IMS Global Project Accessibility White Paper

Liddy Nevile - OZeWAI - 20021129

IMS Global ProjectAccessibility White Paper

Liddy [email protected]


Summary

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


IMS Global Project

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


IMS Specifications

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

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


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


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


IMS Australia

• DEST• Acting Director• http://...


Accessibility Working Group

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

• WebCT• Adobe• Microsoft• Apple• ...


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


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


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


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.


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.


• 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.


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).


Types of Assistive Technologies

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


Some drivers

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


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.


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)


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


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).


Guidelines for Flexible Media Delivery

• Text • Audio • Images • Multimedia


Asynchronous Comms & Collab. Tools

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


Accessible Interfaces and Interactive Env’s

• Interface Controls • Navigating the Interface • Forms • Interactive Exercises: Drag-and-Drop

Exercises, Simulations, and Timed Tests • Interactive Tutorials • DVDs, Consumer Electronics, and Handheld

Devices


Testing and Assessment

• Testing and Assessment Challenges • Principles and Guidelines - General


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


• <mrow>

• <mrow>

• <msup> <mi>x</MI> <mn>2</mn> </msup> <mo>+</MO>

• <mrow>

• <mn>4</mn>

• <MO>⁢</MO>

• <MI>x</MI>

• </mrow>

• <MO>+</MO>

• <mn>4</mn>

• </mrow>

• <MO>=</MO>

• <mn>0</mn>

• </mrow>


• <apply>• <plus/>• <apply>• <power/>• <ci>x</CI>• <cn>2</cn>• </apply>• <apply>• <times/>• <cn>4</cn>• <CI>x</CI>• </apply>• <cn>4</cn>• </apply>


• Science Chemistry Other Devices and Applications

• Simulations and Immersion • Robots and Telepresence


Charts, Diagrams, Tables

• Current Techniques for Making Graphical Information Accessible

• Haptic Perception • Haptic Image Sources


• Geography and Maps • Music • Languages • PowerPoint

QuickTime™ and aGIF decompressor

are needed to see this picture.


• US legislation: Rehab 508, Telecommunication Section 255, and individual educational jurisdictions

• Canadian Human Rights Laws• Australian Legislation• European Union Laws …...

Legislative Imperative


• IMS policy on accessibility• Extensions and additions to existing

specifications• Guidelines for Access

Scope of Original Working Group


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

Extensions / Additions to Existing Specs


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


W3C Guidelines

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


http://www.imsproject.org/

IMS Global Project Accessibility White Paper

Documents

Transcript of IMS Global Project Accessibility White Paper