scholarly journals Web accessibility and technology protection measures: Harmonizing the rights of persons with cognitive disabilities and copyright protections on the web

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Anthony Giannoumi ◽  
Molly Land ◽  
Wondwossen Mulualem Beyene ◽  
Peter Blanck
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Disabilities ◽  
Web Accessibility ◽  
Social Regulation ◽  
Equal Access ◽  
Protection Measures ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Law And Policy ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Laws And Policies ◽  
The Web

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) obligates State Parties to ensure full and equal access to the web for persons with disabilities. However, copyright law and policy sometimes poses challenges to realizing full and equal access to the web for persons with varying physical, mental, and cognitive disabilities. Recent developments in international law and policy that promote the use of technological protection measures (TPM) as a means for protecting copyrighted digital content on the web create barriers to accessibility for certain individuals with disabilities. This article uses theories of multilevel governance and social regulation to explore the relationship among laws and policies that aim to ensure web accessibility, and laws and policies to preserve and promote the use of TPM. It employs a case study of U.S. law and policy to examine how different levels of governance have ensured and supported the rights of persons with cognitive disabilities and web content publishers. This article argues that the Marrakesh Treaty acts as a bridge between the copyright and human rights regimes, can promote the meaningful participation of persons with an array of cognitive and other disabilities in the design and implementation of national and international copyright laws and policies, and thus fosters harmonization of TPM with the principles of web accessibility.

scholarly journals Urban Public Libraries Do Not Yet Meet Benchmarks for Web Accessibility by Individuals with Disabilities

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Glusker
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Web Accessibility ◽  
The United States ◽  
Evaluation Tool ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
The Web

A Review of: Maatta Smith, S. L. (2014). Web Accessibility Assessment of Urban Public Library Websites. Public Library Quarterly, 33(3), 187-204. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01616846.2014.937207 Abstract Objective – To determine the extent to which urban public libraries in the United States of America provide web sites which are readily accessible to individuals with disabilities with reference to the Urban Library Council’s EDGE initiative (specifically Benchmark 11, “Technology Inclusiveness”). Design – Web site evaluation. Setting – Urban public libraries in the United States of America. Subjects – The 127 library systems, which were both members of the Urban Libraries Council at the time of the study and located in the United States of America. Methods – Using the “everyday life information seeking” conceptual framework, an assessment of each of the web sites of the purposive sample of public library systems was performed by an online evaluation tool as well as visually and physically to determine web accessibility and, by extension, technology inclusiveness. Main Results – The results of the online accessibility evaluation tool revealed that not one of the sites surveyed was free of errors or alerts. Contrast errors (related to color combinations), missing alternative text (providing text alternatives for visual elements), and missing form labels (thereby preventing screen readers from performing searches and navigating to results) were the most common problems. Results of visual and physical scans revealed that many sites lacked specific links and/or resources for persons with disabilities, as well as noting that the resources available used oblique language and required many clicks to access. In addition, the vast majority neglected to feature links to national resources such as the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Conclusions – The web sites of urban public libraries are not yet completely accessible for persons with disabilities. At the very least they need coding fixes and ongoing maintenance to address the kinds of issues found by the online web evaluation tool used. In addition, resources for disabled persons should be prominently and clearly linked and promoted. Further research is called for, both in non-urban library systems and in testing a wider range of access technologies. Improvement efforts should acknowledge that web design that improves access for persons with disabilities serves the broader community as well.

From Safety Nets to Support Networks: Beyond ‘Vulnerability’ in Protection for Consumers with Cognitive Disabilities

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvette Maker ◽  
Jeannie Marie Paterson ◽  
Anna Arstein-Kerslake ◽  
Bernadette McSherry ◽  
Lisa Brophy
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Protection ◽  
Cognitive Disabilities ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Safety Nets ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Legal Response ◽  
Law And Policy ◽  
Legal Responses ◽  
United Nations Convention

This article considers the significance of the obligations in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (‘CRPD’) for consumer protection law and policy. The current legal response to consumers who require additional decision-making support is primarily focused on mechanisms to release consumers classified as ‘vulnerable’ from transactions tainted by concerns about a lack of genuine consent. While these legal responses provide an important safety net of protection against predatory and exploitative behaviour, they are limited in their ability to encourage social participation and equal access to goods and services for consumers with cognitive disabilities. We argue that the CRPD requires an approach to consumer protection that provides more meaningful support for consumers with cognitive disabilities and make suggestions about what this support might entail in terms of changes to both the legislative regime and contracting practices.

