Accessibility for Online Learners

1. Accessibility for Online Learners James Bramhall Steve Rogers Jr.

2. Let's Pretend... • Cover your ears - how will you be able to function with Adobe Connect? What woud you do or need to do to use this tool? • Close your ears - how will you be able to function with Adobe Connect? What would you do or need to do to use this tool? • What about if you were physically impaired?

3. Universal Design • Seven Principles of Universal Design • Principle One: Equitable Use • Principle Two: Flexibility In Use • Principle Three: Simple and Intuitive • Principle Four: Perceptible Information • Principle Five: Tolerance for Error • Principle Six: Low Physical Effort • Principle Seven: Size and Space for Approach and Use http://sloanconsortium.org/cannect/projectone/universal-design/seven-principles.php

4. Major Categories of Disabilities • Visual - Blindness, Low-vision, Color Blindness • Hearing - Deafness, Hearing Loss • Motor - Inability to use a mouse, Slow response Time, Limited Fine Motor Control • Cognitive - Learning Disabilities, Distraction, Inability to remember or focus on large amounts of material

5. Key Web Accessibility Issues for Blind Users • Perceivable: because they cannot perceive (see) visual information such as graphics, layout, or color-based cues. • Operable: because they usually depend on a keyboard to operate (navigate) web content functionality, rather than a mouse. • Understandable: because they cannot understand content that is presented in an illogical linear order, or which contains extraneous text not meant to be read word for word or character by character (such as long Web addresses), etc. • Robust: because the assistive technologies used by the blind are not always capable of accessing a broad range of technologies, especially if those technologies are new.

6. Accessibility Solutions for Blind or Low Vision Users • Screen Readers - there are software programs that convert text into synthesized speech and blind people are able to listen to web content. These software programs are generally called screen readers, even though they do quite a bit more than simply read the screen. Screen readers allow users to navigate through Web content in many ways. The user can simply let the screen reader read everything from top to bottom, one line at a time, or the user can use the tab key to navigate from link to link. • Alternative Keyboards - Accessible keyboards work in tandem with screen readers to allow accessibility for those who are blind.

7. Key Web Accessibility Issues for Deaf Users • Deaf users rely only on the visual sense to access all of the information presented in the online course. • We need to present all material that is not visual with captions or images that convey what we are trying to get the learner to understand.

8. Key Web Accessibility Issues for Users with Motor Issues • Operability is the main issue that a person with motor issues must overcome to have accessibility. • One-handed keyboards are available, which can completely compensate for the lack of the other hand, at least as far as computer access is concerned. However, someone who has lost both limbs may need to make use of other technologies, such as the ones used by individuals with quadriplegia. • Some technologies available include head wands, mouth sticks, and voice recognition software.

9. Key Web Accessibility Issues for Users with Cognitive Issues • The concept of cognitive disabilities is extremely broad, and not always well-defined. In loose terms, a person with a cognitive disability has greater difficulty with one or more types of mental tasks than the average person. • A person with profound cognitive disabilities will need assistance with nearly every aspect of daily living. Someone with a minor learning disability may be able to function adequately despite the disability, perhaps even to the extent that the disability is never discovered or diagnosed. Admittedly, the wide variance among the mental capabilities of those with cognitive disabilities complicates matters.

10. Key Web Accessibility Issues for Users with Cognitive Issues • Some of the main categories of functional cognitive disabilities include deficits or difficulties with: • Memory • Problem-solving • Attention • Reading, linguistic, and verbal comprehension • Math comprehension • Visual comprehension

11. How to Address those Issues: • The main reason why these functional disabilities are more useful when considering web accessibility is that they are more directly related to the concerns of Web developers. • Telling a developer that some people have autism is not very meaningful unless the developer knows what kinds of barriers a person with autism might face. • On the other hand, telling a developer that some people have difficulties comprehending math provides the developer with a framework for addressing this type of audience. • The designer or developer can make adjustments to help with accessibility issues for those with cognitive disabilities.

12. Address Memory Issue • Any kind of reminder of the overall context of a web site can help people with memory deficits. Lengthy interactive processes, such as those required to purchase items online, should be kept as simple and brief as possible. To focus the users' attention on specific tasks, the interaction should probably be broken up into separate pages, but help users keep track of their progress so they do not get lost in the process. Simple reminders such as "step 2 of 4" help them keep track of what they have already done and what they have left to do.

