Group items tagged

The assistive technology cited in this article applies not only to autistic children and adults but to children with other disabilities. As I was reading, I could think of some of my students who would benefit from the technology listed here.

Maria, This assignment requires that the links posted here take us to sites or articles focused on the barriers to Web 2.0 access, faced by people with disabilities. To meet the assignment requirement, the linked webpage must directly talk about Web 2.0 techniques, or at least using the internet. A website or article about assistive technologies is useful in general, but it does not meet the requirements for this assignment.

Assitive technology for students with learning disabilities is the main focus of this article. It is geared to parents and educators alike. The related articles are also helpful.

I like this article for the fact that it first introduces Assistive Technology (AT) to any parent. I've found that many of the parents I work with are sceptical about trying something new simply because they lack adequate information. Knowledge is power is what we teach our students, but far too many parents limit themselves and hinder the growth of their child due to ignorance. AT doesn't cure or eliminate learning difficulties, but it can help your child reach her potential because it allows her to capitalize on her strengths and bypass areas of difficulty. AT compensates for a child's learning deficits and equips a child to be able to reach more of their potential towards success.

I found this article to be a wealth of information to parents and educators alike. I am going to print this out for my teachers as we are a private school we aren't required to follow 504's and IEP's- although we do our best. I think sometimes teachers who don't work specifically with students that have LD forget that there are so many issues that students face. Articles like these are great points of reference.

" Assistive Technology " " Assistive Computer Devices Information provided by Disabled World - Published: 2009-02-17 A screen reader is a software application that attempts to identify and interpret what is being displayed on the computer screen. This interpretation is then represented to the user with text-to-speech, sound icons, or a braille output.

This slide presentation starts with a comparison of Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. It demonstrates why we should be excited about Web 2.0. Then it goes into pointing out barriers to accessibility of Web 2.0 and why educators should be educated on how to use Web 2.0 correctly. It should be planned and with a purpose in mind for it to be an effective tool for teaching.

This article communicates the urgent need to make accessibility friendlier and more affordable to those with assistive technology needs. The Department of Justice wants to broaden the authority of the Americans with Disabilities Act in regard to the Internet and specifically websites. Today is the final day for public comment on that proposal. Meanwhile, new data has emerged that shows far fewer people with disabilities using the Internet than people without.

Enabling an Accessible Web 2.0 is a paper written by Becky Gibson IBM Emerging Technologies . I was unable to highlight (not sure why). I found that this article is very similar to a lot of the assigned reading. The article discuss key points:" The original Web was not perfect but with some work by Web developers it could be used by all. Now we are entering the next generation of the Web - Web 2.0. It is all about interaction, collaboration, and social networking It is more dynamic and fluid and no longer just static pages of information. This presents yet another challenge for people with disabilities. These new interaction models are pushing the limits of the technologies of the Web and the ability of assistive technologies to interpret the changing face of the Web. This paper describes new technologies and tools being developed to help enable accessibility for Web 2.0." " Such as : Ajax interactions, data binding, graphic effects as well as rich, customizable user interface components [13]. Examples of such toolkits include: * Dojo http://www.dojotoolkit.org/ * Google Web Toolkit - http://code.google.com/webtoolkit/ * Open Rico- http://openrico.org/ * Prototype - http://www.prototypejs.org/ * TIBCO General Interface (available via an open source license) http://www.tibco.com/software/rich_internet_application/default.jsp * Yahoo User Interface Library - http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/ * Zimbra Kabuki AJAX Toolkit (http://www.zimbra.com/community/kabuki_ajax_tool kit_download.html)

Get started today working with all your Microsoft and IBM Lotus® Symphony™ applications using JAWS®, the world's most popular screen reader. Developed for computer users whose vision loss prevents them from seeing screen content, JAWS reads aloud what's on the PC screen.

Press release: 26th October 2011 A consortium of researchers and user organizations from across Europe is investigating the accessibility of Web 2.0 applications for disabled and older people. The group will then create new tools to help developers produce applications that are more accessible to these groups. I've included this because I think it speaks to the relevance of how difficult it is for disabled folks and older folks to use the new technology found within Web 2.0. It is wonderful to see that a group (NCBI Centre for Inclusive Technology) is taking the initiative to try a determine a solution that is prevalent for a portion of the world's population.

