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Angelia Brockington

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

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 t...

F11accessibility Web2.0

started by carmin karasic on 14 Nov 11 17 follow-ups, last by Angelia Brockington on 08 Dec 11
Monica Strand

Accessible Technology: Technology: Disability.gov - 2 views

www.disability.gov/...accessible_technology

F11accessibility AT Web 2.0

shared by Monica Strand on 20 Nov 11 - No Cached
  • Accessible Digital Media Guidelines These guidelines from the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family National Center for Accessible Media examine the educational needs of students with disabilities and how those needs may be met with software, digital books and other technologies. The guidelines also look at ways to achieve the goal of helping students learn while using adaptive and accessible technology.  The National Center on Access to the General Curriculum at the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) provides more information on access adaptations and the educational goals of instructional materials.
  • IRS Talking Tax Forms The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has PDF talking tax forms for people who are blind or visually impaired. The forms are easy to use with Microsoft Active Accessibilty compliant screen readers and Dragon Naturally Speaking Voice Recognition Software.
  • Monica Strand on 20 Nov 11
     
    Disability.gov: Conncecting the Disability Community to Information and Opportunities has a plethora of resources for making technology accessible. I have highlighted two that I found of particular insight. The first is Accessible Media Guidlines -- they are a set of guidelines look at ways to achieve the goal of helping students learn by using adaptive and accessible technology which is so important to all educators, but especially to those of us that teach special education. The other site, IRS Talking Tax Forms, is designed for people that are visually impaired that are supposed to be easy to use -- uses Microsoft Active Accessibility compliant screen readers and Dragon Naturally Speaking Voice Recognition Software. It is great that the government is at least trying to make this part of filling out your IRS Tax Form a little easier -- I guess so they can more easily get your money from you.
  • ...1 more comment...
  • Paige Silva on 21 Nov 11
     
    This is an awesome resource. I had no idea it was out there.
  • Angelia Brockington on 21 Nov 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.
  • ashley dress on 22 Nov 11
     
    This is good to know about. I think especially teachers should know about the resources out there to help out every person who might have some sort of disability. Great resource, glad you found this!
Rachel N

Introduction to Website Accessibility - 5 views

webaim.org/intro

F11accessibility Web WebDesign

shared by Rachel N on 17 Nov 11 - Cached
  • Rachel N on 17 Nov 11
     
    This is an excellent resource that discusses things to keep in mind when designing a website and making it accessible to all, regardless of visual, hearing, motor and cognitive disabilities.
  • ...1 more comment...
  • kelievans78 on 18 Nov 11
     
    I also saw this article and found it interesting because I just finished taking a Web design class. We never did talk about website accessibility, but now that I do know about it, I can keep it in mind and look at the recommended guidelines to ensure that all my users can use a site I build or help with. Some things I could do better are descriptions of graphics, making sure to use a easy to read text, make sure forms cannot be submitted without all the required information, and links at the top of the page to content and other areas (allowing people to skip the heading that is the same on each page). Specifically about forms, if you ever use Google Forms, when you build your questions in it, it always asks if the question is required before submission. That way if it is not filled out, you cannot submit and it tells you that you missed a question.
  • Rachel N on 20 Nov 11
     
    We must have taken the same class :) I remember that as well.
  • Amanda Summey on 20 Nov 11
     
    I highlighted some of the areas that stood out the most to me. I liked where it actually broke down the various components of making a site truly accessible. I have noticed that educational sites for students, like BrainPop and BrainPop Jr. are more accessible as they have text pop up that show up when you scroll over images and a CC option on all videos.
Amanda Summey

