Fluency with Information Technology INFO100 and CSE100 Katherine Deibel Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology1 We talked about many of the negative aspects of IT on society Intellectual property theft Spam Scams, hoaxes, and misinformation Viruses and Malware E-pollution Loss of productivity Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology2 How has IT benefitted society? Videos of cute kittens on demand Communication More media sources Easier long distance (faster) Collaboration Social media bringing people together Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology3 One of the greatest impacts of IT has been in regard to human ability Provides tools to bridge language barriers Permits communication across distances Stores vast amounts of knowledge with ready access Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology4 Humans differ in their abilities I cannot reach high shelves in my kitchen NBA players cannot comfortably sleep on regular hotel beds Above example notwithstanding, IT can address these differences Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology5 We will be talking about disability and how IT can make a dramatic impact Some confessions: I have a disability I am passionate about this topic but not because I have a disability This topic is also a can of worms Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology6 We will view this short video Ray Ozzie is the creator of Lotus Notes He also helped establish Online collaboration tools Instant messaging, chat, etc. Video: (start at 26:53) Discussing his work in the early 1970s on PLATO, a computer-assisted instruction system at the University of Illinois Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology7 Oh my! Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology8 A disability is a human condition that differs from the norm with regard to a particular human ability Accessibility is about reducing and/or eliminating barriers to using technology that are due to disabilities Accessible technologies are those that present little to no barriers to the user Assistive technologies are technologies that augments a person's abilities by using one's strengths to overcome one's weaknesses Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology9 Usability is a more general concept Accessibility looks more at individual abilities and disabilities Example: high shelves in my kitchen They are usable in general I just can't access them Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology10 Suggestions? Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology11 Mobility Visual Hearing/Auditory Speech/Communication Psychological Cognitive Learning Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology12 In the US (according to one study): 16% of ages 15 to 64 is disabled 10% of the workforce is disabled 5% of the STEM workforce is disabled 1% of PhDs in STEM are disabled Disability digital divide (another study): 20% report having a disability or chronic condition 51% of disabled go online 74% of not disabled go online Cause: Barriers to access and use of technology Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology13 Sources: Ladner CSEP590A Talk (2008), Pew Internet Study E-patients With a Disability or Chronic Disease Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology14 Increased enrollments (entering freshmen) 2.3%(1978) 9.8% (1998) Estimates of 4-year undergraduates with disabilities 10.6% (2004) 11.3% (2003) Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology15 Sources: Scott et al, 2003; NSF ; NCES Learning 55% Mental/Emotional 10% Health 6% Other 5% Mobility 12% Speech 1% Visual 5% Hearing 6% Disabilities of Students Registered with Disability Services at 4-year U.S. Universities in Sources: NCES Report Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology16 Individual with Disabilities Education Act Applies to students in K-12 Public schools are required to provide equitable access to education Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Applies to work, public services, college, etc. Person must request accommodations Section 508 Federal agencies must make all of their IT accessible to people with disabilities Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology17 Sadly, duct tape is not enough Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology18 The technology allowed Ozzie's colleague to collaborate He could work from home despite his mobility issues due to his quadriplegia Removed Ozzie's preconceptions and prejudices about disability Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology19 Online collaboration will not address all accessibility issues Diversity of disability requires a diversity of assistive technologies Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology20 Web Consortium Accessibility Guidelines Called WCAG for short Specifications for making HTML accessible Not as simple as XHMTL validation Some parts can be automated Some parts require human evaluation Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology21 Support keyboard-only interaction Provide "hooks" for assistive tools Do not lock the structure and format Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology22 You can use the tab key to move between links and fields (forms) Tab order should be sensible One can also create hot keys for links on a page Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology23 To understand this, we need to look at a screen reader A screen reader has the computer speak aloud what is seen on the screen Mostly used by people with poor vision or who are blind WebAnywhere: Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology24 Headings (h1, h2, etc.) to structure the web page into manageable chunks Alt tags provide a description for images since the reader is not smart enough to describe any image List tags tell the screen reader that the data is in list format Table header tags tell the reader that certain table cells are descriptors for the row and column (i.e. labels) Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology25 1. first item 2. second item The browser will not know that the above is a list Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology26 Screen readers read the page from the start of the HTML file to the end Table navigation is trickier (by row usually) CSS allows you control where items are placed on the page E.g., you can have the navigation appear at the top of the page but have the code at the bottom of the file Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology27 Remember, CSS allows instant changing of the page's format Some people turn off CSS Others use a custom one to make things more visible (e.g., high contrast) Using a table for layout locks the format into a table forever Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology28 Always consider what the page would look like without the CSS Make sure the reading format is sensible Put the navigation first Use headings to allow skipping throughout Only use tables when the content is actually tabular Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology29 Provide internal links such as "Return to Top" You do this as follows: Give a tag an id Make a link using the id: Top of Page Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology30 Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology31 Susumu Harada Using ones voice to control a mouse Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology Sign language over video cell phones iPhone interfaces for the blind Augmentive communication systems on iPads and Tablets Text-to-speech tools for reading books Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology33 Jacob Wobbrock Text entry for people with motor difficulties PDAs Trackballs Etc. Simple solution: Edges limit stylus movement Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology34 Not all assistive technologies are fancy or high-tech Canes Wheelchairs Eyeglasses Braille Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology35 David Malki, ECCC08 Wondermark Talking scales Put in a cup of flour and it will tell you its weight Allows a blind person to bake Rulers with raised edges Wheelchair ramps Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology36 Wheelchair ramps Easier and cheaper to include at construction time Fit into flow of building instead of as an add-on Better aesthetics Most common users of ramps: PARENTS WITH STROLLERS Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology37 Support all people of all abilities in all situations Build accessibility into regular practices Minimizes accommodation requests Proactive instead of reactive Focus on all forms of disabilities Provide benefits for all users regardless of ability/disability Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology38 Easier to construct buildings with elevators and wheelchair ramps Easier to make sidewalks with curb- cuts Easier to make a web page accessible from the group up than retrofitting Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology39 Does universal design mean that blind people should be able to drive cars? Critique by Alan Newell You should sppend a few minutes at the beginning [of the panel] presenting an engineering puzzle to the audience: You have to make a web browser accessible to someone who can only type with their big toe, and has lost fine motor control over their legs. Reviewers comment Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology40 Universal design is an ideal principle Work towards achieving it Keep within reason What is reasonable? Know and follow basic accessibility standards Be aware of who the relevant user population is Identify likely barriers based on population Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology41 AT and accessibility have changed the lives of people with disabilities Keep them in mind when designing technology, including web pages We will have more discussion in this Week's GoPosts on all this Katherine Deibel, Fluency in Information Technology42