University of Zululand Library and Inclusive Education: Responding to the Needs of Students with Disabilities

Mousaion ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothy Eneya ◽  
Dennis N. Ocholla ◽  
Bertha Janneke Mostert
Keyword(s):  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Equal Access ◽  
Disability Policy ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Access To Information ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Education Agenda ◽  
The University

This paper investigates the University of Zululand Library’s response to the university’s inclusive education agenda with respect to the accessibility of library services to students with disabilities. This was a qualitative study within the interpretive paradigm that used Michael Oliver’s social model of disability as an underpinning theory. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from students with disabilities and library staff. In addition, physical inspection of the library building was also conducted. Data analysis was done by thematic analysis. The study reveals that the University of Zululand Library services are not inclusive. Students with disabilities struggle to access library services. They faced such challenges as inaccessibility of library services, unavailability of resources in alternative formats and assistive technologies, and the lack of a disability policy. The study also found that the library faced the following challenges in providing services for students with disabilities: limited funding, a lack of staff awareness and training, the lack of a disability policy and a lack of collaboration. Formulating regulations to enforce the implementation of disability policy and legislation, developing institutional disability policies, and providing assistive technologies are critical in ensuring the accessibility of library services to students with disabilities at the University of Zululand. Unless students with disabilities have equal access to information, the university’s inclusive education agenda will remain a distant dream. Access to academic library services is critical to the full participation of students with disabilities in education. Likewise, inclusive university education can only be realised when students with disabilities have equal access to information. This aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations Convention on the Rights for Persons with Disabilities, which promote equal access to services and facilities to persons with disabilities. This paper raises awareness for both library staff and university management about the current status of library facilities and services with respect to accessibility for students with disabilities and how to address inclusiveness in library service provision.

scholarly journals Disability and Vulnerability: Challenging the Capacity/Incapacity Binary

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 469-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beverley Clough
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Mental Capacity ◽  
Feminist Philosophy ◽  
Perceived Vulnerability ◽  
Law And Policy ◽  
Legal Literature ◽  
House Of Lords ◽  
Mental Capacity Act 2005 ◽  
Laws And Policies ◽  
Mental Capacity Act

This article engages with emerging debates in law and feminist philosophy around the concept of vulnerability. Central to this is the call to re-imagine and re-frame vulnerability as universal – as something which is experienced by all individuals, by virtue of their humanity and context as social beings. The implications of this for laws and policies predicated on groups or categories as ‘being vulnerable’ will be explored in this article, using the concept of mental capacity as an example of how the boundary between capacity and incapacity can be contested through this lens. The article will critically consider the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and associated literature, such as Court of Protection cases, the House of Lords Select Committee's post-legislative scrutiny and Serious Case Reviews, which demonstrate the growing concern about the inadequacy of the binary between capacity and incapacity. This in turn provokes a challenge to accepted wisdom in the context of disability more broadly, inviting us to think in particular about the responses to perceived vulnerability that are currently deemed appropriate. Insights from the legal literature invite further exchanges with social policy theorists as to the concept of vulnerability and its challenges and implications for law and policy.

scholarly journals Publication of Articles on Review of Laws and Policies

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 24
Author(s):  
David Ackah ◽  
Suparji Suparji ◽  
Arief Budiono
Keyword(s):  
Research Results ◽  
Law And Policy ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Laws And Policies

EDITORIAL We all know that AloHA International Journal of Mulitidisciplinary Advancement (AIJMU) is an international journal that publishes various articles from various disciplines. At the start of this second year of publication, articles on law and policy were published. We on behalf of the editorial board hope that in the next issues articles on law and policy will continue to color this journal. For this reason, we invite researchers who are engaged in the field of law and policy to publish their best research results and thoughts in this journal.

scholarly journals Economic and non-economic values and objectives in the EU’s international trade: Normative tensions, actors and processes

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Urszula Jaremba ◽  
Machiko Kanetake ◽  
Ingrid Koning
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Economic Values ◽  
Trade Relations ◽  
Trade Law ◽  
Law And Policy ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
The One ◽  
The Impact

