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Accessibility - Overview
As with many types of products and technologies, people with disabilities may be inadvertently excluded if accessibility is not considered and incorporated into products and technologies. However, accessibility is not only of concern to those with disabilities. The potential for online distributed learning expands when developers embrace the widest possible range of individual learning styles, preferences and abilities.
Accessible design grants a wider range of learners more options and greater flexibility in learning. Presenting educational material in a variety of formats will also provide benefits to those with differing learning styles (visual, auditory, tactile) and will allow people to learn in their preferred learning style.
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These contents have been obtained from the CanCore Web site and edited for presentation. Please refer to the CanCore Web site for additional information on terms of use.
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In the arena of e-learning, interoperability suggests the storing, processing and exchanging of instructional content, student records and other kinds of information by different and often divers systems.
Interoperability is also central to understanding the Access4All specifications. These specifications, available from IMS and ISO, enable a similar "interoperation" between computer systems. Simultaneously, they also support a different kind of inter-operation, namely between these systems and their end-users or learners. These standards address and ensure matches between the learner's needs and computer systems; they consider every learner, in a sense, as a potential system, that an external system needs to interoperate. Mismatches, interruptions and other issues in the operation between the learner and these systems become more common as computing and Internet access becomes more portable, flexible and ubiquitous: robbing our vision of the screen in direct sunlight or while driving; depriving us of hearing while working on a flight. Ensuring these barriers to access can be adequately addresses is the focus of the Access4All specifications. Whether short term or permanent, addressing these barriers can make the difference between full access or none at all. In this sense, these Access4All specifications "do not address personal traits, but artifacts of a relationship between the learner and the learning environment or [system of] educational delivery; and "accessibility" becomes the ability of these environments, systems and content to adapt to the needs of all learners.
In considering this adaptability and interoperation there are two "systems" that need to be accounted for and whose successful inter-operation needs to be supported: the learner, on the one hand, and the system or the content that the learner is using, on the other. As a result, Access4All provides one specification for the learner (the ISO "Personal Needs and Preferences Statement" -PNPS-; previously the IMS Learner Information Profile) and a second for the content (as a part of the IMS Learning Object Metadata standard or the IEEE LOM). In matching these specifications, the users needs can be met and, consequently, has access to the content they seek.
The second of these, the LOM standard for educational content, specifies how this content (or "learning objects") are to be described, classified: which age groups and contexts they may be appropriate for, etc. It is in connection with the LOM, of course, that CanCore enters the picture. CanCore's main goal has been to support the implementation of the LOM standard for educational content. CanCore has done this by indicating which elements are important under different circumstances, and by explaining precisely what each element means, and how it is to be implemented technically.
There are 76 of these items or elements in the LOM in total, and CanCore provides guidelines or support for each of these. However, these elements do not describe this learning content in such a way that it can be used with the user's needs or circumstances (in such a way as to support adaptability or interoperability between the learner and the system). The Access4All specification outlines these elements, and defines them in such a way that they can be matched with corresponding information, elements, in the PNPS. The Access4All specification for the LOM is known as "Digital Resource Description (or DRD, formerly the ACCMD or Accessibility Meta-Data.) Having supported the elements of the LOM, and having the provision of access to learning resources as its primary goal, CanCore is consequently also supporting --developing guidelines, examples, implementation advice, etc.-- for Access4All Digital Resource Description.CanCore Accessibility Web Site |
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These contents have been obtained from the IMS web site and edited for presentation. Please refer to the IMS web site for additional information on terms of use.
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Scope
IMS Global Learning Consortium
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The Access For All Specification is intended to meet the needs of learners with disabilities and anyone who is disabled by their context.
This part of the Access For All Specification provides a common language to describe digital learning resources to facilitate matching of those resources to learners’ accessibility needs and preferences.
Metadata can be used for at least two accessibility-related purposes: to record compliance to an accessibility specification or standard (e.g., for adherence to legislated procurement policies) and to enable the delivery of resources that meet a user’s needs and preferences. This part of the Access For All Specification addresses the latter purpose. Metadata to assert compliance to an accessibility specification or standard is not within the scope of this part of the Access For All Specification. |
Purpose
This part of the Access For All Specification is intended to be applied in combination with ‘Access For All Personal Needs and Preferences for Digital Delivery’, which provides a means to describe how a user desires to access online learning content and related applications. This part of the Access For All Specification is intended to describe aspects of a computer system (including networked systems) that can be adjusted to improve accessibility. They are not intended to address non-digital systems that can include physical location, other people, external processes, etc. |
Historic Notes
In July 2003, IMS released IMS Learner Information Package Accessibility for LIP v1.0 and in August 2004 'Access For All Metadata v1.0' . Under agreement, these documents were adopted by ISO/IEC SC36 resulting in the publication, in 2008, of:
- ISO/IEC 24751-1 Access For All Framework and Reference Model;
- ISO/IEC 24751-2 Access For All Digital Resource Description;
- ISO/IEC 24751-3 Access For All Personal Needs and Preferences for Digital Delivery.
