In the last few years, and especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare services have been moving online. Today, patients can book appointments with doctors and read their medical records in apps and web services. It is important that these services are equally accessible to all patients, regardless of for example disability. This study aims to identify opportunities and challenges in adapting these digital healthcare services towards increasing accessibility for screen reader users with visual impairments. Eight people with visual impairments participated in the study, whereof five had complete vision loss and three had low vision. First, the participants were interviewed about their experiences of using screen readers as well as their views on digital healthcare. Secondly, a usability test was conducted on an existing system at the online health service provider Kry. The interviews indicated that screen reader users face a lot of accessibility barriers online, and therefore might be hesitant towards using digital healthcare. Yet, accessible digital healthcare can bring positive consequences such as making people with visual impairments more independent in handling medical documents and communication with clinicians. Many of the common barriers mentioned, such as unlabelled buttons and missing alternative text for images were found in the usability test of the Kry app. Some barriers even caused dead ends, resulting in that only three out or eight tasks in the usability test were completed by all the participants. From the results of the interviews and usability test, this study proposes a set of recommendations for achieving screen reader friendly online services. The recommendations include for example prioritising simple navigation, always providing alternative text and to test with assistive technology. The recommendations are applicable to other types of services as well, although they might be extra important in the digital healthcare sector where accessibility is of extra high importance. / De senaste åren och speciellt sedan COVID-19 tog fart har delar av sjukvården börjat flytta ut på internet. Idag finns det en rad olika appar som patienter kan använda för att träffa läkare och för att läsa sina journaler. Det är väldigt viktigt att dessa tjänster är tillgängliga för alla patienter, oavsett om man till exempel har en funktionsnedsättning. Denna studie undersöker vilka möjligheter och utmaningar den digitala sjukvården står inför vad gäller tillgänglighetsanpassning för personer med synnedsättningar som använder skärmläsare. Åtta personer deltog i studien varav tre hade nedsatt syn och fem helt saknade synperception. Deltagarna blev först intervjuade om sina erfarenheter av att använda skärmläsare samt sin syn på digital vård. Efter det fick de göra ett användbarhetstest av den digitala vårdappen Kry. Intervjuerna visade att personer med synnedsättningar stöter på många olika typer av tillgänglighetsproblem på internet. Därför är vissa personer tveksamma till att använda digitala vårdtjänster. Om digitala vårdtjänster var väl anpassade för skärmläsare skulle de däremot kunna hjälpa personer med synnedsättningar att bli mer självständiga vad gäller till exempel hantering av medicinska dokument och kommunikation med läkare. Många av de vanligaste tillgänglighetsproblemen på internet, så som omärkta knappar och utebliven alternativ text, påträffades under användbarhetstestet av Kry-appen. Vissa av problemen var så pass allvarliga att de ledde till att deltagarna fastnade i appen. Detta gjorde i sin tur att endast tre av de åtta uppgifterna som var del av testet löstes av samtliga deltagare. Baserat på resultaten från intervjuerna och användbarhetstestet föreslår denna studie en rad rekommendationer för att göra digitala tjänster bättre anpassade för skärmläsare. Rekommendationerna innebär bland annat att prioritera enkel navigation, att alltid ha alternativ text till bilder samt att aktivt testa digitala tjänster med skärmläsare. Rekommendationerna är applicerbara på de flesta typer av digitala tjänster, men är extra viktiga att använda inom digital vård eftersom det måste vara tillgängligt för alla.

The intent of this thesis is to discover teaching strategies for students who have exceptionalities with a focus on students who have Autism, Down syndrome, or Visual Impairment and how these teaching strategies can be used to teach students in a mainstreamed secondary art classroom. Since the mainstreaming of the public school system has increased, students with exceptionalities have caused uncertainty among teachers about which teaching strategies to use in the classroom to meet all of their students needs. New teaching strategies need to be brought into the classroom to change the way students are learning. This thesis will include: the general facts, characteristics, accommodations, and modifications of Autism, Down syndrome, and Visual Impairment. An understanding of how students with Autism, Down syndrome, or Visual Impairment learn and what teaching strategies can be used in a secondary art classroom to provide the least restrictive learning environment to the students will be addressed. Suggested teaching strategies for students with Autism include the use of visualizations, change in pace, adaptive tools, and choosing materials wisely. For students with Down syndrome include simplification, repetition, breaking the lesson down into parts, and pacing. Students with Visual Impairment will need tactile materials, clear wording, descriptive visuals, and labeling, light, and intense color.

