Sp12T1 Web 2.0 Access Barriers

Enabling an Accessible Web 2.0 is a paper written by Becky Gibson IBM Emerging Technologies . I was unable to highlight (not sure why). I found that this article is very similar to a lot of the assigned reading. The article discuss key points:" The original Web was not perfect but with some work by Web developers it could be used by all. Now we are entering the next generation of the Web - Web 2.0. It is all about interaction, collaboration, and social networking It is more dynamic and fluid and no longer just static pages of information. This presents yet another challenge for people with disabilities. These new interaction models are pushing the limits of the technologies of the Web and the ability of assistive technologies to interpret the changing face of the Web. This paper describes new technologies and tools being developed to help enable accessibility for Web 2.0." " Such as : Ajax interactions, data binding, graphic effects as well as rich, customizable user interface components [13]. Examples of such toolkits include: * Dojo http://www.dojotoolkit.org/ * Google Web Toolkit - http://code.google.com/webtoolkit/ * Open Rico- http://openrico.org/ * Prototype - http://www.prototypejs.org/ * TIBCO General Interface (available via an open source license) http://www.tibco.com/software/rich_internet_application/default.jsp * Yahoo User Interface Library - http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/ * Zimbra Kabuki AJAX Toolkit (http://www.zimbra.com/community/kabuki_ajax_tool kit_download.html)

Assitive technology for students with learning disabilities is the main focus of this article. It is geared to parents and educators alike. The related articles are also helpful.

I like this article for the fact that it first introduces Assistive Technology (AT) to any parent. I've found that many of the parents I work with are sceptical about trying something new simply because they lack adequate information. Knowledge is power is what we teach our students, but far too many parents limit themselves and hinder the growth of their child due to ignorance. AT doesn't cure or eliminate learning difficulties, but it can help your child reach her potential because it allows her to capitalize on her strengths and bypass areas of difficulty. AT compensates for a child's learning deficits and equips a child to be able to reach more of their potential towards success.

I found this article to be a wealth of information to parents and educators alike. I am going to print this out for my teachers as we are a private school we aren't required to follow 504's and IEP's- although we do our best. I think sometimes teachers who don't work specifically with students that have LD forget that there are so many issues that students face. Articles like these are great points of reference.

This article focuses on the legal issues concerning barriers that inhibit use of the web by persons with handicapping conditions.

This article provides a lot of pertinent information related to the legal issues of those using technology for educational purposes. I would be pretty confident in saying that most mainstream classroom teachers would not recognize these laws or the ramifications of not adhering to those. This information should be disseminated to all teachers and faculties so that there is common knowledge behind laws and accessibility.

The American Association of School Librarians' guide Standards for the 21st Century Learner states , "Learning is enhanced by opportunities to share and learn with others. Students need to develop skills in sharing knowledge and learning with others, both in face-to-face situations and through technology."

This article was written by a student who is faced with learning disabilities. Within the paper she discusses challenges faced with certain aspects of technology and her authentic assessment of how she utilized certain tools.

LD OnLine is the leading website on learning disabilities, learning disorders and differences. Parents and teachers of learning disabled children will find authoritative guidance on attention deficit disorder, ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dysnomia, reading difficulties, speech and related disorders.

Windows  8 will be easier to use for those who are visually impaired or face other disabilities

This article explains accessibility issues with social network sites such as facebook and myspace. also addresses the use of CAPTCHAs

I am very impressed with the text-to-speech software offered by this company. It offers support for English Language Learners as well as those with physical challenges and other disabilities that slow down their ability to learn to read and write.

It's great to hear from someone who has had experience with it. I know this link isn't exactly what Carmin wanted for this assignment because it didn't specifically mention it would help with Web 2.0 tool barriers but I wanted to share it because it can help people read websites and so much more. Thanks, Tina.

Kathleen, I had to spend a few minutes searching the site, but I found a page in the site that lists reading Web content as a Kurzweil feature. So it does meet the requirements. http://www.kurzweiledu.com/ki-3000-v12-windows-features.html I highlighted the related text in the page. If you turn on your diigolet -- you will see the highlighted text.

This writing explains that slowly, acceptance of Web 2.0 has increased since 2009.

This article is not specifically about web accessibility for people with disabilities.

by Scheer, J.M., Kroll, T., Neri, M. T., & Beatty, P. (2003). Access barriers for persons with disabilities: The consumer's perspective. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 14(4), 221-230. Scheer, Kroll, Neri, & Beatty (2003) studied specific barriers that people with disabilities face when obtaining needed health-care services. Scheer et al. This article focuses particularly on the existance of barriers that inhibit access for the person with a disability. I 'm reminded of my close friend who is especially gifted as a musician and is restricted to his wheelchair for being mobile. He encounters far too many barriers in his travels and this causes obvious limitations.

This bookmark doesn't have anything to do with web accessibility.

This article communicates the urgent need to make accessibility friendlier and more affordable to those with assistive technology needs. The Department of Justice wants to broaden the authority of the Americans with Disabilities Act in regard to the Internet and specifically websites. Today is the final day for public comment on that proposal. Meanwhile, new data has emerged that shows far fewer people with disabilities using the Internet than people without.

These sticky notes and deeplink highlight is based on Megan's bookmark, The Madtoe Strikes Again: Hands-free Graphic Design.

Thank you for adding this example of using sticky notes and highlighting to enhance the Diigo experience.

This article from PCMag.com discusses the adoption of Google Apps for Education at New York University and Northwestern University. The adoption is being challenged by the National Federation for the Blind, because of its inaccessibility to visually impaired and blind individuals on these campuses. 

How People with Disabilities Use the Web The following scenarios show people with different kinds of disabilities using assistive technologies and adaptive strategies to access the Web. In some cases the scenarios show how the Web can make some tasks easier for people with disabilities.

Thank your for posting this article Sherry. It gives us a view into the lives of people who had to find a way to function in the world of business as well as in the classroom. The reporter who after years of working normally, had to finally resort to the use of voice recognition in order to continue doing his job. The student wiht dyslexia who had to find a way to keep up with the rest of the students. The student found text to speech software helplful. This student found sites with graphics helpful, however, there were still some limitations. If the graphics were animated it was difficult to focus. These details are impereative to the function of independency to the person who is experiencing the disability. We need to remind our selves that the world is not black and white...there is a lot hidden in between what we are able to see.

It is amazing how we take web accessiblitity for granted. Being color blind is a disability that is not talked about often but is a hindrance for people searching the web. We find that things that are highlighted or pointed out show up in red for an attention getter, but for those who can not see reds, some websites could not be utilized by color blind people. Style sheets is something I am not familiar with at all, but this article made me aware of something that is available for color blind individuals.

This is a group that helps companies make their websites accessible for all. Their belief is caring for all people (disabled, aged, second language readers and others) and not just making a website "legally compliant." They can help add captions to videos, text to pictures, and help with many other barriers that a person might come across.

This video is has a link in the article below, but decided to bookmark it separate for easier access. This video shows how screen reader interprets CAPTCHA for the blind.