May 2005 — Features
Print this article | Email this articleClick here to receive your FREE subscription to T.H.E. Journal
Raising the Awareness of Online Accessibility
The first student, Brian, has dyslexia, which makes it difficult for him to decode and comprehend text. In addition to specialized tutoring with a licensed speech and language pathologist, Brian uses Kurzweil 3000 from Kurzweil Educational Systems for reading assistance and to accommodate his disability. Kurzweil 3000 interprets the on-screen text and “reads” it to the user. According to Brian, he d'esn’t use Kurzweil 3000 for things such as reading instructions, forms or browsing the Web, because it wouldn’t be worth the time to launch the software to use it for reviewing homework assignments in the Blackboard system. However, he d'es use Kurzweil 3000 for assigned readings since it is a frustrating and lengthy process without the program.
Among other things, Brian’s reliance on Kurzweil software made me aware that the availability of digital text is important for all students; not just for those with learning disabilities. With the aid of screen-reading software such as Kurzweil 3000 or JAWS for Windows from Freedom Scientific, reading can be made easier for individuals with learning disabilities as well as made possible for people who are blind or have low vision.
Our meeting also prompted me to look at the wording of instructions and determine whether they were clear, as well as whether my anecdotal information was helpful or unnecessary. The meeting also underscored the importance of using alternative text when embedding images. In addition, I met with Susan, a student who has difficulty keyboarding because of the effects of cerebral palsy. To accommodate her disability, she uses a speech-to-text software program called Dragon NaturallySpeaking from ScanSoft. Susan uses her own machine when doing work because the software is trained to recognize her personal speech patterns, and she has several macros that perform repetitive tasks.
While Susan is able to use the mouse to log in to the course and click on its links, the process takes longer than it would for the average student. If she needs to work hands-free, she can use the “mouse grid” feature. With this feature, whenever a user says “mouse grid,” a numbered grid appears on-screen enabling the user to choose a number that positions the mouse pointer in one of the areas. The user continues this process until the cursor is where he or she wants it to be. To scroll up and down, Susan uses a verbal scroll command that makes the screen scroll one paragraph at a time; she cannot scroll a line at a time unless she uses the mouse. Our meeting underscored the benefits of working with course management tools such as Blackboard and WebCT since both companies have done much to make their platforms meet accessibility standards. I could also see there were small ways that thoughtful course design could make a difference, such as establishing a consistent flow to the course, eliminating unnecessary clicking and scrolling, and using inclusive language. I’ve even extended my course prerequisite, which used to read “the course assumes an ability to use a keyboard and a mouse,” to include “…or comparable input devices/methods.”
Conclusions
