Group items tagged

article about web 2.0 accessibility for visually impaired

I bookmarked this page as it really made me think about using websites in my classroom. It points out that the best test of any website is human interaction and judgement. As an educator, it is probably best for me to try a website out before expecting my students to use it...especially those with certain barriers. I don't want students becoming discouraged in their learning because of the tools I am expecting them to use. This blog goes on to give examples of what to test when using a website as well as evaluation tools.

This is really cool. I typed in the web address for my district and it came up with errors and alerts.

"The Internet's potential helps eliminate discrimination that exists in the context of a real-world social environment in which discrimination still prevails. Therefore, the disabled are more likely to achieve equality. Moreover, the idea that identity can be constructed according to the demands of the situation is a powerful framework for disabled people, because it permits a creative space for developing ideas about the self (Bowker & Tuffin, 2003)." "A good design can not only make visualization accessible, but can also make the information more accessible. Web 2.0 is available to be used by people in their everyday lives. It also has the potential to open up the world to people with disabilities, and is often presented as a way to eradicate disability as it is socially constructed."  If either of these two quotes strikes your interest please read this article. I know it was written in 2008 and some of the statistics are going to be off. Also, I'm sure that some of the issues that are being discussed have been resolved or updated. Some might even still be in the works to resolve them for people with disabilities, but I loved the article and it was an easy interesting read. It opened my eyes to how people saw Web 2.0 five years ago and how it is or is not  accessible to people with disabilities. 

This discribes in detail the negative side of Web 2.0 for the disabled. I book marked this material because it seemed to give a striaght forward view of the negative side. It went into detail about how the web2.0 was moving to fast to keep up with being accessible.

I choose to bookmark this page due it addresses how individuals with hearing impairments can access and overcome their disibiliites using web 2.0 technologies in the classroom. I bookmarked it as it introduced a new concept called vodcasting. Vodcasting is lessons recorded as video. It is similar to podcasting, but it is purely video with no sound. A teacher could create a podcast for their students from a lecture, and a vodcast for hearing impaired students using a similar web 2.0 technology. The vodcast would be in sign language and the podcast would be sound.

Jeff, Great site you found. I think that it is amazing that Vodcasting is proven in teaching a foreign language to hearing impaired students and just think that could not be done 10 years ago. We have come a long way with technology that it can be used for a multitude of people and can be an effective way to help bridge the gap for educators to reach more students. I also like that you can pause or reply the Vodcast making it so user friendly for students to use.

Nice use of Diigo deeplinks! I think it is interesting that you bookmarked the original Web for All Learners wiki that I created for a former 6019 classes! lol!

What is Zac Browser ZAC is the first web browser developed specifically for children with autism and autism spectrum disorders such as Asperger syndrome, pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) and PDD-NOS. We have made this browser for children... for their enjoyment, enrichment, and freedom.

This is an amazing find that I can share with my families. Due to the conditions of autism (especially Aspergers) many of my families at our school enroll because they feel that there child is getting lost in the sea of 32 children in a classroom. With our virtual setting their children on the same playing field due to the fact that they are behind the screen and only a voice. It is amazing to see how the students once placed into our program flourish without the questioning stares and bullying. This is just one more tool to help them proceed further and reach their full potential.

This is great! I currently have a student with autism. I want to become more familiar with it and try it with him. He loves getting on the computer, so I'm anxious to see how this may help him.

Thought this was interesting for mobile devices!

Great find. I did not even think about people with disabilities overcoming their barriers in accordance with mobile electronic devices. I just was focusing in on computers. I found it very interesting the tools and ideas that your site shared. Excellent work!!! Jeff

I choose to bookmark this page as it did a nice job defining assistive technologies and web 2.0 accessibility. It provided examples of different assistive technologies, as well as discussed how website developers need to keep the "disabled" in mind so their product can meet the needs of all people.

Website with tons of web 2.0 resources. I bookmarked this one because it is full of links and resources for using web 2.0 tools for all students including those with disabilities.

I chose this article because it explained what Web 2.0 is and what implications it might have for disabled people who use the Web, particularly the use of Ajax (which I had no idea what that meant before) for interactive web pages. It also gave suggestions for ways to make sure the applications are accessible.

Katy, Thanks for researching and finding AJAX. Your comment above hooked me into to know more as Ajax is the name of one of my favorite soccer teams in Europe. They play in the Dutch league, but Ajax soccer and Ajax the tool are much different. I like how the site recommended how to apply Ajax and how it could be applied incorrectly. Great research and thanks for sharing. Jeff

Jeff--like we read in one of the articles, the problem with tagging is the tag might mislead you to what you are looking for! We just demonstrated that.....You saw AJAX and thought of your favorite soccer team, but the AJAX I tagged was for the web application! HA