1.0 Introduction
Persons with disabilities in developing countries face
particular difficulties in accessing the most basic forms of education. They
face the lowest levels of educational access of any cohort of students. Of the
Seventy five million children of primary school age worldwide who are out of
school, one-third is children with disabilities. Information and communication
technologies (ICTs), and in particular assistive technologies (ATs), can
provide persons with disabilities access to traditionally inaccessible
educational content through electronic and online learning channels. Connected
schools, with the right mix of ATs, can provide children and other persons with
disabilities unprecedented access to education. Some of the examples of accessible
ICTs are:
Making a call on a mobile phone: If a person with a
hearing impairment wishes to make a call on a mobile phone. This person uses a
piece of assistive technology (AT) called a hearing aid, which helps amplify
sounds from the person’s surroundings.
Browsing a website: Consider a blind person who wishes
to browse a website using a personal computer. The person uses a sophisticated
piece of AT called a "screen reader," which is capable of converting
text on the computer screen into synthesized speech. The person can also
navigate around a website and input text into an online
2.0 The benefits of accessible ICTs in connected schools
A meta-study on research in to use of accessible ICTs
showed that they bring the following benefits to all stakeholders involved in
education, including students, teachers, parents and care-givers.
2.1General benefits:
· Enable
greater learner autonomy;
· Unlock
hidden potential for those with communication difficulties;
· Enable
students to demonstrate achievement in ways that might not be possible with
traditional methods;
· Enable
tasks to be tailored to suit individual skills and abilities.
2.2 Benefits for students:
· Computers
can improve students' independent access to education;
·Students
with special educational needs are able to accomplish tasks working at their
own pace;
· Visually
impaired students using the Internet can access information alongside their
sighted peers;
· Students
with profound and multiple learning difficulties can communicate more easily;
· Students
using voice communication aids are able to gain confidence and social
credibility at school and in their communitiesIncreased ICT confidence amongst
students motivates them to use the Internet at home for schoolwork and leisure
interests.
2.3 Benefits for teachers and non-teaching staff:
· Reduced
isolation for teachers working in special educational fields, enabling them to
communicate electronically with colleagues;
· Support for
reflection on professional practice via online communication;
· Improved
skills for staff and a greater understanding of access technology used by students;
· Enhanced
professional development and improved effectiveness in using ICTs with
students, through collaboration with peers;
· Materials
already in electronic form (for example, from the Internet) are more easily
adapted into accessible resources such as large print or Braille materials.
2.4 Benefits for parents and care-givers:
· Use of
voice communication aids encourages parents and care-givers to have higher
expectations of children’s sociability and potential level of participation.
With regard to accessible ICTs, employment and education, the obligations of
government officials under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilitiesare:
ØIn general,
accessible ICTs should facilitate the enjoyment of many other rights, including
access to education and employment.
Ø Accesses to
ICTs, including the Internet, are to begiven the same priority as access to
buildings and transportation.
Ø The
universal design of mainstream products and ICTs that are accessible to persons
with disabilities are to be promoted through research and the development
ofappropriate guidelines and standards.
Ø Research
and development and promotion of new accessible ICTs, including assistive
technologies, are to be undertaken with an emphasis on affordable solutions.
Ø Professionals
and staff working with persons with disabilities should receive training on
these rights and how they can be realized. This includes training as
appropriate for teachers, educators, care workers and job trainers on how
accessible ICTscan be used to provide access to education and job training.
3.0 Barriers to Access for Children with Disabilities
Under the social modelof disability, conversely, the
main barriers to access for children with disabilities can be summarized as
follows:
· Attitudinal–
Social or institutional attitudes that persons with disabilities cannot or
should not be educated.
· Physical-
Most schools are not designed to accommodatethe needs of children with
disabilities. Inaccessible entrances, toilet facilities, corridors and doorways
for people with physical or sensory disabilities make physical access to school
buildings difficult and often impossible.
· Pedagogical-
There is little or no training of teachers in meeting the educational and
communication needs of children with disabilities.
· Infrastructural
– No transportation (or inaccessible transportation) is provided to enable
children with disabilities to travel to school.
· Policy –
While most countries have a policy frameworkto support inclusive national
educational systems, many do not have strategies in place to address the
barriers preventing children from attending school. Indeed, thegrossly
inadequate level of support for children with disabilities in general schools
often drives parents and groupsrepresenting persons with disabilities to demand
separate provision of educational services
4.0 Accessible ICTs for various persons with
disabilities
4.1 Persons with Physical Disabilities and Motor
Impairments
Physical disabilities and motor impairments may result
from traumatic injuries, such as spinal cord damage, or the loss of limbs due
to diseases and congenital conditions such as Cerebral Palsy, arthritis or
Parkinson’s disease.
4.2 MouseAlternativesandReplacements
Trackballs, joysticks and various forms of tablets are
frequently easier to control than a mouse. The mouse pointer may also be
controlled using head movements, which are tracked using infrared or ultrasound
technology. Buttons on many alternative pointing devices can be programmed to
perform a double click or to lock down the mouse button for a drag. Mouse
buttons can be replaced with switches (e.g., puff-sip switches, foot pedal
switches, etc.) or with software that performs the mouse click, double click,
and drag by dwelling on a target for a predetermined time and then moving the
mouse cursor in one of four directions.
