IMS Global Project Accessibility White Paper

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IMS Global ProjectAccessibility White Paper

• Liddy Nevile
• liddy_at_motile.net

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Summary

• IMS Global Project
• Participants
• White Paper
• Future Activities

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IMS Global Project

• C.E.O Ed Walker
• IMS Global Learning Consortium, Inc.
• http//www.imsglobal.org/

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IMS Specifications

• Learning Functions
• Sequencing
• Learning Design
• Repositories
• Competencies
• Accessibility

• Basic Data Exchange
• Meta-data
• Content Packaging
• Assessment
• Learner Information
• Enterprise Exchange

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IMS participants include...

• SCORM
• OKI/MIT
• OCLC
• SIF
• IEEE/LTSC
• ALIC
• USOeC
• CANCORE
• MERLOT

• ADL Co-Lab
• Industry Canada
• JISC/BECTA/UFI
• DEST/IMS Australia
• NIE Singapore
• H. E. Institutions

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IMS Adoption

• SCORM, eUniversity, OCW
• CANCORE, MERLOT, NCAM
• Giunti, Fretwell-Downing, Thomson
• Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco, Sun
• Saba, NetG, Centra, Can Studios, Question-Mark,
  
• Blackboard, WebCT,
• SCT, Eduprise, PeopleSoft

Ed Walker slides - IMS CEO
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IMS Australia

• DEST
• Acting Director
• http//...

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Accessibility Working Group

• IMS staff
• NCAM
• ATRC
• eUniversity
• IMS Australia
• BlackBoard
• Open University

• WebCT
• Adobe
• Microsoft
• Apple
• ...

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The White Paper for ...

• course ware and software vendors
• educational publishers
• authoring tool developers/vendors
• authors/content developers
• educational institutions -- including
  administrators
• educators/instructors
• students
• administrative staff

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Primer on Accessibility

• Disabilities, Functional Limitations,
  Accessibility Tips
• For People Who Are Blind or Hard-of-Hearing or
  Deaf      
• For People with Low-Vision, Color Blindness,
  Physical Disabilities, Language or Cognitive
  Disabilities
• For People in General
• Tools for Access - Types of ATs
• Equivalent Access Versus Alternative Access
• Direct Access Versus Compatible Access

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Users of screen readers

• There are a number of things that application
  software developers can do to make it possible
  for people using screen readers to detect and
  figure out what is on the screen. These include
• using the system tools wherever possible to draw
  and erase all on-screen text and to display all
  cursors and pointers
• using the operating system's standard controls
  whenever possible
• drawing tools in toolbars, palettes, and menus as
  separate items (rather than one big graphic).
  This makes it possible to identify the number,
  location, and shape of the individual tools so
  they can be identified and named

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Increase compatibility with screen readers by

• using a special technique to make the text known
  to screen reading software, if the text is
  embedded in a graphic image.
• dragging system cursors with you (even if
  invisible) when custom highlight or focus
  techniques are used.
• using consistent or predictable screen and dialog
  layouts.
• avoiding use of help balloons that disappear if
  the focus changes unless there is a way to lock
  them in place so that the focus (e.g., the
  cursor) can be moved to read them.
• using single column text whenever possible.
• giving controls logical names, even if the name
  is not visible on the screen. (Screen readers can
  access this information and use it to describe
  the type and function of the control on the
  screen.)
• providing keyboard access to all tools, menus,
  and dialog boxes.

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Since screen readers can only read text

• (or name separately identifiable icons or tools),
  it is a good idea to
• avoid unlabeled "hot spots" on pictures as a
  control scheme (unless redundant with menu
  selection).
• avoid non-text menu items when possible or
  incorporate visible or invisible cues. (Screen
  readers can "see" text that is written to screen
  in an invisible color.)
• avoid non-redundant graphic tool bars.

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• Finally, documentation and training materials can
  be more accessible when
• all documentation and on-line help is designed to
  be understood by reading the text only (e.g.,
  information presented in pictures and graphics is
  also presented with a description in text).
• synchronized running audio descriptions for all
  information is presented as an animated graphic
  or movie.

