Scenario 6 - Accessing electronic information

CD-ROMs are a widely used educational tool, able to store large amounts of material in the form of text, pictures, sounds and movies. It offers the student the opportunity to search rapidly for information about a specific subject or to listen to an electronic book where they are able to turn pages, listen to passages again and zoom in on photographs.

All of these facilities are available to someone who can see the screen and use positional mouse clicks. The student who has no useful vision, and therefore uses speech, will experience greater difficulty with regards to accessibility and navigation.

Not all screen readers or magnification applications are compatible with all CD-ROMs. The way in which the information is presented and how the student is expected to sort and search will determine the level of accessibility. Where the screen layout is simple, magnification will make it easier for the student to read the information. But as the complexity of the screen increases, navigation becomes more difficult.

If search tools have multiple buttons, dialogue boxes or windows they are very difficult, if not impossible, to navigate with a screen reader. Using keyboard short cuts rather than the mouse can improve the use of these features; this obviously has to be included at the design stage.

Example 6a

Mustaff is totally blind and a competent screen reader user. He is able to access parts of Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia for information, text and sound bites to reinforce his studies. He does experience a little difficulty with some pages where the information is organized in a highly graphical way. Here navigation with a screen reader is difficult and often he has to rely on his teacher to guide him or extract relevant information to read outside of the encyclopedia with the screen reader. As new versions are released he often finds that features have changed and accessibility methods need to be adapted; he does however give feedback to the designers to ensure that subsequent versions are accessible to students with a visual impairment.

Key skills and equipment

The key skill for the above example is the ability to:

• be a competent screen reader user, capable of navigating unfamiliar situations with speech

The key equipment is:

• screen reader
• CD-ROM which is accessible to a screen reader or a magnification application

It is not possible to give a list of accessible titles; versions of both screen readers and CD-ROMs often change. Many suppliers offer users an evaluation period to assess accessibility with a particular screen reader.

Scenario 7 - Information on the Web

Widespread access to the Internet, and the World Wide Web in particular, has meant that many people who are blind or partially sighted are potentially able to access a great wealth of information, which may have previously been unavailable to them. There is enormous potential for the implementation of new technology to revolutionize the way in which children are taught, providing new avenues of access to information and revitalizing the way in which students engage in appropriate learning.

The Web can be likened to a library where the user can browse through thousands of pieces of information; but for the child with a visual impairment, the Web can be both a fantastic information resource and a source of immense frustration. It provides a valuable information resource, which is increasingly being used in schools to support the National Curriculum. However, the very things which attract sighted children to Web sites, such as graphics, animations, and varying fonts and formats, are the very things that provide potential obstacles to children with visual impairments.

When used effectively, the Web enhances learning opportunities for students with a visual impairment.

It is not, however, simply a matter of accessibility.

The Web can be accessed using magnification, screen readers or talking Web browsers; with the exception of badly designed pages, most information is available to the student. See Unit A – Communicating with colleagues for more information on accessibility issues of Web pages.

For visually impaired students, greater difficulties lie in finding material. Students with a visual impairment obviously take longer to read through or search for information as they are using magnification or speech. If they are given a vague term to search for they will spend the majority of their time trying to find a document that contains information relevant to their studies. If they are given a Web site which the teacher knows contains relevant information, the laborious task of searching has been removed and the student can spend quality time using the information.

Example 7a

Dinesh is fourteen and totally blind. He is a competent screen reader user and has recently gained access to the Web. Dinesh has made frequent use of the Web to support his curriculum studies. He has researched information for a number of projects in English and Geography, as well as practicing his Web browsing and search techniques whilst pursuing his main leisure interest of music and football. He does not have a computer at home and is therefore keen to get online at every opportunity whilst he is at school. Where he has found interesting material on the Web, he has saved the page in text format, and using Braille translation software, he has made a Braille printout. He is then able to use this information within homework and assignments. One of his favourite Web sites is the National Library for the Blind.

As a keen reader he is always interested in learning more about the books available from the library; he has made use of the Library’s online ordering facilities to request books.

Asked why he enjoys using the Web so much, Dinesh replied, “It’s good to be able to get current facts, especially about football and rock groups, which are not available in Braille”.

Key skills and equipment
The key skills for the above example are the ability to:

• use a screen reader or talking Web browser
• understand the potential information available from the Internet

The key equipment is:

• screen reader or talking Web browser
• access to the Internet

Students using the Internet also have access to electronic mail (email). This is a very powerful communication tool. Students are able to communicate with others from all over the world and swap ideas, concerns, and thoughts without moving from their PC. The student is able to access email either with the addition of a magnification application or with a screen reader.

Example 7b

Mica is fifteen and registered partially blind. She is also a wheelchair user. She attends a residential special school and she is able to read Braille, but finds it difficult to move around the school in the wheelchair carrying bulky Braille documents. She has recently begun to use the Internet and is particularly fascinated by email.

In the past, when she wanted to write letters to her friends, she would use a Perkins to produce Braille or a word processor for print. The letter would then need to be posted, which meant a reply was a while away. She finds the use of email a fantastic method of communicating. She is able to email her friends and family and receive replies instantly. Being able to access the Web through speech has also allowed her greater freedom to research and explore without the great weight of text materials.

Key skills and equipment

The key skills for the above example are the ability to:

• use a screen reader or talking Web browser
• use an email package to send and receive email

The key equipment is:

• email account with an ISP or Web-based email

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