scholarly journals Identifying the Requirements of Visually Impaired Users for Accessible Mobile E-book Applications

Author(s):  
Nor Laily Hashim ◽  
Munya Saleh Ba Matraf ◽  
Azham Hussain

Books are a medium for communicating information and in recent years have taken the electronic form called e-books. This shift has opened new opportunities for the visually impaired in overcoming their struggles with books in the traditional paper format. Yet, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) claimed that many e-book applications do not meet needs of the visually impaired. Very few studies had investigated this subject matter hence paving the way for this current study to address the above research gap. As a result, equitable access to e-books for the visually impaired is still limited. Hence, there is now a necessity to design usable and accessible e-book interfaces for the visually impaired. To achieve this goal, it is important to identify the e-book requirements of the visually impaired into their e-book applications. An online survey was conducted involving seven visually impaired students at a local Malaysian university. The target participants’ ages are between 21 and 27 years old. The outcomes of this study identified ten requirements for accessible e-book applications for the visually impaired. Among these requirements are features that enable users to zoom, read aloud, and search for book contents. Besides that, screen reader strategy and text-to-speech are also mandatory. Other requirements include clear text and sound, ease of navigation, high contrast, and high brightness. These requirements will involve the field of Human-Computer Interaction design which is applied particularly in the development of usable and accessible mobile e-book applications for the visually impaired.

2010 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 28-44
Author(s):  
Deryn Graham ◽  
Ian Benest ◽  
Peter Nicholl

This paper examines recent research in interaction design for inclusive learning and the development of ideas for further research into building an environment facilitating inclusive multi-modal learning. In this paper, the authors give a summary of the findings of the original case study on improving interaction design for teaching visually impaired students. The paper then describes and discusses further work on evaluating current assistive technology products, with conclusions being drawn on future research.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-92
Author(s):  
Ana-Isabel Martínez-Hernández ◽  
Begoña Bellés-Fortuño

The inclusion of students with disabilities in the education system results in content or assessment accommodations to suit the students’ special needs and to ensure they have acquired the objectives listed in the curriculum. In this paper, we aim at proposing different ways to accommodate a university English language test to a partially blind student who used text-to-speech tools (TTS) in order to provide them with accurate assessment. To carry out this research, the student has been monitored throughout the course to see which accommodations fit their1 needs best. All in all, we have observed that read-aloud accommodations lead to a better inclusion of the partially sighted student and better performance.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 823-830
Author(s):  
Kye-Rak Choi ◽  
Si-Eun Lee ◽  
Yu-Jin Shim ◽  
Seung-Wook Choi

1987 ◽  
Vol 81 (5) ◽  
pp. 204-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.J. Bina

A survey of itinerant teachers in Texas found that, despite the numerous shortcomings of the job, the respondents believed there were many advantages. The respondents further identified the much needed ability to adjust to change, to put things in perspective, to modify their expectations, and to exercise a healthy sense of humor. This article details these shortcomings and advantages, suggests strategies for overcoming obstacles, and discusses the implications of the findings for administrators of schools and personnel of teacher-training programs.


2021 ◽  
pp. 0145482X2110180
Author(s):  
Nora Griffin-Shirley ◽  
Laura Bozeman ◽  
The Nguyen ◽  
Vitalis Othuon ◽  
Anita Page ◽  
...  

Introduction: The purpose of the study was to survey orientation and mobility (O&M) instructors who are blind concerning the identification of accommodations, teaching techniques, and resources to teach students with visual impairments (i.e., blindness or low vision). Methods: The study utilized an online survey via Qualtrics (2019) with 27 closed- and open-ended items to identify accommodations, teaching techniques, and resources needed. The survey was e-mailed to membership and certification organizations requesting O&M instructors who are blind to participate for 12 weeks. The participants were 15 O&M specialists, mostly male and Caucasian. Survey data were then analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Forty percentage of the participants reported that there were minimal standards that they had to demonstrate prior to their admittance into an O&M program. About one-fourth of the participants mentioned their program was modified because of their visual impairment. Eleven participants (73%) reported that their nonvisual instructional strategies and techniques were predominantly gained through their university programs or other visually impaired instructors (27%, n = 4). Discussion: Aspects of this study that are similar to the current literature are smaller faculty-to-student ratios for blindfold or simulation cane courses, accommodations used by participants, and suggestions for monitoring the safety of students. The results revealed the participants’ strong belief in the importance of immersion training, the use of the Structured Discovery Cane Travel (SDCT), nonvisual skills during O&M instruction, sleep shades, and students’ problem-solving abilities. Implication for practitioners: Although the participants had received SDCT immersion training, most personnel preparation programs approved by the Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of Blind and Visually Impaired do not use this method. For this reason, it is important for faculty to identify best teaching practices from among all programs and to integrate these practices into their curricula. Sharing best practices could strengthen all programs. Moreover, students with visual impairments should be taught early about self-advocacy and the ability to have helpful knowledge about one’s skills at a university and in the workplace.


1979 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-27
Author(s):  
Ellen Benson Trief

A high school equivalency program for the visually impaired includes a rigorous evaluation process to determine if the person would make a good candidate for instruction. The instruction includes the teaching of math, spelling and grammar, literature, history, and science. The use of various materials, special aids and modifications for visually impaired students is discussed.


1978 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-58
Author(s):  
Virgene Martin ◽  
Roger Martin ◽  
Lawrence Hapeman

The effectiveness of a nine-week college preparation summer program for visually impaired high school students is evaluated. Feedback from the students and their rehabilitation counselors indicates that the program increased the readiness of the students in the areas of communication, studying, personal-social and mobility.


1979 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-67
Author(s):  
Robert W. Bischoff

Reviews the literature on listening and describes ways of helping visually impaired students to improve their listening skills. Discusses advantages of compressed speech.


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