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Part of this week’s assignment required me to use Bobby, an on-line service that rates Web sites, to evaluate my Web pages for accessibility. After a few minor changes, I’m happy to report that all of my web pages are Bobby approved. Some further suggestions were made, but I don’t have the knowledge base of HTML source code to use their suggestions at this time. I do plan on going back and updating the pages to provide the best accessibility possible. (This may not be an urgent matter because I don’t believe my web pages have an audience that is very large.)
Before I started working on this assignment, I have to admit that I was unaware of the disabilities that could affect users of the World Wide Web. Color, letter size, and positioning of text on the page are only a few of the elements that must be considered when designing a web page. The following are a few design strategies I learned about while working with Bobby.
Color
There must be a careful selection
of background and text for a contrast that enhances readability.
Background
Using detailed or decorative
backgrounds may distract from or prohibit readability.
Graphics
These may be used as decoration
or for meaning, but some browsers may not show what I see. Also,
titles or explanations of graphics should be used so if the user cannot
view the image, they will still understand the content or intent of the
image.
Links
Careful placement of links must
be considered for those that use readers that go from left to right.
Tables
Those that must increase the
font size in order to read the text, my find that the information no longer
fits in the cells of the tables.
These may only scratch the surface of elements that affect accessibility of web. I looked into some specific disabilities and other design strategies for web pages that could be used by students. They are listed below.
Speech Impairment
Students with speech impairments
that may be assigned to give oral presentations may prepare their remarks
ahead of time on their computer. They may then use a computer’s speech
output capability to convey the information.
Visual Impairment
Students may use digitized books
that are read aloud electronically. Computer voice systems can make
learners more independent.
Learning Disability
Software can help display textbook
pages on a computer screen. A voice reads aloud as the pertinent
text is highlighted on the screen. Students can pull out for later
review and may then look up the definition of any unfamiliar words in an
electronic dictionary.
It is obvious to me that helping
students with disabilities often requires additional hardware and/or software,
many of which are quite costly. For these students, it is important
for teachers to customize the learning experience. Many avenues do
exist to assist students with disabilities so they, too, are able to benefit
from using the World Wide Web.
The second part of this assignment included the examination of two web sites pertaining to educational technology access issues. This activity significantly broadened my understanding of the impact these technologies will have on everyone. These technologies may be as small as downloadable magnifications to specialized hardware/software. This takes me back to thoughts from our open source assignment because these technologies will expand and provide opportunities for major computer companies to produce, and then to continually expand, the capabilities of their products. Competition between vendors will undoubtedly continue. With this in mind, perhaps educational institutions could profit from such a senario. Hardware/software could be available at reduced prices allowing for better communication.
Students in need of these technologies will experience a myriad of educational opportunities which were previously unavailable to them. Communication within their classrooms will be more effective, as will be their communication with the world. This will also benefit society as a whole. Those individuals who lose capabilities, either through injury or age, will benefit from these technologies and the improved market for them. I believe these technologies will not only benefit the disabled population, but the population as a whole.
I examined a few web sites/articles that led me to the aforementioned thoughts. The first of these is Short Sited, by Jeri Clausing. This article gives the user a feel for how those with disabilities struggle through the Web. Included are several interviews with several disabled persons who tell the story and the frustrations of their use and interactions with the Web. This article had a much larger impact on me because it includes the personal stories of disabled individuals which made it all the clearer how web design impacts accessibility.
Also found in this article are explanations of some organizations that actively work on establishing accessibility guidelines for developers. Some of these organizations are W3C, NCAM, Trade Center, and NFD.
The information from this article would be very beneficial when giving instruction on web design. The benefits gleaned from the inclusion of personal story examples far surpass just the listing of "do’s" and "don’ts".
Another site is a web page made by Alliance for Technology Access (ATA). The ATA is a network of community-based resource centers providing information and support to children and adults with disabilities.
Information on the ATA page, which particularly interested me, included a list of products that will enhance access to the World Wide Web. There are ideas for overcoming physical, auditory, and visual disabilities. This site can be an excellent source for teachers with a disabled child. It offers approaches that will provide insight for helping the student.
A third site, Designing
Access to WWW Pages also sponsored by the Alliance for Technology Access,
provides a brief overview of strategies web developers can use to make
their web pages more accessible to those with disabilities. The following
are some tips included in the article.
This article also points
out several strategies that may work for a person with one type of disability,
but these might be detrimental for other disabled users. For example,
I used a graphic symbol on my web page for e-mail which will assist those
with learning or cognitive barriers, but this may prohibit those who are
visually impaired. For this reason, it is important to know the audience
make-up of the web page. If one is not sure, multiple pages should
be made that accommodate the needs of different groups.
While searching for articles, I came across an interesting site: What does your HTML look like without graphics?. Try it.