Accessibility of Cypriot University websites in Cyprus

Abstract: Access and equity in higher education is a complicated discipline related to social, economical, technological and political developments in a country. This paper is a work in progress and it aims to discuss issues of accessibility in Higher education regarding equal opportunities in the use of technology for students with disabilities. Accessibility to technology and with technology, especially in the internet era, includes different types of physical and digital design. These not only refer to specialised interface devices often referred to as assistive technology, but also to the accessibility of the web itself (Zaphiris & Zacharia, 2001). Examining access in higher education from the point of view of technology, this paper aims to: 1. briefly present and discuss the provisions of the current Cyprus and European legislation regarding the use of accessible technology and access to technology (and the use of the web) in higher education for students with disabilities. 2. investigate the ways universities respond to the needs of their students with disabilities regarding the use of accessible technology and access to technology 3. analyze the accessibility of the Cyprus universities’ web sites Data collection involves: (a) analysis of Cyprus and European documentation, (b) interviews with officers of the student affairs and welfare departments of each university and (c) expert accessibility evaluation of the websites of all universities in Cyprus. The educational system in Cyprus is highly centralised and policies of funding, administration and pedagogy are centrally developed by the government (Symeonidou, 2002). Education is compulsory until the age of 15, and almost 100% of the students continue their education in the lyceum or technical school, and the majority continue in further and higher education, in Cyprus and abroad. With the establishment of 3 public and 4 private universities in the country the numbers of student continuing in higher education are highly increase in the last 4 years, including an important number of students with disabilities. Provision for the education of students with disabilities is traditionally called by the 1999 Education Act for the Education of Children with Special Needs (MOEC, 1999), which was formally implemented in 2001. Preliminary data and information from previous studies evidenced that among others, the legislation is covering general issues of accessibility (cognitive, physical and communication), which also may imply technology, without though providing any specific guidelines (Mavrou, 2011). In addition, it provides relevant directions for higher education, but mainly poses the responsibility to the higher educational institutions. Hence, issues of accessibility and technology do not seem to be officially directed by legislation or regulations and guidelines by the Cyprus government, at any level of education or other sectors, even if the country have signed relevant EU conventions and documentation. Accessibility for information on the Web has been well regulated in the United States (U.S.) and the European Commission (DRC, 2004; Section508, 2011). The European approach to ensuring the availability of accessible information on public Web sites is encapsulated in the eEurope Action Plan 2002 which emphasises that, “Public sector web sites […] must be designed to be accessible to ensure that citizens with disabilities can access information and take full advantage of the potential for e-government” (EU Commission, 2000). Unfortunately the Cypriot legislature is not yet in line with the European action plan on the issue of web accessibility. There are no specific legislative or regulatory measures regarding eAccessibility for public or private websites in Cyprus (eInclusion). However, Article 16 of the new EU Structural Funds regulations is expected to have an impact on eAccessibility and as Cyprus has signed the Convention, now Article 9 sets forth the obligation of the country to ensure accessibility to the Internet (but it is not a legislation). As per eInclusion in Cyprus, it was planned that within 2010, these sites would be further enhanced based on WCAG 2.0, level AA (EU. 2010). To our knowledge, only one previous study has analyzed Cypriot web sites with respect to accessibility via automated testing on WCAG1.0 (Zaphiris & Zacharia, 2001). The results showed that the Cyprus websites, including academic websites, were ranked very low in terms of accessibility (only 20% of them were Bobby approved). The present study, aims to investigate the accessibility of new technologies, especially the web, of universities, 10 years after the first study, as well as after Cyprus joined the EU where signed relevant conventions and documents

Being part of it: a partnership for developing evidence-based parent education in autism in south-eastern Europe

This presentation reports on a survey of parents in Croatia, Cyprus and the FYR of Macedonia, which was undertaken to inform the development of parent training for parents of children with autism

Η διαμόρφωση ενός προγράμματος εκπαίδευσης οικογενειών με μέλη με αυτισμό: Ανάγκες και προτεραιότητες των γονέων στην Κύπρο

Presentation regarding the training priorities and needs of parents from Cyprus with regard to parent training in autism. This research was undertaken as part of the ESIPP project into parent training in autism

Helping parents to understand and support their children with autism through parent training in south east Europe: the ‘ESIPP’ project

Autism is a lifelong condition which can have a significant impact not only upon the individual with autism, but also parents, siblings and the wider family. Parent training has been shown to be an important source of social support to families, helping them adjust to the reality of living with autism, and improving outcomes and quality of life for family members. However, such training is not universally available, and nor may existing models of parent education be universally appropriate. This paper discusses the activity undertaken to date (November 2016) in the Equity and Social inclusion through Positive Parenting (ESIPP) project. This is a partnership of academics, professionals and parents, funded by the European Union, working to develop and evaluate the impact of providing such training in Croatia, Cyprus and the Former Yugoslav Republic (FYR) of Macedonia. The paper reviews the literature regarding parent training, highlighting key benefits and barriers. It then moves on to introduce the ESIPP project, outlining key aspects of the project – the identification of the core curriculum, the parent training courses and the evaluation process – and summarising what we have learned in developing and providing training across cultures

ESIPP – едукација на родители на деца со аутизам

Presentation (in Macedonian) regarding the ESIPP parent education in autism project

Accessing parental perspectives to inform the development of parent training in autism in south-eastern Europe

Parent training has been shown to be an important means of supporting families living with autism – but such services are not universally accessible. A multinational project funded by the European Commission has been developed in order to establish such parent training in three south-eastern European countries. To ensure that the training was relevant and appropriate, a survey was carried out in autumn 2015 to ascertain the attitudes of parents of children with autism in Croatia, Cyprus and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia regarding this issue, and to identify the areas of training that they felt most important. Two hundred and fifty-three surveys were distributed, and 148 were returned, a response rate of 58%. Respondents in the three counties were overwhelmingly positive about parent training, with almost 90% stating that they would like to attend such training. Weekend training sessions were preferred by the majority of respondents. There was wide variation between the three countries with regard to what content was felt important to be included, with parents in the FYR of Macedonia seeking information in the greatest number of areas. Five topics were prioritised by parents across all three countries. These were: • Strategies for enhancing my child’s communication • Strategies on facilitating my child’s interaction with other children • Sensory integration and development • General information on behavioural management strategies • Identifying and/or developing socialisation opportunitie

Computer based collaborative learning of disabled and non-disabled pupils in mainstream classrooms in Cyprus : cases of peer interaction analysis in pairs

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Cross-cultural perspectives on the rise of special education policy discourses

Notwithstanding global rhetoric around inclusive education, there has been a subterranean resurgence and consolidation of the special education status quo, which has been disguised and euphemized using an inclusive lexicon to masquerade the insidious rise of deficit-oriented special education discourses. This article problematizes national education policy reform efforts, allegedly aimed at promoting greater inclusion. It aims to address the reduction of inclusion to a special education artifact, through a cross-cultural policy dialogue, by undertaking a policy discourse analytic approach. The analysis lays bare the euphemisms, fallacies, silences, and ideological messiness of policy discourses that contribute to the paradoxical rise and consolidation of special education