This design-based research provides design considerations for developing educational tools for teaching programming to blind primary schoolers, as an effort towards more inclusive classrooms, given that the tools available today are not accessible to these students. Existing tools were analyzed and tested, and co-design practices were applied in exploring ‘instructions’ as a main logic operation for computer programming, through experimenting with diverse types of interfaces, having visually impaired participants at the center of the process. Physical and mental patterns, relevant for improving the accessibility of such tools, are unveiled and further discussed in this study.

Urban mobility remains a persistent challenge for visually impaired individuals (VIIs) despite legal protections. This study provides a thorough investigation into the door-to-door mobility experiences of VIIs in urban environments and public transport systems in Helsingborg, Sweden. Methodologically, it employs a mixed qualitative methods, combining semi-structured interviews, walking interviews and observations, and document analysis to explore the complicated research topic. The study develops a three-dimensional analytical framework, namely the Universal Design, the participatory approach, and the technology options, to identify and analyse the urban mobility challenges faced by VIIs. According to the research results, it is evident that there is an urgent need of deeper urban planning engagement and continuous innovation for truly inclusive environments for VIIs. Recommendations based on this study include enhancing Universal Design integration, promoting collaboration, and utilizing digital tools to create inclusive urban spaces, ultimately aiming to empower VIIs for independent navigation and full societal participation. / Nej

[pt] A modalidade online de ensino se tornou a única maneira de realização das atividades acadêmicas nas universidades, públicas e privadas, durante a pandemia COVID-19. Nesta modalidade, o estudante interage com a instituição por meio digital para desenvolver todas as suas atividades acadêmicas. O sucesso desta interação depende de ele possuir recursos de internet e equipamentos eletrônicos adequados. Para um estudante com deficiência visual, além destes instrumentos, ele precisa ter assegurada a acessibilidade às interfaces virtuais da instituição e aos materiais didáticoslá dispostos. O objetivo principal deste trabalho foi compreender se estudantes com deficiência visual estão sendo atendidos apropriadamente no ensino superior no Brasil. Neste estudo qualitativo foram entrevistados oito estudantes de diferentes regiões do Brasil, localizados pelo método Bola de Neve, para ouvir as suas percepções, desafios e vivências decorrentes do ensino online. As entrevistas semiestruturadas foram feitas individualmente e à distância. Utilizando o método de análise qualitativa de Bardin, as categorias temáticas envolveram tópicos relativos à acessibilidade das interfaces das plataformas virtuais e dos materiais didáticos disponibilizados nestas plataformas, as tecnologias assistivas de uso preferencial e barreiras atitudinais experimentadas no meio acadêmico. Os impedimentos para o cumprimento efetivo das atividades acadêmicas mencionadas pelos entrevistados resultaram em prejuízos de desempenho nos respectivos cursos, não por falta de capacidade, mas sim, por falta de acessibilidade. Espera-se que este trabalho contribua para promover a diversidade e viabilizar soluções para que a acessibilidade seja atingida no campo educacional e para o desenvolvimento de estratégias para projetar interfaces e salas de aula acessíveis aos estudantes com deficiência visual. / [en] The online learning modality has become the only way to carry out academic activities in universities, public and private, during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this modality, the student interacts with the Institution through digital means to develop all their academic activities. The success of this interaction depends on having adequate internet resources and electronic devices. For a visually impaired student, in addition to these instruments, he/she must have access to the Institution s virtual interfaces and the teaching materials available there. The main objective of this work was to understand if students with visual impairment are being adequately attended in higher education in Brazil. In this qualitative study, eight students from different regions of Brazil, located by the Snowball method, were interviewed to hear their perceptions, challenges and experiences arising from online teaching. The semi-structured interviews were carried out individually and remotely. Using Bardin s method of qualitative analysis, the thematic categories involved topics related to the accessibility of the interfaces of virtual platforms and the teaching materials available on these platforms, the preferential use of assistive technologies and attitudinal barriers experienced in the academic environment. The impediments to the effective fulfillment of the academic activities mentioned by the interviewees resulted in performance losses in the respective courses, not due to lack of capacity, but due to lack of accessibility. It is expected that this work will contribute to promoting diversity and enabling solutions for accessibility in the educational field and for the development of strategies to design interfaces and classrooms accessible to students with visual impairments.