The future of web accessibility - 3 views

www.webcredible.co.uk/...future.shtml

shared by Amanda Summey on 20 Nov 11 - Cached
  • The Amazon diamond search3, for example, showcases a great example of using AJAX to create an interactive and highly useful interface. It basically uses click-and-drag sliders to allow users to broaden and narrow a wide range of filtering criteria. The page then automatically updates to show how many results conform to the users' selected criteria. The Amazon application offers fantastic usability for many web users. But it's totally impossible for screen reader and keyboard-only users to use, and very difficult for any screen magnifier user to use. The solution? A separate simplified accessible version, which Amazon have actually provided (ironically, this separate version hasn't been built to high levels of accessibility, although it could easily have been).
  • for many web users . But it's totally impossible for screen reader and keyboard-only users
  • large number of content editors
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • Websites such as Blogger4, Flickr5 and YouTube6 are totally reliant on user generated content, in the form of blogs, photos and videos respectively. How can these websites control the accessibility of their content? Content is created at such a rapid speed that it wouldn't be reasonable (or even possible) for any of these websites to police that content for accessibility.
  • Image- and photo-driven websites, such as Flickr, could request users insert alternative descriptions, either of their own or other people's photos. Ensuring this actually happens across the site though will be difficult to impossible to achieve.
  • Predictions There are three major factors that will shape web accessibility in the future: AJAX, user generated content and WCAG 2.0. The increased prominence of these factors could lead to some of the following: Accessibility will become less and less guideline-driven With the advent of new technology (such as AJAX), and the technology-neutral and vague nature of the new W3C guidelines (WCAG 2.0), accessibility is becoming less and less guideline driven. This means that employing accessibility experts is going to become more and more important for organisations as interpreting these guidelines correctly will become more and more difficult. Alternative accessible versions will become the norm Historically speaking, separate accessible versions were frowned on for both ethical and business reasons (see Separate text-only version? No thanks!7 for more on this). However, for the first time usability and accessibility are coming head-to-head with each other and rich interactive interfaces often can't be made fully accessible. In this instance, a separate version will have to be provided (but only after all other routes have been exhausted). User generated content is likely to offer poor accessibility Content created by users is becoming more and more commonplace on the web. This kind of content is being created at such a rapid rate that it's going to be impossible to police it for accessibility. JavaScript, PDF & Flash will no longer be thought of as 'evil' In WCAG 1.0, web managers and developers were basically told that their websites shouldn't rely on any of these three technologies. WCAG 2.0 on the other hand doesn't stipulate this, and rightly so as most assistive technologies can now support these technologies
  • Amanda Summey on 20 Nov 11
     
    This site goes through and describes how accessibility is difficult to maintain due mainly to user generated content. It mentioned Blogger and Flickr as 2 of them. One issue it examined was that of photos needing to be appropriately tagged, or given an alternative description.
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  • Amanda Summey on 20 Nov 11
     
    It also gave "props" to Amazon for having a user friendly system for those who would normally have accessibilty issues.
  • jlikourinou on 20 Nov 11
     
    Yes, Amanda. It also 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?
  • Monica Strand on 20 Nov 11
     
    Unfortunately, I don't see how it is possible to make each and every site easily accessible as this article seems to say. With the high rate of use and so many people posting content to YouTube, Blogger. Flickr, etc. it would be impossible to police. As stated, people could be encouraged to make their postings more accessible, but with everyone being so pressed for time, I don't think it would actually happen. Since computers are doing more thinking and becoming more intuitive, perhaps its brain will eventually make everything accessible for us?
Rachel N

National Center on Accessible instructional Materials - 6 views

aim.cast.org

F11accessibility Web2.0

shared by Rachel N on 17 Nov 11 - Cached
  • Rachel N on 17 Nov 11
     
    Excellent resources for teachers and families of students needing accessible instruction, such as students with print disabilities. I especially like the section on the right "highlights from the field", a gold mine of pertinent links!
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  • carmin karasic on 18 Nov 11
     
    Rachel, Use Diigo to highlight your favorite one of those links. Looking at the whole page, is overwhelming. I don't know where to start looking for specific information that exactly addresses web 2.0 access issues. Use the highlighter to 'zoom in' on info by selecting one of the links and describing why that one is important for this assignment. We can browse the whole thing later, when we have more time.
  • Rachel N on 20 Nov 11
     
    I just posted an article found on that page that I liked and highlighted sections of it. Then I came back here and wanted to just highlight the link to it, and AHHHHH! ended up highlighting almost the entire page. I think I goofed because that page was full of links! It was much easier to highlight text within an article. I can't figure out how to remove the highlighter now, if anyone knows,please help.
  • Rachel N on 20 Nov 11
     
