For disabled students, especially those who are blind, issues of Web accessibility are very important. Those with vision might never think about how difficult it would be to navigate around a Web site without site, but a quick test makes the situation much more real: if you close your eyes and have a friend read the Web site to you, and give you commands on how to navigate the site, how easy is it? Is there information that you need that you weren’t told?

On the flip side, sites that have been made accessible to the blind can make online learning one of the best options for blind students. Think about it: instead of having to have someone drive a blind person to the bank, or to the grocery store, or anywhere else, for errands, everything can be done online with the help of verbal commands from the computer. For example, a blind person can order groceries online and have them delivered, and they can check their bank statements on a bank site, too.

This convenience goes for achieving a college education or an advanced degree, as well. Rather than having to commute to a college campus every day, disabled students can take classes from the comforts of their own home. They can use what are called “assistive technologies” such as Braille displays, software that reads screens and special clicking devices.

These are all wonderful developments which can help disabled people to fully enjoy the Web, but there are still many improvements which need to be made. For example, sites that have a lot of text are easy for screen reading software to handle – but what about Web sites that are composed mainly of images? If there is no text to accompany the images, the screen reading software hits a brick wall. However, the problem is easily fixed – the Web site builders only need to add text or HTML tags to accompany the images, and then those who are visually impaired can understand what is on the page. Also, sites with a lot of text can be turned into audio recordings which visually impaired can listen to. Also, vague terms and links need to be changed so that they make sense when taken out of the Web site itself; this means changing terms like “click here” to “click on the picture of the woman on the bench.”

Changes are coming, but they are coming slowly. There are already laws in place which have an impact on the accessibility of distance learning courses, but more laws and regulations need to pass before the Web is fully accessible to the disabled.

Tags: Learning Technologies, Non-Traditional Students