cse590 so - spring 2005 ebooks and accessibility katherine deibel computer science & engineering...

CSE590 SO - Spring 2005

Ebooks and Accessibility

Katherine Deibel

Computer Science & Engineering

University of Washington

CSE590 SO - Spring 2005 2

Personal Biases Research:

Development and evaluation of Ebook technology for users with dyslexia and other reading disorders

Disability Advocate Disability Advocacy Student Alliance

(DASA) http://students.washington.edu/dasa

International Dyslexia Association http://interdys.org/


Defining Disability

Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) a physical or mental impairment that

substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual;

a record of such an impairment; or being regarded as having such an

impairment


Defining Physical Impairment

Americans with Disabilities Act (1990):

Any physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical loss affecting one or more of the following body systems: neurological, musculoskeletal, special sense organs, respiratory (including speech organs), cardiovascular, reproductive, digestive, genitourinary, hemic and lymphatic, skin, and endocrine


Defining Mental Impairment

Americans with Disabilities Act (1990):

Any mental or psychological disorder, such as mental retardation, organic brain syndrome, emotional or mental illness, and specific learning disabilities.


Practical Definition(s)

Disability: A diagnosed medical condition that

deviates from a defined norm A condition that can substantially limit

major life activities A condition that might entitle an

individual to legal protection and special services


Types of Disabilities Sensory Deafness***

Blindness Low vision Color blindness Meares-Irlen Syndrome


Types of Disabilities Sensory Mobility

Paraplegia Quadriplegia Ataxia Cerebral palsy Arthritis Amputation


Types of Disabilities Sensory Mobility Cognitive

Learning Disorders Dyslexia Dyscalculia Dysgraphia

Speech Disorders Aphasia Stuttering

Autism Mental retardation


Types of Disabilities Sensory Mobility Cognitive Psychological

Depression Unipolar Bipolar

Anxiety Schizophrenia Phobias Behavior Disorders

ADD/ADHD Tourette Syndrome


Types of Disabilities Sensory Mobility Cognitive Psychological Others

Chronic Disease Asthma Diabetes AIDS Cancer Chronic Fatigue

Syndrome

Addiction / Recovery

Obesity


Print Accessibility Sensory Mobility Cognitive



Blindness: Printed Braille Computer Braille Reader

Tactile Graphics



Blindness: Text-To-Speech



Low Vision: Text-To-Speech Magnification

Lens-Based On-Screen

Text Re-Rendering Large Print Books Computer-Based



Book Holder

Page Turner

Text-To-Speech On-Screen Magnification

Book Holder

Page Turner




Book Holder

Page Turner


Learning Disabilities: Color Overlays Text Re-Rendering

Large-Print Books Computer-Based

Text-To-Speech


Disability Laws

Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) Extends Civil Rights Act (1964) to

people with disabilities: Requires reasonable accommodations

for: Employment Public Services (including transportation) Public Accommodations Telecommunications


Disability Laws

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1975, 1997):

Requires schools to provide free educational interventions for children with learning disabilities Special classes Learning aids Testing modifications


Disability Laws

Rehabilitation Act, Section 504 (1973): Precursor to the ADA Allows individuals to petition for

disability accommodations Guarantees equal opportunity for

education


Disability Laws

Rehabilitation Act, Section 508 (1998): Federal electronic and information

technology must be accessible Equal access to technology Equal access to information Mandates accessible web pages

Not the same as the W3C accessible guidelines


Law & Access to PrintHow is accessible text provided? ADA… No Rules IDEA… No Rules Section 504 No Rules Section 508 No RulesThe Bottom Line:

Handled mostly case by case or state by state


“Computer files or electronic versions of printed instructional materials shall be provided…”

“These supplemental materials shall be provided to the public or private institution of higher education at no additional cost and in a timely manner, upon receipt of a written request…”

WA State Bill 6501 (2004)


KY State Bill 85 (2003)Postsecondary Textbook Accessibility Act Extends earlier bill for K-12 Mandates publishers to provide electronic

versions of instructional texts upon request Specifies response time:

“…an electronic format version of requested instructional material within fifteen (15) working days of receipt of an appropriately completed request.”


Is Access Enough? Most laws specify some structure for

accessible text:“Structural order of material shall be maintained. Structural elements, such as headings, lists, and tables must beidentified using current markup and tools.”

Accessible structure? What file format?


New York’s Chapter 219

Hierarchy of preferred formats for electronic textbooks1.DAISY

2.Accessible HTML

3.Accessible PDF

4.Microsoft Word and ASCII


HTML Highly structured language W3C’s Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Possible for authors to create highly

structured, accessible documents Possible for authors to create documents

with little or no structure Structure facilitates navigation Growing AT support for well-structured,

accessible markup


Microsoft Word Proprietary Format Structure possible through styles and

formatting, though authors seldom use No HTML-like accessible table structure Structural information (e.g., headings,

alternate text) not communicated effectively to AT

Structure is passed on to other file formats when documents are exported


PDF OS-independent file format Only tagged PDFs are accessible

Has HTML-like structure Supports alternate text for images Many PDF authoring tools don’t support it Difficult to add structure / tag an

untagged document


DAISY A formal ANSI/NISO specification for digital

talking books (http://www.daisy.org) An XML language for adding structure to

books text-only text-with-synchronized audio

A growing number of production and playback tools

Typically viewed at the most accessible format for Ebooks


DAISY – The Downside Standard allows for six categories:

From full audio and title text only… …to no audio and full text

Focuses heavily on text-to-speech Talking books do not address all print

accessibility issues Text-to-speech has adoption issues


The Future? How does DRM fit into Ebooks and

Accessibility? How will publishers respond to these

laws in the long run? HCI research on Ebook usability? Education research on Ebook use? ???

cse590 so - spring 2005 ebooks and accessibility katherine deibel computer science & engineering...

Documents

impairment slide

speech slide

endocrine slide

disabilities act

mental impairment americans

specific learning disabilities

mental illness

disability americans