Innovation and social learning in higher education institutions

Considering the existing experiences and the concrete needs of the hearing - impaired and visually - impaired groups for accessing HEI programmes, this handboook brings some important innovations: 1. A functional approach, proposing the methods and procedures to be used for developing and delivering ICT based learning offer valid also for these target group (not specially done for them, but designed in such a way that correspond also to their specific needs). This is that will support the target groups in their education and also social inclusion. 2. A subsequent proposal of a kind of “Quality Label”, to establish quality standards and assessment procedures and instruments to be used for evaluating whether Higher Educational Institutions’ offers and training programmes correspond to the ISOLearn standards regarding the accessibility of these groups to their learning offer. 3. Both the Handbook and the “Quality Label” should be tested on a specific qualification which should become a benchmark for the HEI ICT based learning programmes. The concrete experience will demonstrate the benefits for all the stakeholders (e.g. HEI and disadvantaged groups) of promoting social learning approach in HEI.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Challenges in Inclusiveness for People with Disabilities within STEM Learning and Working Environments

This report is a reflection on the necessity for the inclusion of people with disabilities in the field of STEM and the different methods and processes that need to be revised or implemented to achieve this goal. It will delve into further detail about the challenges facing PWDs in STEM through interview anecdotes and survey results. Each solution offered will be accompanied by thorough research and support. Policymakers, teachers and students may use these recommendations to break down barriers to STEM careers and build a more inclusive future

Event Planner Sensitivity to the Needs of Individuals with Visual Disability at Meetings and Events

Special events, such as fairs, conventions, ballgames, and concerts are typically activities people attend to participate in the festivities and enjoy with friends and family members. For individuals with disabilities, however, these types of events can create more challenges than enjoyment. Despite a thorough review of the literature, no studies were found which evaluated the experiences of individuals who are blind and have visual impairments at events and meetings. The aim of this study was to determine the current level of accessibility at meetings perceived by consumers who are blind and visually impaired. Respondents to the survey indicated many obstacles to accessing meetings including: discrimination, a paucity of accessible features, and accessibility features that are not truly accessible for consumers who are blind and visually impaired. Recommendations are provided for increasing meeting and event accessibility for consumers who are blind and visually impaired

Accessibility Regulations and Tips for Reaching Older Adults and People with Disabilities

Providing accessibility to all audiences is not just the right thing to do - it is the law. As a group, communicators have a responsibility to create accessible resources for people with disabilities, whether this involves classroom materials and press releases or online meetings. While communicators are not lawyers, we need to understand the essence of the statutes, since the United States Census Bureau (2006) reports that there are 51 million Americans with disabilities. This article describes the laws\u27 requirements and ways for federally funded land-grant institutions to meet the intent of those laws. These institutions need to meet the requirements of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508, which amends the 1973 Rehabilitation Act to include software and Internet presentations. Applied communicators must make reasonable efforts to ensure that information products developed for people with disabilities are as effective as those developed for other audiences

A comparative study of D2L's Performance with a purpose built E-learning user interface for visual- and hearing-Impaired students

An e-learning system in an academic setting is an efficient tool for all students especially for students with physical impairments. This thesis discusses an e-learning system through the design and development of an e-learning user interface for students with visual- and hearing- impairment. In this thesis the tools and features in the user interface required to make the learning process easy and effective for students with such disabilities have been presented. Further, an integration framework is proposed to integrate the new tools and features into the existing e-learning system Desire-To-Learn (D2L). The tools and features added to the user interface were tested by the selected participants with visually-and hearing- impaired students from Laurentian University’s population. Two questionnaires were filled out to assess the usability methods for both the D2L e-learning user interface at Laurentian University and the new e-learning user interface designed for students with visual and hearing impairment. After collecting and analyzing the data, the results from different usability factors such as effectiveness, ease of use, and accessibility showed that the participants were not completely satisfied with the existing D2L e-learning system, but were satisfied with the proposed new user interface. Based on the new interface, the results showed also that the tools and features proposed for students with visual and hearing impairment can be integrated into the existing D2L e-learning system.Master of Science (MSc) in Computational Science

