Designing for all Students:

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Designing for all Students

• Universal Design to increase Usability for All
  and Different Ways Colorado State University
  Students Access their Computers.

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Presented by Cath Stager-KilcommonsAssistive
Technology Resource Center (ATRC), Department of
Occupational Therapy,College of Applied Humans
Sciences
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Workshop Objectives

• Learn what Universal Design is and why use it.
• Learn about alternate types of access to
  information.
• Find out the principles of Universal Design to
  help reach more people more effectively.

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Universal Design

• The design of products and environments to be
  usable by all people, to the greatest extent
  possible, without the need for adaptation or
  specialized design. Ron Mace
• e.g. Curbcuts make life easier for everyone.
• e.g. Suitcases with wheels were designed with
  universal design.

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What does this mean?

• REMOVING BARRIERS
• Ramps provide access to buildings.
• Adaptive technology provides access to computers.
• Universal design provides access to the web and
  all the world.

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The Principles Of Universal Design For Learning

• multiple representations of information,
• multiple means of expression, and
• multiple means of engagement.
• Universal, in universal design, does not imply
  one optimal solution for everyone,
• but rather it underscores the need for
• inherently flexible, customizable
• content,
• assignments,
• and activities.

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Universally designed curriculum offers more ways
to do the same things.

• The same principles that increase understanding
  for students with diverse learning styles and
  needs, help students with disabilities.

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Why use Universal Design?

• Creating one flexible object that benefits all
  people makes sense.
• For the web, most aspects of Universal Design are
  simply good web design.
• For learning, most aspects will be recognized by
  educators as another name for what they have been
  doing all along - good teaching.
• What works for different abilities also works for
  different learning styles, and different
  technologies increasing overall usability.
• 30 million US citizens have disabilities, many
  disabilities are hidden .

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Examples of Disabilities that Affect Access to
Information

• Physical Disabilities arthritis, Multiple
  Scleroses, Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy,
  spinal cord injury, repetitive motion injuries,
  seizure disorders, amputations
• Auditory Disabilities deafness and hearing
  impairments, auditory processing disorders
• Visual Disabilities color blindness, congenital
  and acquired disabilities ranging from low vision
  to blindness, also aging factors
• Cognitive Disabilities brain injury, stroke,
  processing disorders
• Learning Disabilities Central Processing
  Disorders, Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention
  Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyslexia,
  Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome

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more ways to do the same things.

• We start with something as simple as a paper
  syllabus handed out in class.
• This becomes an access barrier to students who
  are blind,
• to those who physically cannot handle paper or
  organize paper,
• to those with cognitive challenges and to those
  with dyslexia.
• If they can scan the paper, they can transform it
  back into text
• but why make people with challenges do more work?

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With Universal Design

• The same syllabus posted on a web site,
• or provided in some electronic format
• can be read aloud by a computer or screen reader,
  
• translated into Braille
• and printed on a Braille printer.
• It can be organized into outline levels
• and offered in spoken or written translation.
• All students are currently using programs that
  can highlight main points and to add
  organizational supports e.g. MS Word example

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Assistive Technology Software Used for Accessing
the Electronic Information
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Typing with your voice

• Voice activated computing -
• User speaks to the computer instead of using a
  keyboard or a mouse. This software increases in
  speed and accuracy with continued use.
• Examples
• Dragon Naturally Speaking text dictation
  continuous speech model

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Voice activated computing

• May be used by...
• Individuals with access issues - physical
  disabilities, cumulative trauma disorders
• Individuals with learning disabilities
  difficulties with the mechanics of writing
• Individuals that are inefficient with keyboarding
• Demonstration of Dragon Naturally Speaking

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Using your hearing

• Text to Speech
• Creates verbal output for text. This can be
  integrated software, or software that runs in
  conjunction with word processors, internet
  browsers, etc.
• Examples
• TextHelp- Read and Write
• Free program
• Read Please http//www.readplease.com

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Text to Speech

• Who might benefit?
• Individuals who have visual impairments.
• Individuals with reading difficulties.
• Individuals with cognitive difficulties.
• Demonstration of TextHelp Read and Write at
• http//www.colostate.edu/Depts/ATRC/Resources

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Helping your eyes

• Screen Enlargers/Magnifiers
• Enlarges all or a portion of the image on the
  computer screen. This software runs transparently
  with any other software application. Some have
  an added feature of speech output reading to
  the user all actions.
• Examples
• Zoomtext Xtra! has screen reading capabilities.
• Browsers such as Opera or Firefox which allow
  enlarging text.
• Microsoft Built-ins offers a limited function
  enlarger.

