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Web Site Usability Involving People With Learning Disabilities Using Only Images And Audio To
Article tests the understanding of images and audio by people with learning disabilities using web sites
Date : 17/10/2014
Author Information
Uploaded by : Peter
Uploaded on : 17/10/2014
Subject : Special Needs
Abstract:
The need for social inclusion, informed choice and
the facilitation of independent living for people with
learning disabilities (LD) is being emphasised ever
more by government, professionals, academics
and, indeed, by people with LD themselves, particularly
in self-advocacy groups. Achieving goals
around inclusion and autonomy requires access to
relevant and accessible information. Hence, the
project reported here, which revolves around the
creation and development of a web site containing
information about `transition`. This is the move from
education or sheltered living to supported employment.
The development of the web site included an
examination of whether people with very low literacy
skills were able to navigate the site and to
access information. To this end, usability tests were
undertaken consisting of simple tasks, broken down
into `one-action` elements and requiring the accessing
and understanding of pictorial or audio information.
Results elicited various issues including
the size and understanding of images; activating
hyperlinks, page length and invisible content, and
accessing audio. Two accessibility issues were also
found - poor mouse control and involuntary activation
of the context menu. Solutions are offered
regarding the issues documented, and the paper
concludes by suggesting that it is possible both for
people with minimal levels of literacy to obtain information
on the web site.
This resource was uploaded by: Peter
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