Access Solutions Panel: How to Deploy IT that is Accessible to Users with Disabilities (Co-presented with Saroj Primlani, North Carolina State University; Fedro S. Zazueta, University of Florida; Robert Gerhart, Georgia Institute of Technology; and Kevin Price, Southeast ADA & IT Technical Assistance Center). EDUCAUSE, Orlando, FL, 10/05.
- Making Educational IT Accessible. National ADA Symposium and Expo. Overland Park, KS, 05/05.
- How People With Disabilities Use the Web. National ADA Symposium and Expo. Overland Park, KS, 05/05.
- How Assistive Technology and Information Technology Interact. National ADA Symposium and Expo. Overland Park, KS, 05/05.
- Battle of the file formats: An accessibility comparison of HTML, Microsoft Word, and Adobe PDF. PowerUp 2005, Osage Beach, MO, 04/05.
- Accessibility and Handheld Computers (PDAs). PowerUp 2005, Osage Beach, MO, 04/05.
- Battle Of The File Formats: Electronic Documents And Structural Integrity. CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, Los Angeles, 03/05.
- Universal Design And Web Accessibility: Unexpected Beneficiaries. CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, Los Angeles, 03/05.
- Distance Learning: Universal Design, Universal Access. Access the Future, Portland, OR, 10/04.
- Accessible Technology in Education: Policies, Procedures, and Partnerships. Access the Future, Portland, OR, 10/04.
- Universal Design and the Web. EDUCAUSE, Denver, 10/04.
- Technology Accessibility Policies in Higher Education (Co-presented with Sheryl Burgstahler, University of Washington; Ron Stewart, Oregon State University; Howard Kramer, University of Colorado-Boulder; and Cristi Harris, Rocky Mountain ADA & IT Center). EDUCAUSE, Denver, 10/04.
- Web Accessibility in the K-12 Environment. National Educational Computing Conference, New Orleans, 06/04.
- Accessible Technology in Education: Policies, Procedures, & Partnerships. National ADA Symposium, Kansas City, 05/04.
- Universal Design And Web Accessibility: Unexpected Beneficiaries. CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, Los Angeles, 03/04.
- Accessing PDA's in the Classroom. CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, Los Angeles, 03/04.
- Information Technology for ALL: Setting the Stage for IT Accessibility, Future Planning and Funding. New Jersey Assistive Technology Conference, 11/03.
- Transforming the 508 Experience into an On-Campus Reality. Accessing Higher Ground: Assistive Technology in Higher Education, Boulder, CO, 11/03.
- Why and How to Create an Accessible On-line Learning Environment (Co-presented with Sheryl Burgstahler, University of Washington). EDUCAUSE, Anaheim, 11/03.
- Web Accessibility in the K-12 Environment. National Educational Computing Conference, Seattle 05/03.
- Universal Design: Creating Distance-Learning Courses That Are Accessible to Everyone. National Educational Computing Conference, Seattle 05/03
- Adaptive Technology: An Overview. National Educational Computing Conference, Seattle 05/03
- Distance Learning, Universal Design and Universal Access. National Educational Computing Conference, Seattle 05/03
- Making IT Accessible. Information Technology for All in Education, Albany, NY 04/03
- Topics on Web Accessibility. Ithaca, NY 04/03
- Spokes in the Wheel: The Critical Role of All Players in Making Technology Accessible. National Capacity Building Institute, Seattle, WA, 04/03
- Distance Learning: Universal Design, Universal Access. Society for Information Technology in Teacher Education (SITE) Conference, Albuquerque, NM, 03/03
- Beyond Web Accessibility: Technology Accessibility Policies in Higher Education (Co-presented with Sheryl Burgstahler, University of Washington; Ron Stewart, Oregon State University; Erica Jones, Pacific ADA & IT Center). CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, Los Angeles, CA, 03/03
- How to Create Accessible PDF's. CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, Los Angeles, CA, 03/03
- Access is Elementary: Web Accessibility in the K-12 Educational Environment. CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, Los Angeles, CA, 03/03
- Research on Web Accessibility in Higher Education (Co-presented with Sheryl Burgstahler and Dan Comden, University of Washington). CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, Los Angeles, CA, 03/03
- Creating Distance Learning Courses that are Accessible to Everyone. (Co-presented with Curtis Edmonds, Southeast Disability & Technical Assistance Center). EDUCAUSE 2002, Atlanta, GA, 10/02
- Making Interactive and Multimedia Content Accessible. Power Up 2002, Columbia, MO, 04/02
- Making Your Technology-Enhanced Learning Environment Accessible (Co-presented with David Baker, Missouri Assistive Technology). Power Up 2002, Columbia, MO, 04/02
- Going Cordless: Exploring Technologies that Unchain People from Computers (Co-presented with Kevin Price, CSU San Bernadino). CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, Los Angeles, CA, 03/02.