Adaption and Preliminary Validation of the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination‐III as a Screening Test for Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia in Hearing‐Impaired Individuals

Background: A large proportion of older adults assessed for cognitive impairment likely have hearing loss, potentially affecting accuracy of cognitive performance estimations. This study aimed to develop a hearing‐impaired version of the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination‐III (HI‐ACE‐III) and to assess whether the HI‐ACE‐III can accurately distinguish people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and dementia from cognitively intact controls. / Methods: The HI‐ACE‐III was developed by converting verbal instructions into a visual, timed PowerPoint presentation. 74 participants over the age of 60 were classified into three groups: 29 had MCI, 15 had mild to moderate dementia and 30 cognitively intact controls. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were graphed to test screening accuracy. Concurrent validity was examined through correlations between HI‐ACE‐III domain scores and relevant, visually presented standardised neuropsychological measures. / Results: ROC analysis for dementia revealed an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.99, achieving excellent sensitivity (100%) and good specificity (93.3%) at an optimum cut‐off of <87. The AUC for MCI was 0.86, achieving reasonable sensitivity (75.9%) and good specificity (86.7%) at an optimum cut‐off of <92. HI‐ACE‐III subtests shared anticipated and statistically significant correlations with established measures of cognitive functioning. Internal consistency of the HI‐ACE‐III was excellent as verified with Cronbach’s alpha (α = .904). / Conclusion: Preliminarily, the HI‐ACE‐III showed good reliability, validity and screening utility for MCI and dementia in older adults in a hearing‐impairment context. The adapted HI‐ACE‐III may offer accurate and reliable indication of cognitive performance, supporting timely diagnosis and research examining links between hearing loss and cognitive decline

Increasing Access and Success in Online Education for Students with Disabilities

Counselor educators are legally and ethically required to support individuals with disabilities in their courses. While this presentation focuses on visual and auditory impairments, all students benefit when accommodations and adaptations support a wide range of learning styles. The authors provide web accessibility principles and guidelines and operationalize practical suggestions for coursework. Off-the-shelf assistive technologies are readily available to support learners. Educators are encouraged to test course materials using assistive technologies to better understand how students with disabilities experience their courses

Development and validation of the “Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination” as a screening Test for mild cognitive impairment in hearing Impaired individuals

Background: Despite high comorbidity of age-related hearing loss in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), current tests are inadequate to screen for MCI in hearing-impaired populations. Objectives: To develop a hearing-impaired version of the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination (HI-ACE-III) and assess whether it can be used as a screening tool for mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and accurately distinguish cognitively impaired people from healthy controls. Method: In consultation with specialist neuropsychologists and older adults, the HI-ACE-III was developed by converting verbal instructions into a timed, visual PowerPoint (Microsoft Corp.) presentation. Two groups of subjects over the age of 60 were recruited; 29 had MCI and 30 were healthy controls. The HI-ACE-III was administered to both groups in order to establish diagnostic accuracy. the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure (ROFC), Spatial Span (SS) and Graded Naming Test (GNT), which are established non-hearing dependent measures, were also administered to assess convergent and divergent validity, Results: A Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.856, achieving reasonable sensitivity (75.9%) and good specificity (86.7%) at an optimum cut-off of <92. All HI-ACE-III subtests shared statistically significant correlations with the other measures of cognitive functioning. Internal consistency of the HI-ACE-III was verified with Cronbach’s alpha (α = .819). Conclusions: The results indicate that the HI-ACE-III is a sensitive and specific screening tool, with a good ability to diagnose patients with and without MCI. It is an easy to use adaptation of an already familiar tool, which clinicians who screen for MCI in hearing impaired groups, could use to promptly identify individuals who might benefit from more extensive neuropsychological investigation