13. Address Problem Solving Issues: • All functionality on the web site for the course should be as predictable as possible, and any deviations from predictability should be preceded by warnings and/or explained to users after the changes occur.

14. Address Attention Deficits: • Focus the attention of users. Use visual cues to highlight important points or sections of the content. If possible, eliminate advertisements and sponsored links. Use headings to draw attention to the important points and outline of the content. Avoid background noises or images that distract. Use them instead to focus the users attention.

15. Helpful Hints for Improving Accessibility for those with Cognitive Issues: • Supplemental media such as illustrations, icons, video and audio have the potential to greatly enhance the accessibility of web content for people with cognitive disabilities. • Short, simple, unambiguous phrases are easier to understand than long, complex, ambiguous ones. People with more profound cognitive disabilities need sentences that are extremely short, simple, and unambiguous. • Usually, the best advice to help users with cognitive disabilities is to provide information in muliple formats, with a heavy emphasis on visual formats.

16. Type of Disability • Severe/Profound • Hand(s), arm(s), leg(s) movement • Pointer • Mild/moderate • ED (Emotional Disordered) • Learning disabilities • "504s" • Dyslexia • ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyper Disorder)

17. Things to consider • IEPs • Shorten assignment • Extended time • Calculator • Hardware • Larger keyboards • Larger monitors • Braille keyboards • Braille sticker labels

18. Things to consider continued • Software • Audio signals for hearing disability • Speech recognition software (limited hand functionality) • Verbally (iPad app) • Other • Head mounted mice • Electronic pointing devices • Tracking balls • Furniture • Wheel chair accessable desk or tables

19. Moodle - Elias 2010 • Numerous access-sensitive plug-ins • Moodle.org: 632 modules, 131 customizable themes • 32 Moodle modules for Multimedia presentations • Redundant forms of content benefits learners with sensory and learning disabilities & diverse learning styles • Searchable course content • Benefits learners with sensory disabilities, attention and memory problems, and easily distracted • Modules • for sound, video, and other assistive technologies • enable students to study together, share marked-up text with each other (disabled student feels less of a burdent to the group)

20. Additional Ideas • Kaspi-Tashor, Heiman, Olenik-Shemesh (Blindness or Visual Impariment (B/VI)) • Written study materials converted to MP3 • Interactive audio-visual materials • Video clips and multimedia titles included with learning materials • Braille screens • Text-to-speech software • Dictating exam to a monitor

21. Additional Ideas continued • Clark & Baggeley (2004) Assistive Software • ATutor • Web-based Learning Content Management System (LCMS) • Synchonous text-based communication (AChat-PHP) • Text Alternatives for images • Adaptive navigation (e.g., Alt/1 = Home) • Disabled learners partipate and colloborate online • ACollab • Integrated with ATutor • Accessabilty features similar to ATutor (e.g., Alt/1 = Home, Alt/2 = Forums, Alt/3 = Chat)

22. Additional Ideas continued • Clark & Baggeley (2004) Assistive Software • Natural Voice • Developed by AT&T • Text-to-speech Reader software • converts text to spoken words • permits user to listen to text instead of reading it • Access keys (e.g., Crtl/F9 to read text) • Speaking Speed control (four variable reading speeds) • JustVanila • enables visually impaired to use the Internet

23. Resources Clark, S. & Baggeley, J. 2004. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, v5 n3 Nov 2004. ERIC Database. Elias, T. 2010. 70. Universal Instructional Design Principles for Moodle. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. ISSN: 1492-3831. Volume 11, Number 2. Hooleon Corpration,http://www.hooleon.com/collections/keyboards-braille Kaspi-Tsahor, D., Heiman, T. & Olenik-Shemesh, D. (2011). Assistive Technology for Students with Blindness or Visual Impairments:. In Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2011 (pp. 403-407). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/36295. Ko, S. & Rossen, S. 2010. Teaching Online A Practical Guide. Routledge New Yor, NY. Third Edition. P. 77. Sloan Consortium, http://www.sloanconsortium.org Special Needs Software, http://www.educational-software-directory.net/special- Web Accessibility in Mind Website, http://www.webaim.org Wikipedia,  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disability