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By Eva Smirli - October 2001
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In a survey [1] carried out in June 2001, over 320 respondents across Europe gave their views about accessibility to eLearning for people with disabilities. Most respondents were extremely positive about the potential benefits and opportunities for learners with disabilities opened up by technology, but few know how to increase accessibility or about international best practice.
The survey hosted by the
Electronic Training Village (ETV) [2] the
interactive web service of Cedefop (the European Centre for the
Development of Vocational Training), is one of a series examining
European attitudes and trends in eLearning. The survey was in
English, French, German and Spanish. Over 90% were from European
countries. About half the respondents come from the public
sector, and approximately 17% of respondents work directly in
services for people with disabilities. Private sector respondents
totalled about 30.2%.
When asked to indicate the nature of the disability facing their learners, 28.6% cited hearing, 27.7% vision, 17.5% voice, 30.4% learning, 33.1% physical and 15% ‘other’ (including mental illness, psychiatric problems, brain injury, and behavioural difficulties).
The highest number, 32.5% say their learners require additional visual assistance (from spectacles to Braille). A similar number 31.6% require additional hearing aids or signing. As these two groups comprise two thirds of the community with disabilities, it suggests that even simple responses, such as being able to switch between text and sound, could increase accessibility for users of eLearning.
Some 22.6% require voice or speech technologies to communicate with information technology and 28% require other technologies to assist with the physical manipulation of information. Around 3% say they are seeking ways of improving access for those with learning difficulties, notably dyslexia.
Half the respondents believe eLearning offers learners with disabilities more opportunities to learn. 54.8% think it will open up new and innovative opportunities for communities of learners with disabilities. Only 1.5% consider eLearning is inappropriate for most learners with disabilities.
Although most respondents were very positive about potential benefits of eLearning for people with disabilities, only about a third are actively developing an understanding and awareness of current research and practice. Less than 18% of respondents were aware of any of the major global reports or guidelines on accessibility. It appears that most respondents see current eLearning technology provision as largely screen based text for reading rather than as a set of interactive multimedia services.
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Eva Smirli
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For citation purposes:
Smirli, E. "Technology Will Improve Access to Learning for People with Disabilities", Cultivate Interactive, issue
5, 1 October 2001
URL: <http://www.cultivate-int.org/issue5/cedefop/>
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