Accessibility & Accommodations in Computer-based Testing: Coming to (common) terms with assistive technology and standar

1. Accessibility & Accommodations in Computer-based Testing:Coming to (common) terms with the assistive technology and standards world Mark Hakkinen, PhD Accessibility, Standards & Assistive Technology Research Group Educational Testing Service Princeton, New Jersey

2. Key Trends • Computer-based Testing needs to serve all Test Takers, including those with Disabilities • Growing adoption of Accessibility Technical Standards to make this possible • Accessibility is an End to End Process, from content design and authoring to delivery and support for test taker needs

3. Terminology can be confusing…

4. Zoom ZoomText Kurzweil APIP Magnification Read Aloud PNP ARIA Screen Reader VoiceOver Tactiles Dragon Braille WCAG Refreshable Braille NVDA JAWS 508 TTS Voice to Text

5. Let’s bring some order to this by understanding... • Accessibility Standards • Assistive Technologies …And the role they play in delivering accessible Computer-based tests

6. Accessibility Standards Assistive Technologies & Accommodations PNP Refreshable Braille Kurzweil VoiceOver Read Aloud Etc... APIP Dragon Tactiles Magnification ZoomText TTS Screen Reader WCAG JAWS Zoom Voice to Text ARIA NVDA Braille 508

7. Defining Accessibility • Accessibility refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. • Also known as Universal Design* or Design for All. • Remove barriers to access. *Broader than UDL

8. a11y

9. a11y accessibility 11 characters between ‘a’ and ‘y’

10. Standards • Standards are key to the successful implementation of accessibility • For • Content Authoring • Content interchange • Delivery • Compatibility with assistive technologies

11. In Assessments • The IMS Global Learning Consortium standards QTI and APIP provide for authoring and interchange of assessment items • With the move to Web-based delivery of Computer-based Tests, additional standards come into play, especially for accessibility

12. Accessibility Approaches Assessment Web Standard, universal approach to content Open Standards Assistive Technologies widely available and used Common and familiar interfaces • Alternate forms • Custom built supports • Limited support for assistive technologies • Security concerns • Learning curves resulting from custom interfaces and tools

13. WCAG Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Pronounced “Wuh Cag”

15. WCAG is the “standard” for a11y • Basis of Section 508 (both original and refresh) • Basis of international a11y legislation • Basis of a growing number of state government a11y guidelines and requirements • Basis for making conformance claims (WCAG 2.0 AA) • You will see WCAG Conformance in RFPs

16. WCAG Defined: POUR • Four principles for Accessibility: • Perceivable • Operable • Understandable • Robust

17. Support for User Needs is Key • WCAG aligns with Test Taker needs • Content must be accessible and usable • Support for and compatibility with Assistive Technologies

18. Assistive Technology Any item, piece of equipment, or system, used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities or functional limitations. Also called: AT

19. Assistive Technology is mainstream • Built-in to consumer products and services • Available as add-ons • Driven by standards • Motivated by moral and legal reasons • Growing expectation by users that technology should just work

20. Apple iOS A11y Features

21. Let’s Identify Common AT • Screen Reader • For Test Takers with Visual Impairments • Refreshable Braille • Tactiles • Zoom/Magnification • For Test Takers with Visual Impairments • Enlarge content so it is viewable by those with low vision • Color Contrast • For Test Takers with Visual Impairments • Change foreground/background colors

24. Let’s Identify Common AT • Read Aloud • For Language Learners and those with Learning Disabilities • Software-based Text to Speech Synthesis (TTS) or pre-recorded • Read individual words or passages • Synchronized Highlighting of Text as it is Spoken • Keyboard Accessibility • For those who cannot use a mouse, or require switch interfaces • All controls and interactives controllable via keyboard only

25. Built-In vs 3rd Party Assistive Technologies • Built-in to the Operating System Platform • Mac/iOSVoiceOver, Magnification, Color Contrast, Speak (Read Aloud) • Microsoft Narrator, Magnifier, Color Contrast • ChromeOSChromeVox, Zoom, Speak, Color Contrast • Android Talkback, Zoom, Color Contrast

26. Built-In vs 3rd Party Assistive Technologies • Built-in to Computer-based Test Delivery • Can include: • Read Aloud • Zoom • Color Contrast • Keyboard Access

27. Built-In vs 3rd Party Assistive Technologies • 3rd Party AT • Screen Readers • JAWS, NVDA, WindowEyes • Zoom • ZoomText, MAGiC • Read Aloud • Read & Write Gold, Kurzweil, etc

28. Common confusions • TTS is not a Screen Reader nor Read Aloud tool • TTS is an underlying ”service” used by AT • Read Aloud does not support Visually Impaired users • Screen Readers are not for students who need “text read aloud” • Zoom and Magnification can be built in or third party • Refreshable Braille is not a stand-alone feature, it requires a screen reader • JAWS is not the only screen reader

29. Rapidly AT changing landscape WebAIM 2015 Screen Reader Survey

30. The Key to Serving Test Takers with Disabilities… • Understand the Assistive Technologies they use • Don’t Re-invent the Wheel when it comes to AT • Understand the Standards needed to make Tests accessible, from authoring to delivery • Understand and correctly use common terms so that we bridge the worlds of assessment and accessibility

31. Thank you!mhakkinen@ets.org