- The Changing Role of AT Labs in Higher Education. Accessing Higher Ground: Assistive Technology in Higher Education, Boulder, CO, 11/01
- Universal Access to Learning: Assistive Technology and Accessibility. Slavic and East European Languages: Acquisition, Techniques, and Technologies, Durham, NC, 08/01
- Developing an Information Technology Accessibility Plan. AHEAD 2001, Portland, OR, 7/01
- How to Make Information Technology Accessible in Higher Education. NCAHEAD video conference, 04/01
- Accessible Web Development. NCAHEAD video conference, 04/01
- Developing an Information Technology Accessibility Plan. CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, Los Angeles, CA, 03/01
- Choosing and Using Speech Recognition Technology (Co-presented with Kevin Price, UCLA). CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, Los Angeles, CA, 03/00
- Choosing and Using Speech Recognition Technology (Pre-conference Workshop). ATK Assistive and Educational Technology Conference, Topeka, KS, 09/99
Selected Publications
- Burgstahler, S., & Thompson, T. (2011). Fully including students, teachers, and administrators with disabilities in telementoring. In D. A. Scigliano (Ed.) Telementoring in the K-12 Classroom (pp. 89-115). Hershey, NY: Information Science Reference.
- Thompson, T., Burgstahler, S., Moore, E. (2010). Web accessibility: A longitudinal study of college and university home pages in the northwestern United States. Disability & Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, Volume 5, No. 2., pp. 108-114.
- Thompson, T. (2009). Electronic Document Delivery: Improving Access or Erecting Barriers? Journal of Access Services, Volume 6, pp. 295-302.
- Thompson, T. (2008). Universal Design of Computing Labs. In S. Burgstahler & R. Cory (Eds.), Universal design in higher education: From principles to practice. Boston: Harvard Education Press, pp. 235-244.
- Thompson, T., Burgstahler, S., Moore, E. (2007). Accessibility of Higher Education Websites in the Northwestern U.S.: Current Status and Response to Third Party Outreach. In Proceedings of The First International Conference on Technology-based Learning With Disability.
- Thompson, T., Burgstahler, S., Moore, E., Gunderson, J., Hoyt, N. (2007). International Research on Web Accessibility for Persons With Disabilities. In M. Khosrow-Pour (Ed.), Managing Worldwide Operations and Communications with Information Technology. Hershey, PA: Information Resources Management Association. Available on-line at http://staff.washington.edu/tft/research/international.
- Thompson, T. (2006). On the Menu: The Quest for Accessible Dynamic Navigation. Accessible Content, Volume 2, Issue 1, Winter 2006.
- Thompson, T. (2005). Information Technology Accessibility in Higher Education: Research and Promising Practices. EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research (ECAR) Research Bulletin, Volume 2005, Issue 12, June 7, 2005.
- Thompson, T. (2005). Speech Technology for Persons With Disabilities: Are We Breaking Down Barriers or Creating New Ones? . Speech Technology Magazine, 9 (9).
- Thompson, T. (2003). The interdependent roles of all players in making technology accessible. Journal of Special Education Technology, 18 (4).
- Thompson, T., Burgstahler, S., & Comden, D. (2003). Research on web accessibility in higher education. Journal of Information Technology and Disabilities, 9 (2).
- Johnson, K., Brown, S., & Amtmann, D., & Thompson, T. (2003). Web accessibility in post-secondary education: Legal and policy considerations. Journal of Information Technology and Disabilities, 9 (2).
Professional Activities
- Vice President, Access Technology Higher Education Network (ATHEN), 11/07 to present; co-founded ATHEN in 03/02.
- Chair and founder, EDUCAUSE IT Accessibility Consituent Group, 04/07 to present.
- Chair, Design Subgroup of the Blackboard Accessibility Interest Group (BAIG), 2/08 to present; BAIG Chair, 05/06 to 05/07.