Direct Accessibility Versus Compatibility with Assistive Technologies

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In discussing access to electronic textbooks, it is useful to use the terminology and approach which has been adopted in the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Public Law 104-104 (1996 Act). This Act refers to accessibility as the ability of individuals to directly use telecommunication products without requiring special assistive devices (i.e., devices designed to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities). The Act states that telecommunication products and services should be made accessible if this is readily achievable. The Act then goes on to state that if it is not readily achievable to make products accessible, the telecommunication products and services should be compatible with existing peripheral devices or specialized equipment commonly used by individuals with disabilities to achieve access, if readily achievable.

Because there is a close parallel between telecommunications software and electronic textbooks, parallel terminology is used here as follows.

Direct or Built-In Accessibility. The ability to use an electronic textbook without the use of separate assistive technologies. In essence, for a product to be directly accessible, the needed capabilities would have to be built into the product rather than relying on add-ons.
Compatibility With Assistive Technologies. The ability of an electronic textbook to be used in conjunction with standard assistive technologies used by people who have disabilities.

Unlike the Telecommunications Act of 1996, where a clear preference is shown for having direct or built-in accessibility for telecommunication products and services, it is not as clear at this time that direct accessibility for electronic textbooks would always be superior to access via assistive technologies. In fact, each approach has advantages.

Advantages of Direct or Built-In Accessibility

Cost. Direct accessibility has advantages in cost, availability, and inclusiveness. When products are directly accessible to a student, schools do not need to deal with the added expense of acquiring special assistive devices to access and use the electronic textbook. Given the rapid changes in technologies, this also means that schools would not need to continuously buy new assistive devices as electronic textbooks evolved.
Hardware Independence. When accessibility is built in, students do not need to worry about whether their assistive technology will work with a particular computer. Today, electronic textbooks are available in a limited number of formats. However, in the future, it is likely that electronic textbooks will be produced in a wide variety of hardware and software formats, making it difficult for a user to have all of the right assistive devices or adapters. Also, students may encounter electronic textbook technologies in the library, in laboratories, and in different classrooms, meaning they would have to always have their assistive devices with them and these devices would have to be compatible with the various hardware and software platforms encountered.
Inclusiveness. When students with a disability can directly use the electronic textbooks and equipment, it is easier for them to work side by side with their peers who do not have disabilities. Students could use any textbook or textbook viewer/work station at which they and their partners sit, rather than having to work at specially adapted stations which may not be in the same location or which may not be usable or usable at the same time by their peers without disabilities.
Intuitiveness. When access is built into electronic textbooks, it generally provides better and more intuitive learning experiences for the student who is blind. Once the textbook has been started, all of its functions should be usable without sighted assistance. This is particularly important for students who are blind and in grades K-5, where mastering the instructional goals of the textbooks and learning to use other adaptive devices simultaneously would present a much higher cognitive load.

Advantages of Access Via Assistive Technologies

Access via assistive technologies has advantages also. These are primarily in the areas of possible standardization and power.

Possible Standardization. If a single user interface (i.e., the parts of a computer program which can be seen or heard by users) is designated for access to all electronic textbooks, students with disabilities would benefit greatly. All electronic textbooks could then present information in a standard format which would be compatible with many popular assistive technology devices.
Power. At the present time, the most powerful and well-developed user interfaces for many disabilities, including blindness, are those which have been developed by assistive technology manufacturers. Some strategies are very powerful; but it would be difficult to build them directly into electronic textbooks. For example, use of dynamic braille displays (i.e., computer-driven electro-mechanical devices which display braille symbols with small prongs, pins or other means and allow the braille to be changed as each line of text is presented) or printed braille are very powerful access strategies for individuals who know braille. However, it is unlikely that it will ever be economically feasible to build braille printing capability into standard printers or dynamic braille displays into electronic textbooks. Individuals with multiple disabilities, such as those with visual and hearing impairments, would need to use interfaces.

For these reasons it is important that both direct accessibility and compatibility with assistive devices be considered in the design of electronic textbooks wherever it is feasible.

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Last Revision: July 30, 2002

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