    Never mind, I was suddenly able to see the delete option :)
Rachel N

Apple's AssistiveTouch Helps the Disabled Use a Smartphone - NYTimes.com - 2 views

pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/...-the-disabled-use-a-smartphone

F11accessibility iphone assistivetouch iPad

shared by Rachel N on 20 Nov 11 - No Cached
  • Apple has always gone to considerable lengths to make the iPhone usable for people with vision and hearing impairments
  • LED flash
  • vibration patterns
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • If you’re blind, you can literally turn the screen off and operate everything — do your e-mail, surf the Web, adjust settings, run apps — by tapping and letting the phone speak what you’re touching. You can also magnify the screen or reverse black for white (for better-contrast reading).
  • AssistiveTouch, is Apple’s accessibility team at its most creative.
  • To me, the most impressive part is that you can define your own gestures. In Settings->General->Accessibility, you can tap Create New Gesture to draw your own gesture right on the screen, using up to five fingers.
  • Rachel N on 20 Nov 11
     
    Like the author said, it's pretty neat for the apple developers to incorporate accessibility features such as AssistiveTouch to the iPhone, knowing that disabled people are not the large part of the market! I highlighted a few sections.
Robby Crowley

Blind Students Demand Access to Online Course Materials - Technology - The Chronicle of... - 0 views

chronicle.com/...125695

F11accessibility

shared by Robby Crowley on 20 Nov 11 - No Cached
  • Robby Crowley on 20 Nov 11
     
    Im ashamed to say that I rarely think about a website or college class im taking as being accessible. Ive never had a physically handicapped student in my class except for one year when I had a child with hearing problems. (not totally non hearing) This year was the first year we had a child in our school without out fully functioning arms and no hands. It has made me so aware of the barriers she has to face everyday compared to the majority of kids in a school.
  • ashley dress on 22 Nov 11
     
    I agree with you on the fact that it is hard to think about that when you aren't dealing with it at that point in your life. I think this article really makes you think about the struggles people with disabilities have to deal with on a regular basis. This was a good article that really makes you understand from their point of view.
Robby Crowley

7 Tech Breakthroughs That Empower People With Disabilities - 3 views

mashable.com/...tech-disabled

F11accessibility

shared by Robby Crowley on 19 Nov 11 - No Cached
  • anonymous on 19 Nov 11
     
    This article demonstrates technology that is already used, cochlear implants,and new technologies, a driverless car. Very interesting!
  • ...1 more comment...
  • Robby Crowley on 19 Nov 11
     
    Wow! There are some pretty amazing things out there!! Im not sure I would want to share the road with a driver-less car. Although, it may be safer than some of the drivers I share the road with now. I once had a student who was hearing impaired. He was a candidate for the ear implant. I often wonder about him and how he is doing today as a hearing person.
  • Paige Silva on 21 Nov 11
     
    I have used the Dynovox and Cochlear impacts in my classroom before and as they are wonderful their prices aren't so wonderful. It's truly shameful that these things would open the doors for so many individuals with disabilities and yet they can't afford them.
  • Monica Strand on 29 Nov 11
     
    I am so amazed and encouraged to learn about the DynaVox system. 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

Web 2.0 Accessibility Tests - Assistive Technology News - Axistive.com - Web 2.0 Acce... - 1 views

www.axistive.com/eb-20-accessibility-tests.html

F11accessibility web2.0

shared by Jo Lynn Field on 23 Nov 11 - Cached
  • Jo Lynn Field on 23 Nov 11
     
    This article describes how Tech dis looks at how well people with disabilities can access web services. This team has built an accessibility tool kit to test accessibility to Web 2.0 services. They have also developed a pen drive application to assist with accessibility of Web 2.0 services
ashley dress

Using Assistive Technology to access Web 2.0 Tools - 0 views

www.slideshare.net/...hnology-to-access-web-20-tools

F11accessibility web2.0

shared by ashley dress on 22 Nov 11 - Cached
  • ashley dress on 22 Nov 11
     
    This is a slide show that talks about the assessability issues that disabled people are facing with all the new graphic web technology. I learned about some neat websites that offer a lot of assistance for disabled users. This is worth looking at!
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