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Access to Technology:
Questions & Challenges
Jeff Carter
Executive Director, D.C. LEARNs, Washington, D.C.
Webmaster: LiteracyTech.org
http://www.literacytech.org
Last Updated: 4/2005
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Why Is it Important to Think About Learners’
Special Needs When Integrating Technology?
Last Updated: 4/2005
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Why Is it Important to Think About Learners’
Special Needs When Integrating Technology?
Many learners have disabilities and most technology is
designed for people with “normal” abilities. For example, it is
estimated that as many as 50%-80% of ABE students have
LD.
Media is becoming increasingly complicated to decode, due
to new kinds of media technology, such as the World Wide
Web.
Last Updated: 4/2005
*From: Adults with Learning Disabilities, ERIC Digest No. 189 and Assistive
Technology: Meeting the Needs of Adults with Learning Disabilities, National
Adult Literacy and Learning Disabilities Center, 1996
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Assistive Technology: What Is It?
Last Updated: 4/2005
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Assistive Technology: What Is It?
”[A]ny technology that enables an adult with learning disabilities to
compensate for specific deficits”
A technology device designed to “increase the independence of
individuals with learning disabilities by enabling them to compensate
for deficits, enhance self-confidence, and participate more fully in all
settings: work, school, home, and leisure.”
It tends to refer to technologies that are high-tech and/or computerbased.
Last Updated: 4/2005
*From: Adults with Learning Disabilities, ERIC Digest No. 189 and Assistive
Technology: Meeting the Needs of Adults with Learning Disabilities, National
Adult Literacy and Learning Disabilities Center, 1996
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Assistive Technology vs.
Making Technology Accessible
Assistive technology helps learners compensate for the
disability.
Making technology accessible: Tools and practices that
assist learners get around barriers created by poorly
designed technology.
Similar, but not the same….
Last Updated: 4/2005
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Using Technology with Learners:
Rarely “One Size Fits All”
Technology is flaky and unpredictable. Software that is a
“gem” to one person may be a stinker for you.
Moreover, because every individual has a unique set of
strengths, weaknesses, interests, and experiences, not all
technologies will be appropriate for all adults. For each
situation, consider:
 the individual's unique set of strengths, weaknesses, etc.;
 the function to be performed; and
 the particular context in which the technology will be applied.
Last Updated: 4/2005
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Example: Barriers to Using the Web for People with
Cognitive or Learning Disabilities
Can you name some?
Last Updated: 4/2005
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Barriers to Using the Web for People with Cognitive
or Learning Disabilities
Complex or incoherent design
Inconsistent or confusing navigation or organization
Distracting visual or audio elements that are hard to turn off
Lack of alternative ways or modes of presenting information,
 Lack of graphics
 Alternative text for graphics (can be converted to audio captions)
 Captions for audio
Animated text, blinking objects
Poorly chosen colors:
 Color that is used as a unique marker to emphasize text
 Text that inadequately contrasts with background color
Last Updated: 4/2005
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Barriers to Using the Web for People with Cognitive
or Learning Disabilities:
Case Study #1: Online Shopper with Color Blindness
Mr. Lee is in the market for some new clothes, appliances,
and music. As he frequently does, he is spending a
weeknight evening shopping online. He has one of the most
common visual disabilities for men: color blindness.
 What is color-blindness?
 How might shopping online present difficulties for Mr. Lee?
Last Updated: 4/2005
*From: How People with Disabilities Use the Web, W3C Working Draft, 4
January 2001, http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-UseWeb/Overview.html
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Barriers to Using the Web for People with
Cognitive or Learning Disabilities:
Case Study #1: Online Shopper with Color Blindness
Color blindness is a lack of sensitivity to certain colors -often the inability to distinguish between green and red.
