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E-mail Participation
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Students Affected: 
Principles: Provide Meaningful Alternatives, Be Flexible!
What It Means
Students who have trouble accessing your forum software may still be able to participate via e-mail. Many forum programs allow registered users to receive an e-mail copy of each comment and reply that is posted. Some programs even allow e-mail replies to be posted on the Web forum. This e-mail feature enhances accessibility because e-mail is ubiquitous and standardized. If your forum software does not include an e-mail feature, you can provide the forum content in an e-mail format.
If You Do It Wrong: Not all students can access the forum.
If You Do It Right: Students can choose which e-mail program best meets his or her needs and use it to access the forum content.
How It Works
- When choosing a forum program, make sure it includes an e-mail feature.
- Post instructions on how students can participate via e-mail.
- If an e-mail feature is not available, consider creating a weekly or daily summary or digest that can be e-mailed to students with special needs. This does little for accessibility, especially since it does not allow students to participate in a timely manner, but it is better than nothing at all.
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