Usability University Opens Doors

Usability University Unveils Seminar, Training, and Professional Development Schedule

The General Services Administration (GSA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are sponsoring a new, comprehensive usability training program called Usability University.

Usability University will offer federal staff, federal contractors, and other interested parties a variety of user experience training opportunities including free seminars and in-depth courses at nominal rates. The purpose of the University is to share, promote, and demonstrate usability policies, methods, research, and best practices to improve the usability of federal Web sites and other communication technologies. These seminars and courses are designed to provide current, hands-on, practical training for Web developers, editors, content managers, marketing staff, and others.

For more information on the Usability University and its schedule, please visit our Training and Professional Development Program page and our Seminar Series page.

Course Announcement: Evaluating Accessibility Compliance Using STEP508

On June 23-24, Usability University will host a course entitled "Evaluating Accessibility Compliance Using STEP508". STEP508, the Simple Tool for Error Prioritization for Section 508 compliance, is a new electronic tool that:

1. Prioritizes the repairs you should make to ensure that your Web site is compliant with the accessibility requirements of Section 508.
2. Provides the metrics to report your progress in improving the accessibility of your site over time.

Details of the course, cost, and registration information are shown below.

Instructors:

• Andrew Kirkpatrick - Project Manager, WGBH National Center for Accessible Media
• Debra Ruh - President and Founder, TecAccess, LLC

Date:

Wednesday and Thursday, June 23-24, 2004

Time:

9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Place:

Fee:

• $350 Early registration (thru Friday, June 11, 2004)
• $400 Registration (after Friday, June 11, 2004)

Objectives:

• Learn how to install and use STEP508 with accessibility evaluation tools.
• Review STEP508 output and ways to utilize it to repair Web site errors and report results.
• Understand the strengths, limitations, and upcoming enhancements of STEP508.

Who should attend:

Usability/IT specialists, web site designers/editors, program managers, EEO or accessibility specialists.

Registration required:

http://www.usability.gov/usabilityuniversity/training.html

Questions:

Email usabilityuniversity@gsa.gov

Call GSA's Usability Solutions Group: 202.208.7282