Digital technologies for social inclusion of individuals with disabilities

Information technology can be an important facilitator of social inclusion for people with disabilities into society. However, the goals specified in this area by organizations such as the European Commission have not yet been achieved in their totality. The aim of this paper is to explore which types of information communication technology-based applications and/or digital services have been suggested to facilitate the social integration of people who suffer from different types of disabilities. We performed a literature review that included studies published during a period of 6 years (2010-2016). The results show that, in the data we have had access to, no concrete patterns can be identified regarding the type of technology or technological trends that can be used to support the social integration of individuals with disabilities. This literature review is of relevance to the identification of further research areas and to the identification of issues which have to be considered in the context of the development and implementation of technological innovations that are aimed at promoting or facilitating social inclusion of individuals with disabilities

E-services for the social inclusion of people with disabilities : A literature review

BACKGROUND: It is assumed that e-services support persons with disabilities in their everyday life by improving communication and interaction with healthcare organizations and whilst facilitating their social inclusion. AIM: The aim of this study is to examine the contribution of e-services in terms of how they diminish barriers and constraints on social inclusion. METHOD: A literature review was performed, covering the period between 2010 and 2016 (6 years). Only studies that discussed the social inclusion of people with disabilities or presented prototype solutions to this problem were included. RESULTS: The results of this study show that there is a lack of theoretical framework which can be used to measure the effectiveness of the e-services or innovations in the area of e-services in the contexts that were examined. The existing research studies are normally generic and do not discuss whether the requirements that are imposed on a particular e-service differ depending on (i) type of disability, (ii) the ICT-maturity or skill of the end-user, or (iii) context in which the e-service will be used. In general, previous research in this area claims that e-services do assist people with disabilities access to society (defined as the community in which they live), even when no evidence is actually presented about the impact such services have in this area of the end-user's life. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study present us with new knowledge about the types of ICT-based innovations and e-services that have been proposed to facilitate the social integration of people with disabilities.

An exploration of usability issues in telecare monitoring systems and possible solutions: a systematic literature review

Background : The idea of product usability has been discussed in several research areas including product research and development. Usability, in telecare monitoring systems, determines how much the system is effective and efficient for the telecare users. Usability has been considered an important factor in the acceptance of telecare monitoring systems by individuals who encounter challenges in the use of such systems and who possess a limited knowledge of their use. Objectives : The purpose of this study is to explore the relevant usability issues and identify possible solutions to improve the usability of telecare monitoring systems. Method : The study is based on eight research questions and to find the answers to those research questions, a systematic literature is performed. Results : The research findings highlight various usability issues, including the complexity of the interface, difficulty in reading the text, and insufficient provision of instructions. These studies have also suggested solutions to enhance the usability of systems, including development of the technical skills of users, explanations of usability evaluation techniques for telecare monitoring systems, and engaging the appropriate users during the development of telecare monitoring systems. Implications for rehabilitation - Successful implementation of telecare monitoring systems can increase the chances of acceptance of telecare monitoring systems by the users. - Implementing an efficient and effective system will make telecare users more independent at their homes. - The development of usable telecare monitoring systems can significantly contribute to a basis for clinical and home-based implementation of the telehealth technology to promote remote monitoring for elderly and people with disabilities. - Considering the usability issues and solutions identified in this study, it will go a long way towards aiding subsequent researchers and developers in the implementation of more usable and valid telecare monitoring systems

ARPN Journal of Agricultural and Biological Science ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF FRUITS AGAINST Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT Numerous fruits are unquestionably utilized to prevent food borne illness diseases. Fruits were analyzed for their antibacterial activity. The antibacterial activity was determined by disc diffusion method. Nearly eight fruits with their various concentrations (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%,) were prepared in order to check their antibacterial activity opposing E. coli. Mango (Mangifera indica L), Apricot (Prunus armeniaca), Grapes (Vitisvinifera), Apple (Malus domestica), Peach (Prunus Persica), Lemon (Citrus limonum), Melon (Cucumismelo) and watermelon (Cirtrullus lanatus) were the selected fruits. The highest inhibition zone was observed in the juice extract of Apricot with concentration of 100%. The mean value of inhibition zone was (8.2± 1.1121). The minimum inhibition was surely noticed in the juice extract of mango with also concentration of 100%. The mean value of inhibition zone was (5± 0.9574). Other fruits showed different inhibition zones along with different concentrations and observed that the effect of fruits against E. coli was concentration dependent. Response against in increase and decrease in concentration was varied among all the fruits

Methodological investigation for enhancing the usability of university websites

© 2018, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. For university websites to be successful and to increase the chance of converting a prospective student into a current student, it is necessary to increase the visibility and accessibility of all related content so that a student can achieve their desired task in the fastest possible time. The criteria for evaluating university websites are very vague and are usually unknown to most developers, which adversely impacts the user-experience of the students visiting such websites. To solve this problem, we devised a usability metric and examined the leading university websites to analyze whether these websites were able to meet the requirements of students. In this research, we applied qualitative and quantitative approaches by considering 300 students and evaluating 86 university websites (26 from Canada, 30 from the United States, and 30 from Europe) based on a six-attribute metric comprising navigation, organization, ease of use (simplicity), design (layout), communication and content. From the evaluation results, we find that the 88% of the students are satisfied with our proposed usability attributes, but that most universities fail to meet basic standards of usability as desired by the students. The findings also show that the usability evaluation score for each usability feature varies from country to country, such as for (1) multiple language support − 23% of the Canadian websites, 63% of the European websites and none of the USA websites has the feature; for (2) Scholarships/Funding/Financial Aid link − 24% of the Canadian websites, 80% of the European and the USA websites has the feature; for (3) admission link − 88% of the Canadian websites, 20% of the European websites and 90% of the USA websites has the feature. In addition, from the evaluative result we find that our proposed approach will not only increase the usability of academic websites but will also provide an easiest way to covert prospective student inquiries into enrollment opportunities

From prototype to societal inclusion : Identified challenges for sustainable implementation of e-services for individuals with disabilities

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the interest of performing research about and providing e-services for individuals with disabilities has grown significantly. However, there is a knowledge gap in the existing literature on how to stimulate the pre-requisites needed for a sustainable implementation of e-services. AIM AND METHOD: The study aims to contribute to this knowledge gap by performing semi-structured email interviews with twelve project coordinators from the EU programmes of FP6-IST and FP7-ICT. RESULTS: The findings showed that knowledge-based and financially based resources, the complexity of the project context, ethical issues and the structural responsibility of the implementation process were key issues in creating a sustainable implementation. Furthermore, users often were not able to perceive added value from the e-services as they seldom were developed beyond prototypes within the research project. CONCLUSION: The implementation of e-services and/or ICT based applications for individuals with disabilities face similar challenges to the challenges that have been identified when implementing IT-based innovations. Further studies should focus on how users can be involved in the choice and development of e-services they understand as effective, and how to ensure that the implementation strategy will contribute to long-term social inclusion, that is, sustainability