SUPER HIGHWAY ON-RAMPS FOR KIDS WITH DISABILITIES

Kirsten Haugen
Center for Accessible Technology
2547 - 8th Street, 12-A
Berkeley, CA 94710
tel: 510-841-3224
fax: 510-841-7956
e-mail: CforAT@aol.com

Web Posted on: November 30, 1997

More and more kids are getting on-line & using the web for research, learning and entertainment. Kids with disabilities don't need to be left behind. The world wide web provides unique learning opportunities when used in supervised, structured settings, but the informal, collective nature of the web spells trouble for some kids with disabilities who tend to rely on adaptive software and hardware, such as voice output, alternative keyboards, macros and more. Furthermore, the web, in its present state, takes us a step backward technologically so that given the status of most people's equipment and most web pages, the animation, voice output, and interactivity we've come to expect from children's software is stilted at best or virtually non-existent on the web.

So, with all these problems, is it worth it for kids with disabilities to get on-line? Most definitely The Web provides unique opportunities for communicating & learning, giving all students the opportunity to extend the walls of their classrooms, obtain unique and up-to-the-minute information, and collaborate in new ways with others around the country and around the world. On-line success for kids with disabilities involves understanding the barriers and some solutions, helping kids develop independent skills, choosing accessible sites, planning web-based activities carefully, and providing appropriate modifications.

Physical barriers to on-line access include hypertext and buttons which appear in random places, and scrolling pages. For students with vision or reading difficulties, the lack of text-to-speech, along with confusing layouts and crowded backgrounds can be a problem. For students with attention deficits, waiting to download pages or wading through lengthy pages of text can pose problems. There are some solutions or strategies which can address each of these problems, at least in part.

Built-in solutions include knowing how to choose appropriate preferences for setting fonts, sizes & colors, background color, and whether or not to let your preferences override special formatting. Thus, you can always have a given text size and color, and you can hide distracting (and slow-to-load) backgrounds. Perhaps more importantly, make sure kids know how to use Home, Go, Back, & Bookmarks so that if they end up on a page that they cannot navigate,they can always return to a familiar spot. Using handouts or props with enlarged screen images and cooperative learning groups helps immensely. Netscape also allows you to set your own home page, which could even be a bookmark file you've saved to your hard drive. As an alternative, have each student save their own bookmark files and use them to launch Netscape.

In addition, if students will be using the web as a research tool, make certain they know how to copy and paste text and images from the browser into a word processor (even SimpleText or the NotePad). This will save on-line time, as students can then review the material later, even making use of tools like talking word processors.

ClickIt! and IntelliKeys, by IntelliTools, can be used with your browser to provide additional access. With ClickIt! alone, you can access menus using keyboard shortcuts (such as control + A for the Apple menu), and even have the menu items spoken aloud. With a little extra effort, you can set up "hot spots" for the main buttons in the browser, and these, too, can be given a spoken name. IntelliKeys and Overlay Maker allow further customizing for access by allowing you to create an overlay with keys of any size, color or shape, with your choice of fonts and graphics, so that students with low vision or physical disabilities can access the browser tools. Alternatively, an overlay could be set up with keys that would go directly to specific (bookmarked) sites, based on a student's interests or a class theme. Careful preparation on the part of the teacher or parent is key.

Some web page designers are becoming increasingly aware of access issues on the web, though it's important to realize that accessibility means very different things to different people. Many sites begin with an option to switch to a text-only version for people who are blind or whose hardware simply can't handle all those wonderful graphics. Beyond that, some sites have been designed around graphical links for non-readers. For easier physical access, look for sites that avoid scrolling, and consistently provide buttons (preferably in consistent locations near the edge of the screen).

One method for developing successful on-line activities for students with disabilities is to plan your activities around one or a few accessible sites and plan to stay largely within those sites. "PlaneMath," an internet-based math and aeronautics curricula is one example of an extensive, accessible site which also includes a positive portrayal of adults with disabilities who work in aeronautics careers. It has a text-only option, too.

Collaboration among students also can greatly mitgate access problems by having students with complimentary skills work together. Collaboration works best if each member on a team is given a specific responsibility. Designating one student to use the mouse, one to type, a captain to keep the group on track, and so forth avoids the problem of one or two students in a group taking charge while the others just watch or drift away.

When working with students who have poor reading skills or short attention spans, keep the activities limited to highly interactive and graphical sites, such as a virtual frog dissection.

Ideally, we wouldn't have to work around inaccessible aspects of the web. Web access could be greatly improved from the ground up if browsers of the future included text-to-speech and the ability to tab from one hyperlink to the next. Animation and sound also will help, and they seem to be on their way, if only our equipment can keep up.

The web can be made accessible for kids with disabilities, opening up exciting opportunities to learn and connect with others, or just to have fun. Modifying browser options, carefully training students, integrating adaptive hardware and software, choosing appropriate sites and activities, and providing opportunities for students to work together all help pave the way to the information superhighway for all students.

RESOURCES

"Bookmarks," Mac Addict, Vol 1, No 3 (1996).

Center for Accessible Technology (http://www.el.net/CAT) One of many resources for people with disabilities, and an Alliance for Technology Access (ATA) site. "ClickIt!" "IntelliKeys," and "Overlay Maker" by IntelliTools, Novato, CA (1-800-899-6687).

"Hands On Netscape 3.0: A Practical Manual for Educators," by CTE/INC, San Francisco, CA (1996).

"Internet Explorations," lecture by Sara Armstrong, PhD., St. Mary's College, Moraga, CA (July 17, 1996).

PlaneMath (http://www.planemath.com) Math and aeronautics-based activities in a physically accessible format for 4th grade and up. A NASA-sponsored site which also highlights people with disabilities in aeronautics careers.

"What's on the Web? A Sampler of Education Applications on the World Wide Web," by Tom March, CUE Newsletter, Vol 17, No 4 (July 1995).