4.3 Keyboard Modifications and Alternatives
Free software or operating-system modifications allow
changes to be made to keyboard responses by slowing response time, eliminating
or slowing key repeat rates and holding keys used in multiple key depressions
when selected sequentially. Standard keyboards are also available with on-board
memory for text or command macros. Mainstream alternatives include keyboards
that are smaller, more ergonomically shaped, provide more efficient keyboard
layouts (e.g., DVORAK or QWERTY) and have built-in trackballs or other mouse
alternatives.
4.4 Voice Recognition
Proper maintenance of the voice model requires
vigilance to errors made by the user and the system and proper correction of
the errors. Most voice dictation systems have very large dictionaries, but the
user must add proper names and specialized vocabulary. Several dictation
systems rely on mouse controls to navigate the desktop and dictation functions.
4.5 Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Many people with a severe physical disability may also
have speech impairments. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is a
way of communicating, not only for those with speech impairment but also for
those with difficulty in comprehending spoken or written language.
AAC strategies vary from the use of symbols or
gestures to the use of AAC devices such as (a) text-to-speech generating
devices and (b) speech generating devices. While AAC strategies and devices are
not an integral part of enabling computer access, they are essential in
enabling two-way communication in an inclusive education, job-skill training or
work environment with teachers, trainers, fellow students and work colleagues.
4.6 Accessible Buildings and Workstations
In addition to providing the correct AT, it is
important that the design of the building not present a barrier. To ensure that
a school, training center or communitycenter is accessible to persons with
disabilities, builders should refer to appropriate building accessibility
guidelines and national or regional building regulations. However, the
following checklist provides some of the main areas to consider:
· External
environment – e.g. parking spaces, entrance doors;
· Horizontal
circulation – e.g. internal door design and width, corridors, signage and
way-finding;
· Vertical
circulation – e.g. internal stairs, elevators and ramps;
· Facilities
– e.g. accessible toilets;
· Emergency
egress – e.g. auditory and visual alarm systems, evacuation policies,
evacuation chairs; and
· Accessible
entrances – level entry or a mixture of steps and ramps.The path to the
computer workstation must be free from obstacles such as steps, bins or
furniture that would obstruct the progress of users who are either walking or
using a mobility aid such as a wheelchair. Blind persons and persons with
vision impairment can use a variety of assistive technologies to access
computers and electronic content.
· Enhancements
to the visual display of the computer- Adjustments can be made to the visual
display using built-in system controls or free software. These adjustments
provide higher contrast and can enlarge icons, display fonts and mouse cursors.
· Screen
magnification- Screen magnification may be possible within the operating system
of the computer. A large number of screen magnification programs are also
available.
· Alternatives
to the visual display- These include screen readers, which speak the text
displayed on the screen, and refreshable Braille displays, which translate the
text to Braille. Examples of screen readers include the following: JAWS, NVDA,
Windows Eyes, Homepage Reader and ORCA.
· Optical
character recognition (OCR)– Document scanners, in conjunction with OCR
software, can translate printed text to electronic text that can be magnified
or read aloud using the AT mentioned above.
· Note-takers,
or accessible Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)-- These are specialized and
portable combined hardware and software solutions that typically incorporate a
refreshable Braille display and screen-reading functionality. Examples include
Braille 'n Speak, Type 'n Speak, Braille Lite Millennium (or 2000), Type Lite,
Braille Note (and Voice Note), PAC Mate and Braille Sense.
· Braillers –
Brailler is the name generally given to a low-tech mechanical device, similar
to a typewriter, with the capability for directoutput of embossed Braille onto
paper.
Students with vision impairments or print disabilities
(i.e. cannot perceive written text) may require information to be made
accessible in a variety of formats and ways:
·Braille- A
tactile system using patterns of raised dots representing letters and numbers.
Braille is produced using a special printer, called an embosser, but can also
be produced using accessible PDAs (above) or by attaching refreshable Braille
output devices to a standard computer.
·Large print–
Printed text in which font sizes are typicallyincreased to 16 points or larger,
benefiting persons with mild vision impairment
·Electronic
formatsincluding: Word-processed documents- Such as those produced by Micro
Soft.
4.7 Word and Open Office Writer
·
Talking books– Either narrated by a human or converted
automatically into synthesized speech (a Digital Talking Book). Free online
service and downloadable services are available to convert text files into
synthesized speech audio files in formats such as MP3.
·
Accessible HTML or PDF
·
DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) Digital
Talking Book (DTB)– a DAISY DTB can include audio (human or synthesized)
speech, which can be navigated, and a synchronized text version of the
book.Depending on its configuration, a DAISY DTD can be listened to on a
computer or standalone audio player, rendered using a refreshable Braille
display, read on screen or listened to with synchronized text displayed on
screen.
·
ePub – an open standard for eBooks used on some
popular eBook players.
5.0 Conclusion
Persons with disabilities remain one of the most
excluded groups in society. Equitable access to education is a vital part of
enabling people to reach their full potential, and this has been emphasized as
a human right for persons with disabilities in the UN Convention on the Rights
of persons with Disabilities. Accessible ICTs hold the potential to facilitate
access to education, job training and employment.These opportunities will
enablethe persons with disabilities to become productive, visible and
integrated members of society.
·
http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=disability&d=SOWC&f=inID%3a150
·
http://www.afrrevjo.com/print/sites/default/files/Volume_2_Number_1_art_9.pdf
·
http://www.iite.ru/pics/publications/files/3214644.pdf
·
http://www.unesco.org/en/inclusive-education/children-with-disabilities/
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