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Screen Enlargers/Magnifiers

• Who might benefit?
• Individuals who have visual impairments.
• Aging population
• Demonstration Zoomtext 9

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Instead of your eyes

• Screen reading software
• Reads aloud to the user all information that is
  displayed on the monitor, e.g. text, menu bars,
  application titles, etc.
• Examples
• JAWS for Windows (Job Access with Speech)
• Window Eyes
•  May be used by...
• Generally people with blindness or significant
  visual impairments.
• Individuals who find that enlargement is
  limiting.
• Can be combined with refreshable Braille output
  which allows tactile reading of content.

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Screen Reading software - JAWS Demonstration

• http//www.burlee.com/
• http//www.csn.com
• http//jobs.colostate.edu
• http//www.biz.colostate.edu/
• http//ramweb.colostate.edu/

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Ensuring access to the web.

• The Internet may be the most significant
  educational technology of the twentieth century.
  The Internet is not only a reference resource,
  it also is a communications vehicle and
  multimedia presenter that enhances learning
  opportunities for students.
• So how can we ensure that web sites are designed
  for universal access?

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Universal Design for Web Sites

• Use high contrast backgrounds and text. Some
  individuals have difficulty reading screens that
  use certain color contrasts (e.g., red text on
  blue background) or that use inverse text. Black
  or blue text on white backgrounds generally works
  well.

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Universal Design for Web Sites

• Avoid uncommon, fancy fonts for text. Small
  fancy letters are often difficult to read on
  screen and can create visual fatigue when large
  amounts of text are included on web sites.
  Examples of font families that tend to work well
  on web pages are Verdana, Arial, and Geneva.

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Universal Design for Web Sites

• Make liberal use of chunking. Large text passages
  on the screen can cause visual fatigue. Chunk
  text by making short paragraphs, using different
  levels of subheads, and placing bullets and
  block-indented paragraphs in strategic locations.
  

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Universal Design for Web Sites

• Avoid the use of tables and frames to format
  information. Many web sites contain two
  scrolling fields (called frames) next to each
  other (e.g., table of contents down the left
  side, narrative on the right side).
• At Colorado State University we recommend the use
  of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to style your
  pages into lists that resemble this format
  visually, but do not pose access barriers.

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Universal Design for Web Sites

• Include transcripts when using audio files.
  Transcripts that contain a textual narrative of
  the audio messages should be made available as an
  optional way to acquire the information.
• Include captions for video files DVD technology
  makes this easier now.

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Suppose you cant mouse that means you cant
click, doesnt it?

• How could you click on an item that your curser
  is on
• Use enter key
• How could you open the start menu?
• Use Windows key or control esc.
• How could you close a program?
• Use Alt F4.
• How could you move through the links on a web
  page?
• Tab key or use list links through special
  programs.

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What makes the difference?

• Providing text in digital forms.
• Including captions for all graphic
  representations and images.
• Using powerful video anchors that include
  descriptions of what is being viewed.
• Building adaptations that assist learners in
  identifying the important information use
  headings.

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Colorado State University Web Access Policy

• Complete guidelines and new policy posted at
• http//accessibility.colostate.edu/
• By following these guidelines in the design and
  coding of HTML, the University can insure that we
  have not inadvertently raised access barriers for
  some members of our community. These goals can
  be accomplished without compromising the
  aesthetics and functionality of University web
  pages.

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Summary

• Universal design is creating one thing that can
  be used many ways
• e.g. a suitcase with wheels.
• Provide information in adaptable formats
• Many people get their information differently
  than you do.
• What works for different learning styles also
  helps for different technologies.

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For More Information and Resources

• ATRC
• (Assistive Technology Resource Center)
• Marla Roll, Director
• Marla.Roll_at_ColoState.edu
• Phone [phone]
• Cath.Stager-Kilcommons_at_ColoState.edu
• Phone [phone]
• WWW http//www.colostate.edu/Depts/ATRC/