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Web Posted on: December 9, 1998


THE INTERNET: TEACHING STRATEGIES FOR ACCESS

Betsy Bayha
Director, Technology Policy, World Institute on Disability
betsy@wid.org

Suzanne Levine, M.A.
Project Coordinator, World Institute on Disability
suzanne@wid.org

Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on
Universal Telecommunications Access.
World Institute on Disability
510 Sixteenth St., Suite 100
Oakland, CA 94612
http://www.wid.org/tech/handbook/

1. Introduction

Ready or not, the World Wide Web is here! A recent survey of schools across the United States shows the following:

  • 85% of U.S. schools have the Internet.
  • 42% of schools have a classroom with an Internet connection.
  • BUT
  • One-third of schools with Internet access report that none of their teachers use it.
  • (Market Data Retrieval 1998 Tech. in Ed. Survey)

2. Method

In an e-mail and telephone survey conducted by the World Institute on Disability in 1997, we talked to a number of K-12 teachers who use the Internet with their students. They told us, "The Internet is like a Magnet". The Internet motivates students to do reading and writing exercises, it opens a door on the world for students and it's fun for both students and teachers.


3. Barriers

In spite of these motivating factors, teachers still have problems using the Internet. Our survey identified the following barriers:

  • Not enough on-line time.
  • Slow and unreliable connections
  • Not enough training
  • Poor computer equipment

As the Internet becomes more prevalent in our educational system, there is increasing concern that students with disabilities may not be integrated into classroom-based Internet activities. Our survey also identified barriers specific to integrating disabled students including:

  • Lack of knowledge about assistive technology.
  • Difficulty finding assistive technology.
  • Lack of information about universal design features on web browsers and computers.
  • Small computer screens.
  • Inappropriate seating.

4. Solutions

What are some of the solutions teachers have found for improving access for all?

  • Using large computer monitors.
  • Trying trackballs as an alternative to the mouse.
  • Using font enlargement to improve readability of text.
  • Color-coding keys on the computer keyboard.
  • Alternate keyboards
  • Voice input and output.

Many of these solutions improve access for a wide variety of student needs.

  • Voice output for a blind student can also create access for students with reading difficulties because of learning disabilities.
  • Voice output also helps students who don't speak English as their first language.
  • Font enlargement provides access for students with low vision and with learning disabilities, as well as making the computer screen more visible for group-learning.
  • Alternate keyboards can be used as an early-learning tool and for older students with limited mobility or cognitive disabilities.

5. Successful Internet Strategies

Teachers who used the Internet successfully with their students gave us examples of how they used the technology.

Susan Dudley, a teacher at Carlyle High School in Illinois, developed an e-mail based mentoring program between disabled students in her high school class and nondisabled junior high school students in another town. "The students on the other end didn't know my students as poorly behaved or disabled", says Susan. Her students acted as behavior mentors to their junior high counterparts and in the process learned strategies for choosing appropriate behavior for themselves.

Betty Groesbeck, a fourth-grade teacher at Peter Boscow Elementary School in Oregon uses simple videoconferencing software to do pen pals projects around the world. She only has one computer in her classroom, but enlarges the screen for group learning by using a TV monitor. This strategy also provided greater access for a partially sighted student in her class.

Deborah Fell of Urbana High School in Illinois used a variety of software and hardware to make her computers "talk". She uses the Internet with students who have learning disabilities and has found that read-aloud software and the use of large monitors for font enlargement makes the Internet more accessible to her students.


6. What are Your Success Stories?

We are still collecting success stories from teachers who have used the Internet with disabled students and want to share their information with others. Send us e-mail at handbook@wid.org or send a fax to (510) 763-4109.