The ISO/IEC standard changed the original work to such an extent that there are significant changes in the information model. Also, ISO/IEC did not publish an XSD binding.
As a result, IMS has decided to publish a new set of Access For All documents that are consistent with the ISO/IEC ones (They will be technically identical but combine the IMS and ISO/IEC documentation styles). This document set is Access For All v2.0.
The Access For All v2.0 document set from IMS consists of two documents:
- Access For All Digital Resource Description (which is taken from Access For All Metadata v1.0 ).
- Access For All Personal Needs and Preferences for Digital Delivery (which is taken from IMS Learner Information Package Accessibility for LIP v1.).
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Terms of use
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These contents have been obtained from the IMS web site and edited for presentation. Please refer to the IMS web site for additional information on terms of use.
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IMS Global Learning Consortium
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This is a set of guidelines developed by the IMS Accessibility Working Group to provide a framework for the distributed learning community. This framework sets the stage for what solutions currently exist, what the opportunities and possibilities are for implementing them, and the areas where more development and innovation are still needed in educational technologies to ensure education that is truly accessible to anyone, anytime, anywhere. |
Purpose
Other standards and guidelines currently exist, however the IMS Accessibility Guidelines are targeted at the distributed learning community and specifically address the challenges that exist in online education. The IMS Accessibility Guidelines are not meant to replace existing standards and guidelines, but instead to references to those resources and to provide additional information and solutions compatible with existing recommendations. That said, some topics addressed in this document, such as mathematic, scientific and music notation guidelines, do not yet have mainstreamed or widely adopted solutions. In these cases, this document offers suggestions and indicates the direction of current research. IMS Accessibility web site |
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These contents have been obtained from the IMS web site and edited for presentation. Please refer to the IMS web site for additional information on terms of use.
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Scope
IMS Global Learning Consortium
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The Accessibility for LIP (ACCLIP) information extends the IMS LIP v1.0 Specification by adding substantial descriptive material that define accessibility preferences. These new elements are intended to be completely compatible with all of the LIP work done previously, especially with regard to privacy, access, and information integrity.
The ACCLIP elements provide a means to describe how a learner desires to access online learning content and related applications via a set of preference elements. These elements are grouped into three main types: display information, control information, and content information. Taken together, they provide a way that allows a learner to create preferences in how content is delivered in a particular context. |
Purpose
The purpose of this specification is to allow information to be gathered from users regarding their needs and preferences so that the user interface and content can be appropriately adapted. These preferences go beyond support for disabled people to include kinds of accessibility needs such as mobile computing, noisy environments, etc.
These preferences will likely have a considerable impact on the user interface of learning delivery, tools, and managers and how content is selected. |
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These contents have been obtained from the ISO/IEC JTC1 SC36 web site and edited for presentation. Please refer to the ISO/IEC JTC1 SC36 web site for additional information on terms of use.
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General Information
ISO/IEC JTC1 SC36 logo
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The responsibility of ISO/IEC JTC1/SC36/WG7 is to develop standards ensuring that relevant features and processes of Information Technology for Learning, Education and Training are adaptable to the requirements of individual users. SC36/WG7 standards support the principles and the objectives of the 2006 “UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities” and follow the principles of “Inclusive Design”.
WG7 also serves as a resource, consultant, and reviewer of relevant activities facilitating a harmonised approach to accessibility within the scope of SC36.
The adaptation of Information Technologies (IT) systems enhances learning experiences and is a critical success factor for users and developers of these systems. The adaptation of these components may be based on Culture, Language and Individual Accessibility. This adaptation is based on general requirements and capabilities (e.g., requires French; prefers visual media; complete impairment of hearing) as they apply to a particular user and application scenario.
The terms Human Diversity and Access for All are defined as follows:- Access for all: Providing accessibility in a computer mediated environment where the users in the environment have equal possibilities to use and interact with the environment free of barriers.
- Human diversity: Encompasses Cultural diversity and languages.
- Cultural diversity: Freedom of expression, media pluralism, multilingualism, equal access to art and to scientific and technological knowledge, including in digital form, and the possibility for all cultures to have access to the means of expression and dissemination are the guarantees of cultural diversity. [UN Charter]
- Language: Systems of signs for communication usually consisting of a vocabulary and rules. Note: In this standard, language refers to “natural languages” or “special languages” but not “programming languages” or “artificial languages”.
