Implementing Accessible Online Learning for Blind and Visually Impaired Students

This chapter presents a framework for the design of accessible online learning environments for blind and visually impaired students in terms of accessibility and the design process. The conjunction of the Web content Accessibility Guidelines Version 1 and the Principles of Universal Design for Learning (Centre for Applied Special Technology) into the instructional design process forms the basis of our approach. The first cycle of this iterative study implements objectivist instructional design theory to teach blind and visually impaired students how to write Web pages in HTML. For future iterations, we argue for the implementation of objectivist instructional design theories to provide clarity of structure beneficial for blind and visually impaired learners, together with constructivist notions such as a clientcentred design approach and mechanisms for interaction to promote collaborative construction of knowledge.

Designing Children's Multimedia

This chapter’s overarching aim is to elucidate young children’s perspectives about, and contribute to, a better understanding of what makes ”good” educational multimedia Web design. Focusing on Web design from the child’s perspective has the potential to illuminate the multifaceted sociocultural-technological context in which they learn. Underpinning the chapter is a social-constructivist view of learning applied to Web design for young children. The chapter covers (1) “engagement” as a key criterion for successful design; (2) how children make meaning in a Web-based environment; (3) theoretically grounded models of multimedia design including learner-centered design, activity theory, and models of participatory design with children. The chapter is informed by, and reports on, a qualitative case study using a child-centered participatory design approach with Year 2 children (6 and 7 year olds).

Failing the Disabled Community

The focus of this chapter is Web accessibility for disabled people, given that much of the Web remains inaccessible or difficult to access. The topic of disabled people’s Web access is introduced through a consideration of disability discrimination legislation and a description of how the law applies to Web accessibility. There is a tension between the active burdens the legislation demands and the relative passivity of approaches towards disability discrimination that still prevail. This is exacerbated by the widespread acquiescence to automatic software checking. The history of the development of the World Wide Web in terms of accessibility is briefly described. This reveals the familiar tension between a ”free market” approach and regulation that does not readily support social inclusion through accessibility. A table of detailed points showing where automatic tools cannot perform an adequate check against the W3C standards is presented followed by a narrative expanding our claim for the poverty of automatic approaches.

Web Site Design for People with Dementia

This chapter describes the current thinking around designing Web sites for people with dementia. It is important that people with dementia are involved in the development of Web sites that are designed for them to use. The chapter offers advice for both researchers and practitioners who may not have thought about this user group. Symptoms of dementia are described, and the design needs of people with the condition are discussed. A list of design considerations for Web site designers covering simplified displays, avoiding distractions, consistent and familiar page design, contextual support, the use of colour, graphics, icons and sound, language and content, and navigation and menus is presented. Appropriate methodologies for working with people with dementia are also described.

Ageing and its Implications for Elderly Web Experience

This chapter discusses ageing-related issues and their implications to the Web experience of elderly users. Particular emphasis is placed on ageing in a developing region, highlighting some cases from Malaysia. The first section consists of a brief review regarding ageing functional abilities and their implications for Web interaction. Examples are given based on studies by other researchers in this area, covering major age-related impairments, namely visual and mental impairment. The potential benefits of the Internet and the elderly user as an ideal partner is examined. The second section presents more examples of the Internet as a platform for elderly people to pursue self-fulfilment. This can be achieved through the available facilities, including communication, services, personal enjoyment, and lifelong education, that facilitate an independent life and valued membership of society. The third section investigates some of the barriers that inhibit elderly users in utilisingWeb features. These include issues regarding interface design, assistive devices, and software aids for elderly users. A summary of the ICT penetration among elderly users in Malaysia is included after the three main sections. Finally, the chapter is concluded with some ideas concerning the cultural and demographic differences in determining new trends, directions, and opportunities in advanced Web design specifically for elderly users.

Bonded Design

This chapter presents a new methodology, called bonded design (BD), for designing information technologies. It is especially suited to work with children, where designers and children collaborate in an intergenerational team to develop a low-tech prototype, over a number of design sessions, using techniques such as group discussions, critical evaluation of existing technologies, brainstorming, and prototyping. BD is compared with other user-focused design methods, and its unique features identified. Two case studies are presented in which designers worked with elementary school students, within the BD framework, to design two Web portal prototypes intended for young students to find information for class projects. The successful evaluation (using focus groups and an operational study) of working portals developed from these prototypes validated BD as a means to design technologies for young students.