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carmin karasic

REQUIRED DISCUSSION: Increasing Awareness about Web Access Barriers - 55 views

F11accessibility Web2.0

started by carmin karasic on 14 Nov 11
  • carmin karasic
    #1 carmin karasic on 14 Nov 11
     
    Comment on something you learned from a classmate's bookmark about barriers that people with various disabilities face while they are online. Issues arise from various disabilities and/or language limitations.
  • Lillian Dixon
    #2 Lillian Dixon on 19 Nov 11
     
    Rachel, I viewed the videos on "Experiences of Students with Disabilities" in the "Introduction to Website Accessibility" article and was astonished at the comments made by students and adults with disabilities on how some websites or web pages are not accessible for people with disabilities. Students with vision impairment rely on audio to be their narrator, but sometimes only part of the information is provided via audio leaving the vision impaired person confused or puzzled. People with hearing impairments rely on captures, which is sometime not available. Not all websites accepts the screen reader and the mouse stick, making it impossible and frustrating to complete assignments on the web. The question was asked why website designers should make the website accessible for persons with disabilities. First, it is their legal obligations; web accessibility is their civil rights. Second, it gives students with disabilities pride to complete assignments without assistance. Third, as stated in the video, it is the right and smart thing to do.
  • anonymous
    #3 anonymous on 19 Nov 11
     
    I read the article, In My Own Words: Amazingly Ordinary. This discusses Yahoo's Independence 2011 conference. Here, they demonstrate accessibility technologies. One of those technologies is closed captioning that people who not hearing impaired don't see. I think the best explanation I have read about people with disabilities is that they want to be ordinary. They don't want to stand out because of their disability, but they don't want to be overlooked either. It's nice to know that some companies are trying to have accessibility as a part of their corporate culture because it is the right thing to do.
  • Robby Crowley
    #4 Robby Crowley on 20 Nov 11
     
    "Because of what Apple has done with their technology, everything we're using in the high-end recording situation is now accessible to everybody," Jiya said. "A lot of that is through Steve Jobs and his love of music, and him wanting to get that technology to everybody at a reasonable cost.


    "He developed Garage Band [recording and music editing software], so now a 15-year-old kid can be in his bedroom with his iPad playing around with Garage Band and come up with unbelievable ideas, which can then be taken to the next level… He has leveled the playing field; nobody else had done that."

    I read the article Steve Jobs gave the blind eyes; the deaf ears--Stevie Wonder. I was never aware of just how much Steve Jobs was responsible for. I just thought he was some figure head for Apple. I saw a quote somewhere that said that "although Steve Jobs was not know as an inventor. Unlike Henry Ford he didn't invent a revolutionary model. But that's not to say that he didn't cast a very long shadow!"
  • Dante Torgersen
    #5 Dante Torgersen on 20 Nov 11
     
    I read, "Accessibility in Web 2.0 technology". While I am the "webmaster" of my school's website, the information in this article is way above my pay grade.....okay, way above my knowledge grade! It was interesting to see, however, the nuts and bolts of how to actually make the changes to websites and what exactly needs to be done from the coding level. I do know some html coding, but this is still out of my realm. I know for certain that our district is completely out of compliance with the 2.0 standards. Unfortunately our website is hosted in Australia and I don't even know how I would go about implementing some of these changes. I could start with the tech dept., which would be smart, and go from there. The issue for major corporations when attempting to implement even minor changes has to do with the shear complexity of their systems. In that case there are very real barriers to lifting the barriers, but if IBM is tackling it, I'm sure others can as well. Maybe even little ol' Estacada School District!
  • Dante Torgersen
    #6 Dante Torgersen on 20 Nov 11
     