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Activities
The following activities are within the scope of SC36 WG7:
- Review and recommendation of current technologies, frameworks, standards, specifications, techniques, and practices that may be of interest to SC36 and its stakeholders.
- Liaison with other activities in JTC1, other ISO, IEC, ITU-T committees and other organisations.
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| This category includes a number of specifications and recommendations related to the Accessibility area which either are not targeted specifically to the learning technologies field either have been developed by institutions not specifically focused to defining standards. |
W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
World Wide Web Consortium
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The Web is fundamentally designed to work for all people, whatever their hardware, software, language, culture, location, or physical or mental ability. When the Web meets this goal, it is accessible to people with a diverse range of hearing, movement, sight, and cognitive ability.
Thus the impact of disability is radically changed on the Web because the Web removes barriers to communication and interaction that many people face in the physical world. However, when websites, web technologies, or web tools are badly designed, they can create barriers that exclude people from using the Web.
The mission of the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is to lead the Web to its full potential to be accessible, enabling people with disabilities to participate equally on the Web.
The W3C WAI brings together people from industry, disability organizations, government, and research labs from around the world to develop guidelines and resources to help make the Web accessible to people with disabilities including auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical, speech, and visual disabilities.
WAI's coverage of web accessibility includes 'web content' (websites and web applications), authoring tools (such as content management systems (CMS) and blog software), browsers and other 'user agents', and W3C technical specifications, including WAI-ARIA for accessible rich Internet applications.
The W3C WAI develops Web accessibility guidelines for the different components:- Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG): The ATAG documents define how authoring tools should help Web developers produce Web content that is accessible and conforms to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. The ATAG documents also explain how to make authoring tools accessible so that people with disabilities can use the tools.
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG): The WCAG documents explain how to make Web content accessible to people with disabilities. Web "content" generally refers to the information in a Web page or Web application, including text, images, forms, sounds, and such.
- User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG): The UAAG documents explain how to make user agents accessible to people with disabilities, particularly to increase accessibility to Web content. User agents include Web browsers, media players, and assistive technologies, which are software that some people with disabilities use in interacting with computers.
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ISO ISO 9241-171. Ergonomics of human-system interaction - Part 171: Guidance on software accessibility
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ISO 9241-171:2008 provides ergonomics guidance and specifications for the design of accessible software for use at work, in the home, in education and in public places. It covers issues associated with designing accessible software for people with the widest range of physical, sensory and cognitive abilities, including those who are temporarily disabled, and the elderly. It addresses software considerations for accessibility that complement general design for usability as addressed by ISO 9241-110, ISO 9241-11 to ISO 9241-17, ISO 14915 and ISO 13407.
ISO 9241-171:2008 is applicable to the accessibility of interactive systems. It addresses a wide range of software (e.g. office, Web, learning support and library systems).
It promotes the increased usability of systems for a wider range of users. While it does not cover the behaviour of, or requirements for, assistive technologies (including assistive software), it does address the use of assistive technologies as an integrated component of interactive systems.
It is intended for use by those responsible for the specification, design, development, evaluation and procurement of software platforms and software applications.ISO 9241-171 Web Site |
Rewiring Inclusion Conference
( 29/01/2010 ) |
Accessibility experts from the world of social media will be helping those in education to make technology adapt and enable people to use it
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Accessibility experts from the world of social media will be helping those in education to make technology adapt and enable people to use it, rather than the other way around, at an event in Nottingham called Rewiring Inclusion on 8 and 9 February 2010.
Speakers from Google and Yahoo! Europe will address the conference, which is jointly organised by The Association for Learning Technology (ALT1) and JISC TechDis, to promote barrier-free learning.
Julian Harty from Google will be sharing his knowledge and experience on how mobile technologies and open source software can make the previously inaccessible, accessible for everyone. Delegates will also learn about the impact that the latest Google services, such as Wave, Chrome OS, and Android will have on learning.
Yahoo Europe will also be taking part in the event with Artur Ortega, their accessibility evangelist, outlining the Yahoo! approach to accessibility and his personal experiences in overcoming barriers as a blind IT practitioner.
Speakers will also include Dr Dónal Fitzpatrick from the School of Computing at Dublin City University and plenary contributions will come from leading figures in the commercial and research fields, including accessibility researcher, Dr Jane Seale from the University of Southampton, and Peter Hartley, Bradford University’s Professor of Education Development, Alison Mills Head of Assessment for learning at The Manchester College, and James Clay from Gloucestershire College.
more information |
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