Teleconference 3:
April 29, 2002

Issues and Opportunities for Students with Disabilities in Technology Based Assessments

Compatibility of Assistive Technology

Even though items on universally designed assessments will be accessible for most students, there will still be some students who continue to need accommodations, including assistive technology. According to Bowe (2000), "One big advantage of universal design is that it minimizes the need, on the part of people with disabilities, for assistive technology devices and services" (p. 25). Items are biased when they do not allow for adaptation for use with assistive technology that is needed to facilitate use of the student's primary means of communication. Technology-based assessments need to be accessible for a variety of forms of assistive technology (e.g., key guards, specialized keyboards, trackballs, screen readers, screen enlargers) for students with physical or sensory disabilities. Bowe (2000) stated, "If a product or service is not usable by some individual, it is the responsibility of its developers to find ways to make it usable, or, at minimum, to arrange for it to be used together with assistive technologies of the user's choice" (p. 27).

It is important to note that making technology-based assessments amenable to assistive technology does not mean that students will automatically know what to do. Educators, especially special educators, need to be competent in technology knowledge and use. According to Lahm and Nickels (1999), "Educators must become proactive in their technology-related professional development because teacher education programs have only recently begun addressing the technology skills of their students" (p. 56). The Knowledge and Skills Subcommittee of the Council for Exceptional Children's (CEC) Professional Standards and Practice Standing Committee has developed a set of 51 competencies for assistive technology that cross 8 categories, along with knowledge and skills statements for each category (see Lahm & Nickels, 1999).

Laws Governing Assistive Technology

The use of assistive technology is defined in the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA 97), the Rehabilitation Act of 1997, and is implied in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). IDEA 97 defines assistive technology as "any item, piece of equipment, or product system...that is used to improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities; and any service that directly assists an individual in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device." An "assistive technology device" is further defined as "any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of a child with a disability" (20 U.S.C. 1401(1)).

The Rehabilitation Act (reauthorized in 1997) requires institutions receiving federal funds to have accessible Web sites. Similarly, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires covered entities to furnish appropriate auxiliary aids and services where necessary to ensure effective communication with individuals with disabilities, unless doing so would result in a fundamental alteration to the program or service or in an undue burden (See 28 C.F.R. 36.303; 28 C.F.R. 35.160). Auxiliary aids include taped texts, Brailled materials, large print materials, captioning, and other methods of making audio and visual media available to people with disabilities. Titles II and III of the ADA require State and local governments and the business sector to provide effective communication whenever they communicate through the Internet. In order to specifically address the needs of people with visual disabilities, an ADA policy ruling determined that a text format rather than a graphical format assures accessibility to the Internet for individuals using screen readers. Without special coding, a text browser will only display the word "image" when it reads a graphic image, and if the graphic is essential to navigating the site (e.g., navigational button or arrow) or if it contains important information (e.g., table or image map) the user can get stuck and not be able to move or understand the information provided.

Assistive Technology Resources

There are several resources available to increase the accessibility of technology-based assessments for students with disabilities. These resources are found primarily in the area of general Web content. Chishold, Vanderheiden, and Jacobs (1999) offer guidelines on how to make Web content accessible to people with disabilities. They are quick to point out that following these guidelines can also make Web content more available to all users, including those tho use voice browsers, mobile phones, automobile-based personal computers, and other technology. Several links to assistive technology resources are listed below.

A-Prompt
Checks Web pages for barriers to accessibility and making repairs to correct any problems, A-Prompt will ensure that you are reaching the widest possible audience.
http://aprompt.snow.utoronto.ca/

Ability Hub
Site designed for people with disabilities who find operating a computer difficult or impossible. Web site directs user to adaptive equipment and alternative methods available for accessing computers.
www.abilityhub.com

AbleData
Comprehensive directory of assistive technology products and vendors. Searchable database of approximately 25,000 assistive devices. Fact sheets and consumer guides.
www.abledata.com

AccessIT
AccessIT promotes the use of electronic and information technology (E&IT) for students and employees with disabilities in educational institutions at all academic levels. This Web site provides support in this area, primarily through its Knowledge Base, a searchable, growing database of questions and answers regarding accessible E&IT.
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/index.php
http://www.washington.edu/accessit/kb.php

Adaptive Environments
In addition to numerous other services, Adaptive Environment’s New England ADA & Accessible IT Center provides free technical assistance on: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, Section 255 of the Telecommunications, Accessibility of education-based information technology (IT)
www.adaptenv.org

Adaptive Solutions
Provides services and technology for people who have: blindness, visually impairments, and physically disabilities.
www.adaptsol.com

Adaptive Technology Resource Centre
Provides information, support and training which will allow individuals to make informed decisions and build the skills required to both access and employ technical tools.
www.utoronto.ca/atrc

AI Squared
Providers of Zoom Text Xtra 7.1, Big Shot Magnifier, Zoom Text for DOS, and VisAbility screen magnification programs.
www.aisquared.com