    I also read, "Colleges Lock Out Blind Students Online". One statement that struck me was, "Mr. Shandrow takes a harder line. Accessibility is a "human right," in his view. If a sighted person can use a piece of technology, he should be able to as well." Really? Cars and planes are technology. Is he saying that he should be able to drive and fly if he wanted to? Maybe so. Several companies are developing technologies that allow a car to drive itself, so maybe someday he can drive. But is that driving? Am I driving a car if I'm a passenger? But I'm getting off topic - the bottom line is that the situations brought forth in this article ARE technologies that SHOULD be accessible to handicapped individuals. The Kindle really ought to have a voice reader function. New campus Cyber Hall ought to be accessible. ALL college courses should be fully accessible to ALL students. It was a sad statement that institutions who would not even THINK of not designing their buildings to fully ADA compliant, routinely fail to apply that same diligence to software and websites and online technologies. When I read the part about Shandrow being the reactionary tweeter who humiliates evil-doers brought a smile to my face. In spite of the fact that it may not be the best way to get people to change, we need people like that. If nothing else, when the more mellow folks attempt to talk nicely and convince through argument the right way it ought to be done, when that fails they can always pull the Shandrow card and say, "Hey, I could always let Shandrow tweet about this to his 1100 followers".
  • jlikourinou
    #7 jlikourinou on 20 Nov 11
     
    I read the Ethical Blogger-
    Web 2.0 Accessibility and Disability posted by Dante Torgersen
    Wow, I was not aware how we sill are so ignorant about the need of accessibility in the age of technology for people with disabilities. In this blog it points out the how the programming technique that is used to create dynamic and interactive web applications such as Java, continually change or update text which makes it difficult for screen readers to interpret websites for visually impaired Internet users. Hello?
  • jlikourinou
    #8 jlikourinou on 20 Nov 11
     
    I read The future of web accessibility posted by Amanda
    Thiis article discussed YouTube being one of the websites as being difficult to use due to user generated content, just as Flickr and Blogger. Can the website owners provide a mechanism to ensure this content is produced accessibly?
  • Elias Santiago
    #9 Elias Santiago on 20 Nov 11
     
    I read "Apple's AssistiveTouch Helps the Disabled Use a Smartphone" which was posted by Rachel. When I first learned of this topic, immediately I thought of Apple. From my previous coursework as well as being a recent Mac convert, I knew Apple / Steve Jobs had a lot to say about accessibility. Currently I have an iPhone, still one of the older versions. As I got further into my course work one of the things I have played around with is how to incorporate the iPhone's features into the curriculum. As always I'm amazed at Apple's AssistiveTouch technology in how it helps to accommodate those with motor disabilities. Just tap away. Amazing.
  • Lindsey Bibler
    #10 Lindsey Bibler on 20 Nov 11
     
    I read "Is accessibility being overlooked in favour of sociability?" posted by Elias.
    In this blog, the writer discusses how difficult it is to get people to consider web accessibility when creating websites. I learned that many social media sites are now moving towards making their websites more accessible. I didn't know YouTube had a closed captioning option. With this feature, users have the ability to improve the captioning and upload the improved version. Facebook has added audio CAPTCHA so that people with vision impairments can still join their service. This is a web access barrier I had never considered. It is important to have applications that can tell whether a human is really in control, but if we only have visual CAPTCHA, how will the vision impaired ever sign up for online services?
    I also learned about "Easy Chirp", which is an alternative to Twitter that is more user-friendly for those with disabilities. Reading about all of these alternatives and improvements that have to be created so that people with disabilities can view websites that we browse with such ease everyday makes me very thankful for my health and abilities. I am also very glad that people are beginning to consider some ways in which we can make social media tools more accessible for those with disabilities.
  • Kathryn Dove
    #11 Kathryn Dove on 20 Nov 11
     
    I read the article Web 2.0 and Accessibility: How You
    Can (and Should) Have Both and learned much about web 2.0 that I did not know before. I never knew the importance of caption to videos on youtube or uploaded to facebook but when thinking about the deaf members of society this is very important. I also understand from reading my article as well as Lindsey's ajax is a big problem for screen readers. This issue needs to be resolved because without screen readers most blind people can not use the Internet. I am encourage by both articles because they not only state the issues but give ideas on how the issues can be resolved. My hopes are that these solutions will become requirements for creating web 2.0 tools.
  • Rachel N
    #12 Rachel N on 20 Nov 11
     
