INFO 251-Web Usability Assessment

Lauren expressed to me that students who spend their day within a self-contained classroom are introduced to fundamental life skills such as brushing their teeth, tying their shoes, and holding a spoon or fork in order to feed themselves. In addition, many of the students need assistance with toilet training as well, basic skills we take for granted. The goals seem simple enough to an average everyday student, but to the student who suffers from one disability or another, the goal can seem unattainable and the work required to achieve these goals is hard and at times very frustrating (Ursta, L.,

There are also many tools available to web designers to ensure that their sites are compliant with current ADA laws. In accordance with the ADA’s mission statement, the World Wide Consortium (W3) created the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). In turn, the (WAI) developed a set of guidelines (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines [WCAG]) with the intent of providing remedies for design concerns that may arise when designing with the needs of disabled people in mind. The WAI purpose is a means for developing standards,

To ensure, users do not experience any issues particularly with users with disabilities when accessing the website, the guidelines set by W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the most broadly adopted Web accessibility standard. They are set a set of guidelines that specify how to make content accessible, including devices. The guideline covers many areas, including alternatives for auditory and visual content, navigation mechanisms, ensure that documents are clear and simple, design for device independence, and many

This was by far the most challenging course that I have encountered while obtaining my Master’s Degree in Educational Technology from UCMO. That is not a negative comment as this course has actually impacted me professionally more than any other course I’ve taken to date. This course has taken more time to complete the assignments, more of my attention to detail, and more of my creativity. The last point was the best part about this course. I consider myself to be fairly creative and this course definitely allowed me to do that while bringing my somewhat odd personality to a professional forum. For this I am grateful. Let’s get to the good stuff, shall we?

Jerry Kenny came in and talked to us about his disability, how it happened when it happened, who all it has affected, and how adapted from it. Jerry’s disability is that he is a double amputee of both hands.

While pursuing my Master’s degree in education, I developed all of the skills necessary to design and implement a variety of instructional materials. Through my work experience I learned how to infuse that knowledge with technology to meet the needs of a twenty-first century learning environment.

Numerous inquiries were addressed making the reflection very insightful. The Diversability awareness event excelled at spreading knowledge and understanding of what students with disabilities struggle with on a daily

Websites are used by people with all abilities; a visit to the Royal National Institute for the blind (RNIB) gives an insight into people with visual

There are over 7 billion people in the world, each one is unique. In one classroom alone, you could see this diversity, people with differences both physical and culturally. It is up to everyone to understand and accept these differences. Cultural differences and misunderstandings about disabilities can lead to many personal challenges. In both texts, “ Finding Her Way” and “ Kylie’s Project” demonstrate this as well as how Angela and Kylie cope with their situations, each text then goes on to explain and demonstrate different ways in which people cope with these types of challenges.

I was apprehensive about this exercise. I did not want to trivialize what it means to be living with a disability. I wondered; which disability am I comfortable doing? Do I have the resources? Am I capable? Nevertheless, this appeared to be a simple task and I have plenty of experience working with people with disability. I thought,

According to the Australian Department of Social Services (2012), web accessibility is not just about making sure websites are usable for those with disabilities’; it is about making sure that a website can be used by as many people as is possible. This could include making sure websites are accessible for people on a variety of different devices, those with impaired abilities, the elderly, and people from a different cultural backgrounds who may struggle with the native language (W3C, 2005). Websites that are designed to be accessible are generally much more usable for everyone, not just those who may need certain accessibility features (Riley-Huff, 2012). It is important that websites are as accessible as possible not only to allow them

When I first looked over the course outline, I was a little apprehensive about some parts of this technology course… Me? Create a website? (& it actually turned out to be kind of fun!).

I feel that my goals were met—in both expected and unforeseen ways. First, the readings informed my design choices—how specifically I wanted to move my audience and what tactics and strategies I needed to use to get them there. The Chris Dede article, “Vignettes about the Future of Learning Technologies,” helped me conceptualize how people would use mobile technology, and how using a handheld device could change the way a person interacts with space and receives information. I also used the case study, “What I Learned Doing a Multimedia Project on the French Revolution,” to see how another designer thought through her project, and handled financial and time constraints. The readings on being culturally sensitive, and including other viewpoints into one’s work, helped me think about how to incorporate diverse perspectives in my project, and encouraged me to believe in my original goal of including multiple points of view. I also enjoyed applying the strategies that Hampe illustrates in his documentary guide to design projects outside of the class. For example, I used his section on interview techniques to help me with the interviews I conducted for a documentary on a group of Blue Hill, Maine residents who had made a Super 8 film when they were in high school.

In line with this suggestion, N.A. Lukianova directed a project in autumn 2016, at TPU whereby a team of students studying "Industrial Design" completed a portfolio consisting of the results of monitoring and assessment of the level of accessibility of the architectural environment on campus for students with disabilities. The portfolio included an interactive map of the campus.

Accessibility for the web means making sure that your web pages and applications are available to everyone, including people with disabilities.