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For users with hearing impairments

• the accessibility of software can increase when
• all auditory information is also provided in a
  visual form.
• all visual cues are noticeable if one is not
  looking directly at the screen.
• a ShowSounds feature is supported. (A ShowSounds
  feature allows a user to specify that all sound
  should be accompanied by a visual event,
  including a caption for any spoken text.)
• In addition, product support people must be
  reachable via text telephones (TTYs).

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Types of Assistive Technologies

• Screen readers
• Screen magnifiers
• Adaptive keyboards
• Voice recognition software
• Single switches

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Some drivers

• Direct accessibility
• Compatible accessibility
• Alternative modality
• Equivalent content
• User choice
• User rights - legal requirements

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The guideline sections of the document

• common accessibility problems of each technology.
  
• practices that learning system developers can
  implement to enhance accessibility for all users.
  
• practices content creators and/or educators can
  implement to enhance accessibility for all users.
  
• resources which provide best practices and
  solutions in use.

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6 Principles for Online Distributed Learning

• Allow for Customization Based on User Preference
• Provide Equivalent Access to Auditory and Visual
  Content Based on User Preference
• Provide Complete Keyboard Access and
  Compatibility with AT
• Provide Context and Orientation Information
• Follow IMS Specifications and Other Relevant
  Specifications, Standards, and/or Guidelines
• Consider the Use of XML (Extensible Mark-up
  Language)

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Customisation based on user preferences

• Some examples of items that should be
  customizable by the users include
• Changes to the display and characteristics of
  elements, such as
• font, font style, font color, and font size
• cursors size, style, and blink rate
• size of text and images, including video
• screen layout, colors, and backgrounds
• Changes to features, such as
• timing of events
• keyboard settings

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Consider using XML because

• it is a license-free, platform independent W3C
  technology
• it provides
• a reliable data structure that any application
  can read and parse. This data can then easily
  transform from one XML schema to another.
• XML provides a simple way to share data between
  computer systems from multiple companies.
• XML objects are portable and can be used in many
  different types of applications.
• XML syntax makes it much easier for
  non-specialists to participate in the design of
  new markup languages, and to mix markup languages
  (see mathML and XHTML as an example).

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Guidelines for Flexible Media Delivery  

• Text
• Audio
• Images
• Multimedia

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Asynchronous Comms Collab. Tools

• Threaded Message Boards
• Email Messaging
• Document Repositories
• Organizers, Schedulers, and Calendars

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Accessible Interfaces and Interactive Envs

• Interface Controls    
• Navigating the Interface     
• Forms     
• Interactive Exercises Drag-and-Drop Exercises,
  Simulations, and Timed Tests     
• Interactive Tutorials    
• DVDs, Consumer Electronics, and Handheld Devices

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Testing and Assessment

• Testing and Assessment Challenges
• Principles and Guidelines - General

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Topic Specific Access  

• Mathematics
• The Problem 2x2 4x 3
• Chunking or Simplified Reading of Mathematical
  Expressions
• Inaccessible Mathematical Notation
• Encoding Mathematical Expressions
• Other Possibilities, Particularly for Localized
  Applications
• Other Applications and Devices

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• Science            Chemistry            Other
  Devices and Applications
• Simulations and Immersion
• Robots and Telepresence

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Charts, Diagrams, Tables

• Current Techniques for Making Graphical
  Information Accessible
• Haptic Perception
• Haptic Image Sources

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• Geography and Maps
• Music
• Languages
• PowerPoint

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Legislative Imperative

• US legislation Rehab 508, Telecommunication
  Section 255, and individual educational
  jurisdictions
• Canadian Human Rights Laws
• Australian Legislation
• European Union Laws ...

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Scope of Original Working Group

• IMS policy on accessibility
• Extensions and additions to existing
  specifications
• Guidelines for Access

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Extensions / Additions to Existing Specs

• Metadata
• Content Packaging
• Learner Profile (LIP)
• Testing (QTI)
• Digital Repository

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Access and Inclusive Learning

• Separate content and structure from presentation
  to allow flexibility in presentation
• Separate function from input method to allow
  flexibility in control
• Provide information in more than one modality
• The earlier the better
• Integration rather than add on
• Core rather than peripheral
• The curb cut advantage

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W3C Guidelines

• Accessibility related guidelines
• Techniques
• Checkpoints
• Checkpoint techniques
• QA and Certification
• - for authors, authoring tools, user agents

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• http//www.imsproject.org/