Summer13T2 Web 2.0 Access Barriers

This is particularly close to me since I work with many ELL kids at my school. They are very overwhelmed with all the information in a language they don't know. It's hard for them to do tasks online in English that we do without thinking (such as scan a google search) since their grasp on the language is sometimes only so-so. This is a very fluid accessibility issue since their language skills will develop.

This article explains what assistive technology is, breaks it down into the specific problems that are addressed and what tools are available for parents, students and teachers.

There are lots of reasons why kids are reluctant to read and write- learning disabilities, competition from other activities, lack of interest, school not valued. Students have told me they don't read and write outside of school. Of course they do. They just don't realize it. This blog has a great slideshow near the bottom that outlines how web 2.0 targets reluctant readers.

Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can use the Web. More specifically, Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web, and that they can contribute to the Web. Web accessibility also benefits others, including older people with changing abilities due to aging. (This is what came up when I bookmarked the site. I feel this site is invaluable in that it defines Web accessibility and why it is important, explains how to make your Web site accessible, how to evaluate the accessibility of a site, as well as provides many more useful resources.)

This study looks at the accessibility of websites belonging to 80 colleges of communications and schools of journalism in the US and Canada using a computer-generated test called the Bobby test. The article provides background on disabilities, the Web, as well as suggestions to improve accessibility to Web pages.

As an add-on to this, I got on CAST's website (http://www.cast.org/) and here is a bit more information about the Bobby test: Bobby In 1995, CAST launched Bobby as a free public service to make the burgeoning World Wide Web more accessible to individuals with disabilities. Over the next decade, Bobby helped novice and professional Web designers analyze and make improvements to millions of Web pages. This work won CAST numerous awards and international recognition. CAST no longer supports the Bobby accessiblity testing software. Bobby was sold to Watchfire in 2004 which, in turn, was acquired by IBM in 2007. Although Bobby is no longer available as a free service or standalone product, it is one of the tests included within the IBM Rational Policy Tester Accessibility Edition software, the comprehensive enterprise application for testing websites. References: http://www-306.ibm.com/software/rational/welcome/watchfire/press.html http://www.watchfire.com/products/webxm/bobby.aspx http://www-306.ibm.com/software/awdtools/tester/policy/accessibility/ Other options are listed on the W3C Website at: http://www.w3.org/WAI/eval/Overview.html

This page in particular provides scenarios and accessibility solutions for users of web 2.0 who are disabled. It includes information about color blindness, deafness, classroom student with dyslexia, cognitive disabilities, etc.

Hi Brooke, The section about the classroom student with dyslexia really caught my attention. I saw that text to speech software is used with an option for freezing animated objects. Text to speech software is not only great for individuals with dyslexia or ADD, but it can also be modified for blind or nearly blind students and younger age kids, like kinders or pre-k!

The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) contains a wealth of info about web 2.0 accessibility for those with disabilities. My favorite feature is that it provides scenarios of both children and adults who have disabilities, the barrier that they face, and how to overcome that barrier.

This article highlights many web tools used for disabled individuals. It focuses on web 2.0 tools in higher education, but as we all know, everything on the internet can be adjusted to fit the needs of our students.

I learned about this site from my dear friend who is an Assistive Technologist and is doing her doctoral studies in UDL. I found this site to be clear and not overwhelming. Because of my background in special education I am eager to dig deeper into the law section. I am taking another grad class right now and we are deep in the UDL trenches. Maine AIM Program is administered by the Maine CITE Coordinating Center on behalf of the Maine Department of Education. Maine CITE Coordinating Center, University College, 46 University Drive, Augusta Maine 04330 USA Email: info@maine-aim.org | Phone: 207-621-3195

I found this series of videos to be not only well done but I loved that some were from the perspective of the individual with accessibility needs. I am eager to explore the videos more and share them with my work colleagues.

This website is a tool box that has multiple resources about web accessibility. It has articles about accessibility awareness and tutorials for people to get more information about web accessibility. One of the links gives reasons on why website designers and other people need to make their sites more accessible.

The article describes possible barriers in e-learning and educational technology for people with disabilities. It starts with an overview of the different ways disabled people work with computers and assistive technology. Then several examples of creating accessible content and communication are provided. (This article is helpful because it gives you great examples on making your content accessible for those with multiple disabilities. It also shares how to implement the technology into classroom.)

This site has a listing for a bunch of different apps (free and paid) to help students of all ages with dyslexia and other differences. It also might be a good way to teach or reinforce to students with strengths in the specific intelligences that some apps target. Not all will apply to the age group that I teach, as it seems to have a lot for younger kids.

This is also a great way of incorporating "new" technology into the classroom (such as the ipad) or for differentiating homework.

This is part of a blog sorted by tags of accessibility. It has suggestions, products, sites, interviews, podcasts, etc.

What's going on in the world of Assistive and Educational Technology. (by Hillary Brumer). Hillary Brumer is a close friend and colleague of mine and I felt it necessary to share her brilliance with you all. Hillary and I co authored an article for an early childhood ed publication and also share a deep love for the iPad and how it impacts individuals with special needs. She is in the midst of her doctoral studies and is a valuable resource to anyone who has learners with diverse needs in their class. Her blog is geared toward app reviews and assistive tech devices.

I follow this site on Twitter and noticed that they had this post. It has resources to make the web accessible to those with learning differences, including voicethread.

You know how once in a while you find a resource and you feel like you've won the lottery? That is how I feel about this placemat and I hope you are as excited by it as I am. For those of you who use the iPad to meet the diverse needs of your learners, you MUST check out this list of apps. I hope you are impressed with the layout of the tool and how straightforward it is. I am forever being asked what apps I recommend and often have a hard time to recall all the best. Now that I have the placemat, I have a quick resource that is visually appealing and understandable. Such an incredible resource for including students with very diverse needs using one singular device.

This site is a great resource for teachers or parents that are unfamiliar with disabilities. It gives background knowledge about learning disabilities as well as, suggestions for schoolwork, homework, accommodations and assistive technology. The assistive technology section has a variety of suggestions, videos, books and apps that are helpful for teachers and parents alike.

This is a great site that you found Kim. As a teacher it is always tricky to address accommodations and adjust to the modifications some of our SPED students need. It also has a lot of information for parents too.

This site should be saved on every teachers computer! It is a jackpot for tools to use in the classroom for any child with a disability. Not only does it have a behavior management section but it also has a whole section on social skills. One of my favorite tools from this site though is the cards that teachers can print out for schedules or behaviors. In addition to all of this, it also has games and songs.

This website talks about how research regarding Web 2.0 accessibility has expanded in library and information science studies due to the distinctive difficulties that individuals with disabilities face when they have to rely on digitized layouts.