Dizziness is a common, multifactorial problem that causes reductions in quality of life and is a major risk factor for falls, but the role of vision is a very under-researched area. This study aimed to investigate any link between dizziness and vision and to establish if changes in spectacle lens correction could elicit dizziness symptoms. A link between dizziness and self-reported poor vision was indicated in the epidemiological literature as shown by a systematic review, provided lightheadedness was not included in the definition of dizziness. Cases of individuals who reported vision-related dizziness were investigated to determine potential areas of research for this thesis and subsequently two studies investigated the effects of refractive correction changes on dizziness status. The first study was limited by logistical problems, although it highlighted limitations in the short form of the Dizziness Handicap Inventory that was used to quantify dizziness. Results of an optometry practice recheck study found that oblique cylindrical changes were significantly more likely to be associated with dizziness symptoms than other spectacle lens changes. It also highlighted that optometrists do not ask/record about dizziness symptoms with only 4% of records including “dizziness” as a problem when 38% of patients reported dizziness symptoms when directly asked. All studies highlighted a need for a patient-reported outcome measure to be designed to assess vision-related dizziness. Literature review, interviews with experts and patients and focus groups led to the development of a pilot questionnaire and subsequently a 25-item Vision-Related Dizziness instrument, the VRD-25. This was validated using responses from 223 respondents, with 79 participants completing the questionnaire a second time to provide test-retest data. Two subscales of VRD-12-frequency (VRD-12f) and VRD-13-severity (VRD-13s) were shown to be unidimensional and had good psychometric properties, convergent validity and test-retest repeatability. The VRD-25 is the only patient-reported outcome measure developed to date to assess vision related dizziness and will hopefully provide the platform to further grow this under-researched area that seems likely to provide important clinical information. / College of Optometrists sponsored the research with a Postgraduate Research Scholarship

There is an increased use of block-based programming environments in K-12 education and computing outreach activities to introduce novices to programming and computational thinking skills. However, despite their appealing design that allows students to focus on concepts rather than syntax, block-based programming by design is inaccessible to people with visual impairments and people who cannot use the mouse. In addition to this inaccessibility, little is known about the instructional experiences of students with visual impairments on current block-based programming environments. This dissertation addresses this gap by (1) investigating the challenges that students with visual impairments face on current block-based programming environments and (2) exploring ways in which we can use the keyboard and the screen reader to create block-based code. Through formal survey and interview studies with teachers of students with visual impairments and students with visual impairments, we identify several challenges faced by students with visual impairments on block-based programming environments. Using the knowledge of these challenges and building on prior work, we explore how to leverage the keyboard and the screen reader to improve the accessibility of block-based programming environments through a prototype of an accessible block-based programming library. In this dissertation, our empirical evaluations demonstrate that people with visual impairments can effectively and efficiently create, edit, and navigate block-based code using the keyboard and screen reader alone. Addressing the inaccessibility of block-based programming environments would allow students with visual impairments to participate in programming and computing activities where these systems are used, thus fostering inclusion and promoting diversity.

This study was aimed to explore challenges of students with disabilities in higher education institutions in Namibia, as narrated and illustrated by themselves. Mixed methodologies, with specific reference to a small-scale quantitative survey and extensive qualitative design were employed as tools to understand the prevalence, extent and nature of challenges of students with disabilities in their pursuance of higher education in Namibia. Data was thus collected in two phases. The first phase consisted of a ten-item quantitative-survey which was largely used to determine the prevalence of students with disabilities in higher education institutions, and basic information regarding institutional standpoints pertaining to students with disabilities. Data acquired through this survey confirmed the prevalence of students with disabilities in Namibian higher education institutions. The second phase represented the qualitative design whereby data was collected through three main methodologies namely a narrative diary-based approach, a photo-voice and individual interviews. These methodologies ensured reliability of the data through triangulation. The study confirmed that inclusive education at the higher education level in Namibia was largely achieved through the goal of access, as all higher education institutions have admitted students with observable as well as hidden disabilities. However, a major finding of the study was that support and provision for students with disabilities was rendered in fragmented portions within and across institutions, and that the goals of equity and equality have not yet been achieved to the desired degree, if inclusive education was to become a reality for students with disabilities in higher education in Namibia. Students reported challenges related to physical accessibility of institutions; unavailability of educational material in alternative, as opposed to traditional formats; lack of sensitivity and skills of staff; as well as lack of structured support systems. The study also revealed that, notwithstanding the challenges students faced in their institutions, students with disabilities continued to perform their academic duties to the best of their abilities and were driven by their individual personal philosophies, many of which spoke of perseverance and courage, to make a success of their studies. / D. Ed. (Inclusive Education) / Language Education Arts and Culture