Last Updated: 4/2005
*From: How People with Disabilities Use the Web, W3C Working Draft, 4
January 2001, http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-UseWeb/Overview.html
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Barriers to Using the Web for People with Cognitive
or Learning Disabilities:
Case Study #1: Online Shopper with Color Blindness
Last Updated: 4/2005
*Graphic: http://www.lighthouse.org/color_contrast.htm
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Barriers to Using the Web for People with Cognitive
or Learning Disabilities:
Case Study #1: Online Shopper with Color Blindness
Mr. Lee may have difficulty reading the text on many Web
sites. For example, where the sale prices are indicated in
red text on a green background.
Possible Solutions?
Last Updated: 4/2005
*From: How People with Disabilities Use the Web, W3C Working Draft, 4
January 2001, http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-UseWeb/Overview.html
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Barriers to Using the Web for People with
Cognitive or Learning Disabilities:
Case Study #1: Online Shopper with Color Blindness
Mr. Lee may find that on some sites, the colors can be
controlled by his own user style sheets that he can use to
override the styles defined by the Web site author(s). For
example, on those sites where the sale prices were
indicated in red text, he might be able to change that style.
(Try out style sheets here:
http://www.w3.org/StyleSheets/Core/preview)
Last Updated: 4/2005
*From: How People with Disabilities Use the Web, W3C Working Draft, 4
January 2001, http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-UseWeb/Overview.html
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Barriers to Using the Web for People with
Cognitive or Learning Disabilities:
Case Study #1: Online Shopper with Color Blindness
Unfortunately, user-defined style sheets only work well with
sites that are designed to accommodate them, and they are
not easy to create.
Note, however, that some sites—even some software—offer
the user options for viewing their pages.
See for example: http://www.afb.org/myafb.asp
Last Updated: 4/2005
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Barriers to Using the Web for People with Cognitive
or Learning Disabilities:
Case Study #2: Classroom student with dyslexia
Ms. Olsen attends a community college. She has attention
deficit disorder with dyslexia, and the combination leads to
substantial difficulty reading. Her school recently started to
use more online curricula to supplement class textbooks.
She is worried about reading online.
How might her needs be accommodated?
Last Updated: 4/2005
*From: How People with Disabilities Use the Web, W3C Working Draft, 4
January 2001, http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-UseWeb/Overview.html
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Barriers to Using the Web for People with Cognitive
or Learning Disabilities:
Case Study #2: Classroom student with dyslexia
She might try text-to-speech software. She may find that she is able to
read along visually with the text much more easily when she could hear
certain sections of it read to her with the speech synthesis, instead of
struggling over every word.
 Sample synthesized speech:
http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/WebForBlind/
She also finds that some Web sites are much easier for her to use than
others. How might the graphics of a site be a factor?
Last Updated: 4/2005
*From: How People with Disabilities Use the Web, W3C Working Draft, 4
January 2001, http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-UseWeb/Overview.html
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Barriers to Using the Web for People with
Cognitive or Learning Disabilities:
Case Study #2: Classroom student with dyslexia
Some of the pages that rely heavily on graphics might help her focus in
quickly on sections she wants to read.
In some cases, though, where the graphics are animated, it is very hard
for her to focus, and so it helps to be able to freeze the animated
graphics or text. (examples:
http://www.htmlgoodies.com/beyond/java.html;
http://literacytech.worlded.org/docs/lowell/home.htm)
Last Updated: 4/2005
*From: How People with Disabilities Use the Web, W3C Working Draft, 4
January 2001, http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-UseWeb/Overview.html
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Barriers to Using the Web for People with
Cognitive or Learning Disabilities:
Case Study #2: Classroom student with dyslexia
Can you think of some other suggestions for students who
have dyslexia?
Last Updated: 4/2005
*From: How People with Disabilities Use the Web, W3C Working Draft, 4
January 2001, http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-UseWeb/Overview.html
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Barriers to Using the Web for People with
Cognitive or Learning Disabilities:
Case Study #2: Classroom student with dyslexia
People with reading difficulties often
benefit from adjusting the contrast or
switching to white-on-black. Windows XP
and Mac OS X, for example, have this
feature built in. Other ideas:
 Customize the colors/backgrounds with
user style sheets, as Mr. Lee did in the
previous example.