This Europe and the World: A law review special issue comprises selected papers presented at a RENFORCE workshop on the theme of tensions between the EU’s trade and non-economic values, held at Utrecht University in November 2017. The symposium addresses normative dilemmas underlying the EU’s trade law and policy. Normative dilemmas subsist between, on the one hand, the EU’s basic pursuit of its commercial interests and trade liberalization, and, on the other hand, the EU’s mandate to promote and safeguard a number of non-economic values, including human rights and sustainable development. The journal symposium aims to unveil normative tensions existing in the EU’s trade and investment policy, and understand some of the key actors and processes through which normative tensions are created and also mitigated. While the tensions between economic and non-economic values in the EU’s trade law and policy have been extensively discussed in literature, the present symposium highlights some of the recent developments in the EU’s trade relations, analyses not only human rights but also sustainable development, and examines the impact of new technologies.

scholarly journals Evoke

2021 ◽  
Vol 81 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 318-358
Author(s):  
Sander Stolk
Keyword(s):  
Old English ◽  
Web Application ◽  
Linked Data ◽  
English Studies ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Digital Resources ◽  
Powerful Research Tool ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Linguistic Analyses ◽  
The Web

Abstract This article provides an introduction to the web application Evoke. This application offers functionality to navigate, view, extend, and analyse thesaurus content. The thesauri that can be navigated in Evoke are expressed in Linguistic Linked Data, an interoperable data form that enables the extension of thesaurus content with custom labels and allows for the linking of thesaurus content to other digital resources. As such, Evoke is a powerful research tool that facilitates its users to perform novel cultural linguistic analyses over multiple sources. This article further demonstrates the potential of Evoke by discussing how A Thesaurus of Old English was made available in the application and how this has already been adopted in the field of Old English studies. Lastly, the author situates Evoke within a number of recent developments in the field of Digital Humanities and its applications for onomasiological research.

scholarly journals Web Accessibility Interventions for Citizens Living with Cognitive Impairment: A Rapid Evidence Assessment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Flynn ◽  
Sara Gartland ◽  
Joe Cullen ◽  
Maria Ana Carneiro ◽  
Jose de Sousa Fialho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Research Team ◽  
Literature Search ◽  
Cognitive Impairments ◽  
Cognitive Disabilities ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Web Accessibility ◽  
Flow Diagram ◽  
Rapid Review

Abstract BackgroundThere is a clear and pressing need to understand the barriers to technology user experience, particularly in relation to people with cognitive disabilities. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent expansion of digital technologies associated with education, wellness and employment only makes the need to understand how people with cognitive disabilities interact with such technologies, within the naturalistic context of their lifeworld, increasingly urgent. Therefore a necessary first step is to develop a baseline understanding of the current state of web accessibility for people with cognitive disabilities. Thus, the purpose of this review is to conduct baseline research to understand the factors and processes that inhibit access to online content and services for people with cognitive impairments.MethodsThis systematic, rapid evidence assessment, review will employ a search strategy using defined terms within agreed search strings in the following databases: Web of Science, SCOPUS, EBSCOhost, ERIC and ProQuest. Internet searching through Google Scholar will be carried out as well as forward and backward tracking of citations from studies that are included in the review. All results, screening process results will be documented in tabular form and communicated in a PRISMA flow diagram. In addition, the research team consider it necessary to carry out a grey literature search due to the nature of the work being investigated. The expertise within the research team indicated that many programmes that support people with cognitive impairments do not formally report their work through academic dissemination pathways. Consequently it is intended that a grey literature search will be carried out to supplement that findings of study. In contrast to the focus on studies published in English for peer review returns, the grey literature search will actively seek out returns across all languages of the European Union.DiscussionThis rapid review protocol will focus on citizens ages 9 and up who live with cognitive impairment and establish a baseline for best practice in supporting web accessibility for people with cognitive impairments. It will achieve this by providing a time limited state-of-the-art evidence report, specific to the challenges people with cognitive impairment, that will help those involved in policy development, policy response initiatives and localised activity. It is intended that, depending on the outcome of the review process, additional opportunities for innovation and/or research may be communicated to relevant stakeholders and policy makers.Systematic Review RegistrationThis protocol has been submitted to the International Prospective Register for Systematic Reviews - PROSPERO, and is currently under review. Reference No. 269245.

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