    I read "Is accessibility being overlooked in favour of sociability?" posted by Elias. The fact that "accessible twitter" is not affiliated with Twitter says it all. A 3rd party has to do it?? That is sad. All of us able to access facebook, twitter and such now are growing older everyday...and I don't think we'll want to unplug when our eyes, ears, hands start to fail us.
  • Rachel N
    #13 Rachel N on 20 Nov 11
     
    I read the article from the ethical blogger that Dante posted, Web 2.0 Accessibility and Disability posted by Dante, and posted under the article instead of this section: I liked the link that described specifics on how people with different disabilities use the web. A great point was made about accessibility features making websites usable to all, but possible for the disabled.
  • Paige Silva
    #14 Paige Silva on 22 Nov 11
     
    I read "Web 2.0 & Accessibility for Disabled" posted by Kathryn Dove... I found the following checklist to be very helpful for Web 2.0 and people with disabilities:
    Support accessible authoring practices
    Generate standard mark-up
    Support the creation of accessible content
    Provide ways of checking and correcting inaccessible content
    Integrate accessibility solutions into the overall "look and feel"
    Promote accessibility in help and documentation
    Ensure that the authoring tool is accessible to authors with disabilities
  • Lunden Letofsky
    #15 Lunden Letofsky on 22 Nov 11
     
    I read over many of the articles and am still completely amazed at how little I took into account of different users when using websites or Web 2.0 tools. I didn't realize how hard it was for so many people to view applications or websites even using specific devices for their condition. This really made me think that I need to start taking all of this into account for my students with different needs when using these tools. The whole world is turning digital and I need to make sure all users are provided ways to access content and applications.
  • Monica Strand
    #16 Monica Strand on 30 Nov 11
     
    I read "7 Tech Breakthroughs That Empower People With Disabilities" and was excited about all seven breakthroughs. The one that amazed me the most and that I was most encouraged to learn about was the the DynaVox system. I didn't realize such a thing was possible. I had an uncle that had a stroke at the age of forty and he spent fifteen years in a nursing home unable to communicate with the outside world. We think that it got to be so depressing for him that he eventually just gave up on life and stopped eating. Just think if he had been able to participate in spoken communication using only his eyes. He would have loved being able to enter words and phrases through the use of the eye tracking systems with the on-screen keyboard which could translate the text to speech. It is comforting to now know that this technology exists for other loved ones that might be afflicted with a similar situation.
  • Jo Lynn Field
    #17 Jo Lynn Field on 03 Dec 11
     
    I read and watched the videos that went along with "7 Tech Break Throughs That Empower People With Disabilities". It was interesting to see the different technology and how it has benefited those who are using it. Although the car for the blind hasn't been put out on the roads just seeing the man's face after he got out of the car after he driven around the track. That alone was worth a million dollars. The Dyna Vox system made me think of 2 of my students that are non verbal one with severe limitations the other one facing a large number of challenges. What would it be like to be able to know what those two little girls are thinking about and what would they like to express? That one system would be such a valuable tool for those little girls. The cochlear implant and the controversy surrounding that for both the deaf and hearing worlds. I watched several videos and listened to the discussions for and against the cochlear implant. It was difficult for me to understand the concept of some of statements made from deaf individuals. How do you make the assumption that being deaf is part of a culture that shouldn't be denied? I have worked with a child with an implant and she seemed pleased that she was able to hear and participate with her classmates and teachers. The arm that had been developed for those who had lost a limb was nothing but wonderful. The man who had not had arms in 26 years expressing that if he came home with an arm his wife would have a long list of "honey dos". He made the statement in a joking manner, but I am sure that being able to go home and tackle a few simple jobs would thrill both him and his wife. If nothing else this one article and all of the videos that went with it were very impressive. Just knowing that there are ways to meet the challenges and succeed, how wonderful. (I think it should be mandatory for all of Las Vegas drivers to have a self driving car. That is the worst place ever to drive around in, crazy, crazy.)
  • Angelia Brockington
    #18 Angelia Brockington on 08 Dec 11
     
    I am glad that you found this. It is a pretty comprehensive list of what is out there. I am glad that there are a set of guidelines out there to be followed. I think we sometimes take for granted the use of all of our facilities and senses, we are aware that we have them, but don't take into consideration the obstacles we would face had we not.

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