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The following information was submitted by WGBH/NCAM and is used with permission.
Educational software has become an important tool in our classrooms. Instructional materials are available as software or on the World Wide Web, and teachers are being trained to use the computers that are in their classrooms. Concern about the "Digital Divide" that is emerging as some students are exposed to technology, while others are not, has led to government and industry initiatives focused on disadvantaged students. Students with disabilities must be considered as more instructional materials move into digital form.
Educational software presents challenges for students with disabilities in a number of ways. While other students are using an interactive simulation to learn a biology lesson, the student with low vision may be sitting to one side listening to classmates as they describe what they are doing. Chances are, the sighted students will leave out some details and the visually impaired child will miss important information. Tools for graphing and solving equations in mathematics allow students today to approach math from an entirely new perspective, learning constructively rather than memorizing algorithms. But if blind students can't use the software that makes such an exploration possible, they will not have the same valuable learning experiences that other students have. A student with a hearing impairment may be unable to hear instructions for a lesson which are given only in audio and, therefore, have no way to begin the assignment. In some cases, the child with a physical disability may be "excused" from the computer lesson and sent to another area of the room for a different activity. This lack of accessibility stigmatizes children by preventing them from using the same materials as their peers and limits their educational opportunities.
Educational software publishers interested in making electronic textbooks and other instructional materials useful to as many students as possible will be aided by a publication from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM). "Making Educational Software Accessible: Design Guidelines Including Math and Science Solutions" is the result of a three-year, National Science Foundation funded effort by NCAM which offers a wealth of information for educational designers and developers.
"Making Educational Software Accessible: Design Guidelines Including Math and Science Solutions" is available free of charge in print and on the World Wide Web. Request print copies (bulk orders accepted) through Mary Watkins at 617-300-3700; Mary_Watkins@wgbh.org or read the guidelines online at: ncam.wgbh.org/cdrom.
In the process of creating these guidelines, NCAM staff extensively reviewed both existing educational software titles and the latest in access technology solutions. We also created two prototypes which demonstrate the accessibility solutions suggested. The prototypes are available for download from the document's web page.
The guidelines are also expected to aid efforts by publishers of web-based media seeking to comply with existing and pending accessibility regulations on federal and state levels.
In this document, readers will find:
Technical information covers common development environments and includes references to more detailed accessibility guidelines. In addition, specific guidelines on educational materials are included.
NCAM and its fellow access departments at WGBH, The Caption Center and Descriptive Video Service®, make up the Media Access Group at WGBH. WGBH pioneered captioning and video description on television, the web and in movie theaters. NCAM is a founding member of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). As a research and development department, NCAM works with standards bodies, industry, consumer organizations and educators to develop and implement non-proprietary technical standards for multimedia, advanced television, and convergent media that ease implementation, foster growth and lay common groundwork for equal access to new technologies. For more information, visit access.wgbh.org.
WGBH Boston is the preeminent public broadcasting producer in America. More than one third of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) prime time lineup and companion web content is produced by WGBH, along with programming for public radio stations, educational services and outreach activities. WGBH informs, inspires, and entertains audiences around the world. For more information visit www.wgbh.org.
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