WebAIM team members Jonathan Whiting, Jared Smith, Dr. Cyndi Rowland and Aaron Andersen.

CPD's WebAIM quietly advises fortune 500 companies

A team of web accessibility experts at Utah State University has been working with two high-profile, Fortune 500 clients' websites. Unfortunately, the experts at WebAIM can't name those companies.

While representatives from both high-powered WebAIM clients are sincerely working to improve their websites, they don't want to draw attention to the accessibility problems they are trying to fix--hence the nondisclosure agreement.

WebAIM is an initiative of the Center for Persons with Disabilities and Utah State University. Its goal is to improve web accessibility for people with disabilities.

Web accessibility is a concept that's catching. As the baby boomer generation ages, more and more consumers are likely to have conditions that would make it harder to use--and do business on--an inaccessible site. "One of the things with several of the clients we're working with is a lot of them are realizing the market potential," said Jared Smith, WebAIM's associate director.

Litigation is another motivator. Websites that are inaccessible to people with disabilities have become the subject of lawsuits, including a notable class action suit against Target Corporation filed in US District Court in the northern district of California. Read more...

Parents and child care providers know that you can lead a child to the table, but you cannot make her eat.

Child Care Nutrition Program helps kids get a good start on life, learning

Hunger happens here.

A recent report underscored Utah's food insecurity, showing that for 14 percent of children under five in Utah, nutritious food was not consistently available. The Feeding America Report, released in May, reports data from 2005-2007.

Since then, emergency food pantries in many parts of the state have seen 30 percent more people seeking help. Forty percent of the people the pantries serve are children.

Even children with full bellies may still have problems learning, fighting off illness, having a good attitude and keeping their teeth healthy if they are not eating nutritious food. Even when good food is available, parents and child care providers all know they can lead a child to the table, but they cannot make her eat.

Child Care Nutrition Program Director Jeanie Peck hears a lot about feeding problems. The program she administers helps licensed, family home child care providers ensure that nutritious foods are provided at breakfast, lunch and snack times. Program representatives visit homes during meal times to observe whether the guidelines are followed. Peck said that during training classes, a lot of providers ask how to encourage children to eat the good food provided.

"When kids are hungry they get grouchy and cranky. It's a human nature thing," Peck said. Sometimes a hungry child is so grumpy she refuses food. Child care providers are encouraged to feed small children morning and afternoon snacks along with regular meals. Small children can only eat small portions, so it's important to feed them often. "They need that tiny bit of nutrition to keep functioning. They play so hard."

Another strategy is just to have a variety of good foods on the table. "The more that they see it and the more that they see other children enjoying it, the more likely they are to eat it," she said.

Some providers establish guidelines. A child may be expected to take a no-thank-you bite before rejecting a food altogether. One provider encourages three bites: one for texture, one for taste and one to decide if the child likes the food. Many providers remind children that tastes change, even from day to day.

The program has compiled comments from providers who consistently say that some of the children they care for probably do not have the chance to eat well at home. When one home day care provider offered some of her children fruits and vegetables, she discovered that though they had never eaten them before they asked her to keep serving broccoli, carrots, peaches, salads and oranges.

Many sources agree that not only are children developing during their preschool years; their food habits are, too. That makes healthy food choices even more important for young children.

For information on Utah's food pantries and how to make a donation, visit [https://www.utahfoodbank.org/home/ Utah Food Bank Services]. For more information about the Child and Adult Care Food Program, visit the Utah State Office of Education's Child Nutrition Program page.

For more information about the Child Care Nutrition Program at the Center for Persons with Disabilities, contact Jeanie Peck.