Alliance for Technology Access
Network of community-based Resource Centers, Developers and Vendors, Affiliates, and Associates dedicated to providing information and support services to children and adults with disabilities, and increasing their use of standard, assistive, and information technologies.
www.ataccess.org

AlphaSmart, Inc.
Producers of AlphaSmart and Co:Writer; devices that support writing by word prediction and spelling correction.
www.alphasmart.com

BrightEye Technology
Provide Scan-A-Word and Scan-A-Page products that read out loud any typed text, such as books, magazines, newspapers, letters, and forms. This also includes any text shown on the computer screen.
www.brighteye.com

BrookesTalk
Developers of a Web browser for people with visual impairments called BrookesTalk (in four languages), and currently developing interaction modes for people with severe disabilities.
www.brookes.ac.uk/schools/cms/research/speech/btalk.htm

Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST)
Creators of “Bobby” and other tools to help Web page authors identify and repair significant barriers to access by individuals with disabilities.
www.cast.org

DREAMMS for Kids, Inc.
A non-profit parent and professional agency that specializes in assistive technology related research, development and information dissemination.
www.dreamms.org

Dyslexic.com
Provide software, gadgets, and other products for people with dyslexia, visual impairments and other disabilities.
www.dyslexic.com

Equal Access to Software and Innovation (EASI)
Provides information and guidance in the area of access-to-information technologies by individuals with disabilities through on-line courses.
www.isc.rit.edu/~easi/easi/alleasi.htm

ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology (ERIC/IT)
Eric Infoguides are available at this site with titles like: Authentic Assessment, Outcome-Based Education, Technology-Plans, and Testing.
www.ericit.org

Freedom of Speech
Providers of assistive technologies such as Naturally Speaking and other products aimed at assisting people with: blindness, low vision, learning disabilities, necessity for augmentative communication, and mobility impairments.
www.freedomofspeech.com

Freedom Scientific
Provider of computer-based technology for people with low vision and blindness. Products include JAWS (Job Access with Speech) screen readers and WYNN (What You Need to kNow).
www.freedomscientific.com

Humanware, Inc.
Specializes in assistive technology for persons who have difficulties reading print due to blindness, low vision, or learning and/or reading disabilities. Programs provided include: Braille Note, Voice Note, JAWS for Windows, Window-Eyes, Dolphin, outspoken, Mountbatten Pro, Kurzweil, textHELP and SmartView2.
www.humanware.com

Institute for Matching Person & Technology
Works to better match users of technologies with the most appropriate devices for their use. The Institute works to enhance the situation of technology users through research, assessment, training and consultation.
http://members.aol.com/IMPT97/MPT.html

Kurzweil Educational Products
Producers of Kruzweil 1000 and 3000, which have both screen reader and voice recognition capabilities as well as the Magna Reader that scans and enlarges printed information onto a computer screen.
www.kurzweiledu.com

Lernout & Hauspie
Provider of advanced translation technologies such as: speech recognition, voice synthesis, sound compression, and language-to-language instant translation.
www.lhsl.com

Matias, Inc.
Inventors of the “half keyboard” for one-handed typing.
www.halfkeyboard.com

National Center for Accessible Media
Researches and promotes the development of technologies that create access to public mass media and media policies.
www.ncam.wgbh.org

Society for Technical Education’s “Usability” Special Interest Group
A forum to share information and experiences on issues related to the usability and user-centered design.
www.stcsig.org/usability/index.html

SoundLinks
Provide training, consultancy, installation and support for a range of speech-based internet products such as Home Page Reader and pwWebSpeak, as well as other alternative access methods.
www.soundlinks.com

Synapse Adaptive
Creators of Synapse Adaptive Workstations that provide universal computer access to users regardless of their disability as well as other language translation, speech recognition and screen reading programs.
www.synapseadaptive.com

Telesensory
Provider of video magnifiers and scanners (“reading machines”) for assisting people with visual impairments and blindness with reading.
www.telesensory.com

Trace Center
Non-profit research center focused on making standard computer technologies and systems more accessible for people with disabilities.
www.trace.wisc.edu

Washington Assistive Technology Alliance
Consumer advocacy network for information and referrals, consultation and training on selected AT devices.
www.wata.org

Web Accessibility Initiative
Pursues accessibility of the Web through five primary areas of work: technology, guidelines, tools, education and outreach, and research and development.
www.w3.org/WAI/

WebABLE
Provides accessibility technology and services to corporate, government, educational, and non-profit clients.
www.webable.com

Web AIM (Accessibility in Mind)
Provides background information, training courses and information about products related to making the World Wide Web accessible to people with varying disabilities.
www.webaim.org

World Wide Web Consortium
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) develops interoperable technologies (specifications, guidelines, software, and tools) for the World Wide Web.
www.w3.org

These materials are excerpts from a draft NCEO report developed with support from NCS Pearson