 Print the information onto paper.
Last Updated: 4/2005
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Barriers to Using the Web for People with Cognitive
or Learning Disabilities:
Case Study #3: Central-field vision loss, hand tremor, short-term memory loss
Mr. Yunus has central field loss (he see only the edges of
the visual field). He wants to use the Web to research family
history and read the news from home.
He also finds it confusing when new browser windows pop
open without notifying him.
What suggestions do you have for him?
Last Updated: 4/2005
*From: How People with Disabilities Use the Web, W3C Working Draft, 4
January 2001, http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-UseWeb/Overview.html
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Barriers to Using the Web for People with Cognitive
or Learning Disabilities:
Case Study #3: Central-field vision loss, hand tremor, short-term memory loss
Use a screen magnifier to help with his vision
and his hand tremor; when the icons and
links on Web pages are bigger, it's easier for
him to select them.
User style sheets. (Why?)
Look for Web sites that do not have a lot of
movement in the text.
Use a browser that allows you to turn off popup windows
Last Updated: 4/2005
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Barriers to Using the Web for People with
Cognitive or Learning Disabilities:
Case Study #4: Clerk with cognitive disability
Mr. Sands has bagged groceries for the past year at an
online grocery service. He has Down syndrome, and has
difficulty with abstract concepts. He also has difficulty
reading and doing mathematical calculations.
Recently, he visited the customer Web site for the grocery
service from his computer at home. How could the grocer
make the Web site accessible to Mr. Sands?
Last Updated: 4/2005
*From: How People with Disabilities Use the Web, W3C Working Draft, 4
January 2001, http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-UseWeb/Overview.html
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Barriers to Using the Web for People with Cognitive
or Learning Disabilities:
Case Study #4: Clerk with cognitive disability
It could use pictures wherever possible.
Some of the products descriptions could use multimedia that includes
audio descriptions. For an example of this, see the online tutorials at
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorial.html
You could design the site so that you may interact with the site without
much reading: For example, when he clicks on an icon showing a
product, it could send his choice directly to an order form.
Last Updated: 4/2005
*From: How People with Disabilities Use the Web, W3C Working Draft, 4
January 2001, http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-UseWeb/Overview.html
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Barriers to Using the Web:
More Tools
Keyboard Navigation
Alternative Browsers (such as Lynx)
Last Updated: 4/2005
*From: How People with Disabilities Use the Web, W3C Working Draft, 4
January 2001, http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-UseWeb/Overview.html
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Universal Design and Universal Design for
Learning
Architects practicing universal design create structures which
accommodate the widest spectrum of users possible. Designing for the
needs of special populations increases usability for everyone.
The classic example is the sidewalk curb cut. Although originally
designed to help those in wheel chairs negotiate curbs, curb cuts ease
travel for everyone.
Last Updated: 4/2005
See: http://www.cast.org/
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Universal Design and Universal Design for
Learning
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) draws upon and extends principles of
universal design. Curriculum should include alternatives to make it accessible
and appropriate for individuals with different backgrounds, learning styles,
abilities, and disabilities Four fundamental assumptions:
 Students with disabilities fall along a continuum of learner differences rather
than constituting a separate category
 Teacher adjustments for learner differences should occur for all students, not
just those with disabilities
 Curriculum materials should be varied and diverse including digital and
online resources, rather than centering on a single textbook
 Instead of remediating students so that they can learn from a set curriculum,
curriculum should be made flexible to accommodate learner differences.
Last Updated: 4/2005
See: http://www.cast.org/
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Where Does This Leave Us?
Evaluation of classroom technology must include accessibility checks.
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution.
There’s some recognition among software and Web site developers
regarding Web accessibility, but more research is needed on the impact
of using technology and electronic media with adult learners with special
needs.
Software designers, online course designers etc., need us to help them
design more accessible technologies.