I spotted this sign south of Ogden, Utah, when I stopped at the Arby's across the street on my way up to my house in Logan, UT.

I can't imagine anyone being so oblivious as to put this message up on a sign, one letter at a time, without realizing what the sign actually said. Has no one else who works there noticed? Did they do it on purpose? Did the managers not notice the sign, or did they not read it? Who knows, but it was worth a photo.

In the beginning of Jesus's ministry, he was relatively unknown, and could walk and teach freely among the people. His people, the Jews, had not yet discovered or fully realized that they would feel the need to perceive him as a threat to their religious order and authority, or to their understanding of Jewish doctrines. Jesus had performed a few apparent miracles, opening the door of curiosity, enticing people to listen to what he had to say, even if only in the hope of witnessing a miracle for themselves. Jesus began to attract listeners and followers of his teachings. He must have been a charismatic personality, able to capture the attention of crowds with his words and oratory skills. He must have been persuasive and attractive, probably in the physical sense as well as in the interpersonal sense. His days of being able to walk and teach freely among the people did not last long.

I witnessed a little piece of history, as Barack Obama was sworn into office on January 20, 2009. The crowd was immense and celebratory, to put it mildly. But they were also respectful. The roar of the applause was deafening, but when Mr. Obama began to speak, the crowd fell silent instantly. A new kind of patriotism is being sown here. It is a patriotism that finds its strength among those who previously may have been dissenters or skeptics. It is a patriotism that capitalizes on the enthusiasm of the young and idealistic, and which is the fruit of the struggles of life-worn elder statesmen and activists. It is a new day.

As far as my dissertation goes, unfortunately I'm beginning to resemble this quote:

His studies were pursued but never effectually overtaken. ~H.G. Wells

Although not officially approved yet — and therefore subject to revisions — I have published my dissertation proposal. Here is a brief excerpt:

Broadly speaking, the dissertation proposed in this document will be a curriculum analysis focusing on teaching masters-level instructional technology students to design e-learning with disability access in mind. The research will consist of three components: 1) the context of the professional instructional technology field, 2) the content of the instructional technology masters level curriculum, and 3) the process involved in integrating disability access into that curriculum.

I propose an new index in the context of international development—a Disability Development Index (DDI)—to supplement the Human Development Index (HDI) and other official indexes in the annual Human Development Report published by the United Nations Development Programme. Because people with disabilities have functional limitations requiring accommodations and an economic safety net, the well-being of people with disabilities is an effective barometer of a society's commitment to the well-being of all its members. A Disability Development Index would take into account the unique situation of people with disabilities, such as the need for assistive technologies and accessible infrastructure in both physical and virtual environments. It also takes into account the additional costs associated with living with a disability. Standard measures of poverty underestimate the poverty experienced by people with disabilities. A Disability Development Index would shed new light on the inequalities and deprivations that people with disabilities have always experienced, allowing the opportunity to focus efforts on ameliorating them to the extent possible.

Though suppositions and recommendations abound, evidence-based research focusing on how to make web content accessible to people with disabilities is scarce. Only seven studies could be found that 1) directly observed people with cognitive disabilities, and 2) addressed cognitive disability access from a web content design perspective. Most of these studies lack the rigor and/or focus to provide any firm evidence or rationale for guidelines, notwithstanding the many recommendations promoted by these studies. Certain broad observations surfaced in multiple studies, such as user difficulties typing text, understanding context, and navigating within web sites. This literature review summarizes and critiques the seven relevant studies, then discusses potential reasons for the dearth of research-based studies about cognitive disability access to the internet.

View and/or print out a web accessibility quick reference sheet which highlights important accessibility principles and techniques. It fits on a single side of paper when printed.

An excerpt from the review:

"Kohrman's book is an ethnographic treatise about the emergence of the modern concept of disability in China in the closing decades of the twentieth century. Kohrman chronicles a specific period of time in China's history, but this book is not a historical retelling of events in the conventional sense. It is an exploration of the ways in which the physical human body is integral to the concept of self, and to expressions of socio-political power. "

An excerpt from the article:

"…Higher education institutions are complex systems—or, more accurately, complex layers and networks of systems—and there are many possible points of failure in efforts to achieve web accessibility. Holistic systems-level solutions are necessary. Only systematic, coordinated effort can result in comprehensive, sustained implementation of the best techniques and technologies…"