Daisy 3: A Standard for Accessible Multimedia Books

The Daisy standard for multimedia representation of books and other material is designed to facilitate technologies that foster easy navigation and synchronized multimodal presentation for people with print-reading-related disabilities

Automatic conversion of PDF-based, layout-oriented typesetting data to DAISY: potentials and limitations

Only two percent of new books released in Germany are professionally edited for visually impaired people. However, more and more print publications are made available to the public in digital formats through online content delivery platforms like “libreka!”. The automatic conversion of such contents into DAISY would considerably increase the number of publications available in accessible formats. Still, most data available on “libreka!” is published as non-tagged PDF. In this paper, we examine the potential for automatic conversion of “libreka!”-based content into DAISY, while also analyzing the potentials and limitations of current conversion tools

Survey of ICT use for students with developmental disabilities by type of disability and class

This study was conducted to investigate whether information and communication technology (ICT) devices are used differently for students with developmental disabilities in elementary schools, depending on the type of disability (learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism spectrum disorder) and class (regular classes, resource rooms, and classes for special needs education). A questionnaire survey was administered to elementary school teachers to identify the extent of use of different ICT devices for students with developmental disabilities in their schools by type of disability and class. Results did not show differences in the extent of ICT device use by type of disability, although relative ICT scarcity in resource rooms was found. For supporting students with developmental disabilities, a need exists for more effective use of ICT devices depending on different types of developmental disability and class

Surveilling the web, mobile, and language accessibility of Communication’s digital presence within institutions of higher education globally

This study aims to understand the general web accessibility of digital information networks which may serve as barriers for access to the global discipline of Communication through institutional and departmental websites, specifically for persons with disabilities and those with limited English proficiency (LEP). Our exploratory content analysis relies on computer-aided software to systematically analyze the departmental home pages of websites of institutional members of the International Communication Association (ICA), N = 77, representing 26 countries, globally. Findings from this study help us to: (1) better understand the general web, language, and mobile accessibility of discipline-related online information; (2) identify strengths and opportunities for improvement; and, (3) to reflect upon the anticipated barriers impacting persons with disabilities when accessing higher education information online