Describes how the JAWS is used for the visually impaired individuals.

The laws should known by educators at all levels. It is important to be aware of the rights of people with disabilities and what it can be done to grant them equal access.

The Diigo component of the Week 4 assignment requires that the links posted take us directly to sites or articles focused on the barriers to Web 2.0 access, faced by people with disabilities. To meet the assignment requirement, the linked webpage must specifically talk about Web 2.0 techniques, or at least using the internet. A website or article about assistive technologies is useful in general, but it does not meet the requirements for this assignment. Also I noticed you didn't use the required tag on your posts, sp12accessibility. I think there are aspects of the site you link to here that would meet the assignment requirement. But your link goes to a general site. Can you find where among the resources provided by the Access Board they address barriers aced while access Web 2.0 or the internet? If so, post that link, along with the required tag, sp12accessibility, before the due date, and you will have meet the assignment requirement.

This is a group that helps companies make their websites accessible for all. Their belief is caring for all people (disabled, aged, second language readers and others) and not just making a website "legally compliant." They can help add captions to videos, text to pictures, and help with many other barriers that a person might come across.

I am very impressed with the text-to-speech software offered by this company. It offers support for English Language Learners as well as those with physical challenges and other disabilities that slow down their ability to learn to read and write.

It's great to hear from someone who has had experience with it. I know this link isn't exactly what Carmin wanted for this assignment because it didn't specifically mention it would help with Web 2.0 tool barriers but I wanted to share it because it can help people read websites and so much more. Thanks, Tina.

Kathleen, I had to spend a few minutes searching the site, but I found a page in the site that lists reading Web content as a Kurzweil feature. So it does meet the requirements. http://www.kurzweiledu.com/ki-3000-v12-windows-features.html I highlighted the related text in the page. If you turn on your diigolet -- you will see the highlighted text.

How People with Disabilities Use the Web The following scenarios show people with different kinds of disabilities using assistive technologies and adaptive strategies to access the Web. In some cases the scenarios show how the Web can make some tasks easier for people with disabilities.

Thank your for posting this article Sherry. It gives us a view into the lives of people who had to find a way to function in the world of business as well as in the classroom. The reporter who after years of working normally, had to finally resort to the use of voice recognition in order to continue doing his job. The student wiht dyslexia who had to find a way to keep up with the rest of the students. The student found text to speech software helplful. This student found sites with graphics helpful, however, there were still some limitations. If the graphics were animated it was difficult to focus. These details are impereative to the function of independency to the person who is experiencing the disability. We need to remind our selves that the world is not black and white...there is a lot hidden in between what we are able to see.

It is amazing how we take web accessiblitity for granted. Being color blind is a disability that is not talked about often but is a hindrance for people searching the web. We find that things that are highlighted or pointed out show up in red for an attention getter, but for those who can not see reds, some websites could not be utilized by color blind people. Style sheets is something I am not familiar with at all, but this article made me aware of something that is available for color blind individuals.

A translation of this article is available in French - External Link - courtesy of Ideose - External Link. Many of you likely remember Christopher Reeve, famous as an actor, and later famous for his condition of quadriplegia and his unrelenting activism on behalf of spinal cord injury research. This article talks about all of the different types of motor disabilities and all of the various ways that these folks can access Web 2.0. I have included this because people frequently overlook people with motor disabilities and using Web 2.0

Tina, I was very interested in the article about motor disabilities. It is extraordinary that he lived that long after his accident. Technology is a form of a miracle for people who have access to it to improve their quality of life. However, there are barriers for thoshe who cannot afford it. Students with disabilities have a right to be provided with the neccessary Web 2.0 tools or assistive technology needed to help them function academically and socially.

This publication explains that dispite the many opportunities within Web 2.0 communication technologies, significant technology berriers for people with certain disabilities do exist today.

This article explains accessibility issues with social network sites such as facebook and myspace. also addresses the use of CAPTCHAs

The American Association of School Librarians' guide Standards for the 21st Century Learner states , "Learning is enhanced by opportunities to share and learn with others. Students need to develop skills in sharing knowledge and learning with others, both in face-to-face situations and through technology."