Šiandien visos pasaulio valstybės akcentuoja neįgaliųjų integraciją, skaitmeninės atskirties mažinimą, yra kuriami socialinės integracijos įstatymai, rekomendacijos, kuriose kaip vienas iš svarbiausių punktų minimas prieinamumas. Šis prieinamumas apima ir informacijos prieigą – teisę į informaciją. Todėl, atsižvelgiant į tai, jog: 1) rega yra svarbiausias žmogaus pojūtis, o jos netekimas apsunkina informacijos prieigą bei galimybę naudotis tomis paslaugomis, kuriomis naudojasi negalios neturintys žmonės, 2) internetinė bankininkystė suteikė galimybę asmeninius finansus tvarkyti neišeinant iš namų, o tai dėl komplikuoto neregių mobilumo yra ypač jiems aktualu, 3) siekiant sumažinti skaitmeninę neregių atskirtį, yra sukurta daugybė rekomendacijų, metodikų ir pagalbinių priemonių, palengvinančių internete esančios informacijos prieigą yra aktualu išsiaiškinti, kaip Lietuvos komercinių bankų teikiamos internetinės bankininkystės paslaugos yra prieinamos regos negalią turintiems asmenims. Magistro darbo tikslas – išanalizuoti prieigos prie internetinės bankininkystės paslaugų užtikrinimą Lietuvos komerciniuose bankuose asmenims su regėjimo negalia. Šiam tikslui keliami uždaviniai yra: išnagrinėti internetinės bankininkystės paslaugas; išanalizuoti asmenų su regėjimo negalia skaitmeninės atskirties mažinimo galimybes; ištirti Lietuvoje veikiančių komercinių bankų internetinės bankininkystės paslaugų prieinamumą neregiams; išsiaiškinti, ar bankai imasi specialių priemonių tam, kad... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Nowadays, all of the world emphasizes the integration of disabled people, bridging the digital divide, is creating laws of social integration and recommendations in which accessibility is one of the key points. This includes the accessibility of information - the right to information. Therefore, given the fact that: 1) the vision is the most important human sense and its’ loss impedes the access to information and to those services which are used by people without disabilities; 2) internet banking is an opportunity to manage personal finances from home, which is especially important for blind people with complicated mobility; 3) on purpose to reduce the digital divide of blind people a lot of recommendations, methodologies and tools are created in order to facilitate access to online information; it is relevant to find out how Lithuanian commercial banks providing Internet banking services are accessible to visually impaired persons. The aim of this master work is to analyze the access to the online banking services in Lithuanian commercial banks for the people with visual disabilities. The goals of the work: to explore an online banking service; to analyze the digital divide bridging opportunities of persons with visual disabilities; to explore online banking services accessibility to the blind people in the commercial banks which operate in Lithuania; to find out whether the banks undertake special measures that their online banking services are available to people with... [to full text]

Connaître la géographie de son environnement urbain est un enjeu important pour les personnes déficientes visuelles. Des cartes tactiles en relief sont généralement utilisées mais elles présentent des limitations importantes (nombre limité d'informations, recours à une légende braille). Les nouvelles technologies permettent d'envisager des solutions innovantes. Nous avons conçu et développé une carte interactive accessible, en suivant un processus de conception participative. Cette carte est basée sur un dispositif multi-touch, une carte tactile en relief et une sortie sonore. Ce dispositif permet au sujet de recueillir des informations en double-cliquant sur certains objets de la carte. Nous avons démontré expérimentalement que ce prototype était plus efficace et plus satisfaisant pour des utilisateurs déficients visuels qu'une carte tactile simple. Nous avons également exploré et testé différents types d'interactions avancées accessibles pour explorer la carte. Cette thèse démontre l'importance des cartes tactiles interactives pour les déficients visuels et leur cognition spatiale.