Hearing loss negatively affects the lives of millions of Americans (Lin, Niparko, & Ferrucci, 2011). Amplification can enhance audibility and in turn improve quality of life (Mulrow et al., 1990). Yet it is estimated that only 20% of those who would benefit from amplification in the United States actually utilize it (Chien & Lin, 2012). Discomfort and insufficient value have been cited as reasons for low uptake as well as low motivation, negative attitudes towards hearing aids, and lack self-perceived handicap (McCormack & Fortnum, 2013; Vestergaard-Knudsen et al., 2010). Studies have also attributed the out-of-pocket cost for hearing aids as a substantial barrier (Bainbridge & Ramachandran, 2014; Kochkin, 2000). Cost as a barrier to hearing aid access may be an issue of particular importance in regions with high poverty, as low-income adults are less likely to report hearing aid use (Bainbridge & Ramachandran, 2014). Hearing aids can typically cost about $2,000 each, possibly making them out of reach for individuals living at or below the poverty line. Arizona has one of the highest poverty rates in the United States (Bishaw & Fontenot, 2014). Using US Census data and epidemiologic studies, we estimate that there are approximately 1,145,166 adults over the age of 19 living with significant bilateral or unilateral hearing loss in Arizona. An estimated 204,984 of these individuals are living at or below the federal poverty line (Lin, Naparko, & Ferrucci, 2011; Bishaw & Fontenot, 2014, Muller et al., 2015, US Census). These numbers are particularly alarming, as there are limited resources to support adults with hearing loss in Arizona. The aim of this study was to gather provider perspectives on the accessibility and affordability of hearing healthcare in Arizona. The long-term goal is to develop a state-level initiative to increase hearing aid use among low-income adults. Based on previous research from the Hearing Aid Coalition, we hypothesized that Arizona providers would prefer a state-level plan that mirrors service coverage and reimbursement mechanisms of private insurance (Hearing Aid Coalition, 2004) Audiologists and hearing instrument specialists were recruited via email to participate in focus groups and surveys. Three focus groups were held across the state in Phoenix, Flagstaff and Tucson (n = 26). The survey methodology included open and closed questions and was administered in paper-based and online versions (n = 77). Data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using descriptive and basic regression analyses. There was wide-ranging participation from providers across the state representing urban and rural practice locations (All 15 counties represented). Data revealed most providers would prefer to see changes in the current state of hearing access for low-income adults. Providers considered a number of factors to be important when developing and implementing changes to existing service delivery. These factors included a centralized entity to distribute referrals across practices and sufficient reimbursement for service providers. Common themes included the need for a balance between quality of care and expense as well as creating a fee-for-service component to invest the patient in the process. Increased philanthropic practice image and fair compensation were cited as the greatest motivations for provider participation. Survey results also indicated that most providers are already doing pro-bono work. This study highlights that providers are willing to participate in state-level initiatives to improve hearing aid access. Ultimately, these results will inform policy makers of provider preferences for mechanisms of service-delivery and reimbursement. This research is a collaborative project funded by the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Howard D. Hahn / The absence of participation in physical activity is a public health concern for all people, but even more of a problem for the estimated 52 million Americans with disabilities (Rimmer 2005). Besides the physical health benefits derived from physical activity, when a trail leads through a natural setting, research shows that significant sensory and cognitive benefits can also be gained which leads to greater well-being (Maller et al. 2005; Hull and Michael 1995; Kaplan 1995; Irvine and Katherine 2002). Furthermore, when trails are planned and constructed in natural settings, most of the attention is directed at minimizing environmental impacts at the exclusion of maximizing the physical, sensory, and cognitive experience of users. This shortcoming is compounded when the user has disabilities. Besides typical disability concerns related to mobility, disabilities to be better accommodated in trail design also include vision and hearing impairments. The focus of this research is investigating how trail planning and design in natural settings can better provide for the physical, sensory, and cognitive experience of users, particularly those users who have disabilities. Findings informed the development of Natural Trail Design Guidelines prepared for the City of Manhattan Parks and Recreation Department who is seeking to improve the City’s existing natural trails. Sample designs for trail enhancements at Anneberg Park and the Konza Prairie near Manhattan, Kansas were proposed. Once implemented and assessed to be found successful, the Natural Trail Design Guidelines might be transferable to other locations.

This thesis discusses the challenges and opportunities facing the field of accessibility, particularly as computing becomes ubiquitous. It is argued that a new approach is needed that centres around adaptations (specific, atomic changes) to user interfaces and content in order to improve their accessibility for a wider range of people than targeted by present Assistive Technologies (ATs). Further, the approach must take into consideration the capabilities of people at the human level and facilitate collaboration, in planned and ad-hoc environments. There are two main areas of focus: (1) helping people experiencing minor-to-moderate, transient and potentially-overlapping impairments, as may be brought about by the ageing process and (2) supporting collaboration between people by reasoning about the consequences, from different users perspectives, of the adaptations they may require. A theoretical basis for describing these problems and a reasoning process for the semi-automatic application of adaptations is developed. Impairments caused by the environment in which a device is being used are considered. Adaptations are drawn from other research and industry artefacts. Mechanical testing is carried out on key areas of the reasoning process, demonstrating fitness for purpose. Several fundamental techniques to extend the reasoning process in order to take temporal factors (such as fluctuating user and device capabilities) into account are broadly described. These are proposed to be feasible, though inherently bring compromises (which are defined) in interaction stability and the needs of different actors (user, device, target level of accessibility). This technical work forms the basis of the contribution of one work-package of the Sustaining ICT use to promote autonomy (Sus-IT) project, under the New Dynamics of Ageing (NDA) programme of research in the UK. Test designs for larger-scale assessment of the system with real-world participants are given. The wider Sus-IT project provides social motivations and informed design decisions for this work and is carrying out longitudinal acceptance testing of the processes developed here.

O presente trabalho tem como premissa investigar diretrizes, técnicas, métodos e padrões de acessibilidade existentes no contexto do governo eletrônico, via desktop e dispositivos móveis, de forma a identificar e analisar o que pode ser aplicado no processo de desenvolvimento para tornar acessíveis suas aplicações. Diante do crescimento da tecnologia e da necessidade de inclusão digital, o foco do trabalho destina-se a pessoa com deficiência, visando algo que possa atingir a todos de forma mínima. Assim, o trabalho teve como objetivo elaborar um conjunto de 35 recomendações de acessibilidade para aplicações móveis, adaptado do Modelo de Acessibilidade em Governo Eletrônico (e-MAG), padrão que consiste em recomendações específicas para o desenvolvimento de sítios e portais web do governo brasileiro. Após a adaptação das recomendações, foi realizado uma avaliação de 12 aplicativos do governo eletrônico, a avaliação foi uma inspeção por revisão de guidelines feita por um especialista, no caso, o próprio autor. A avaliação teve como objetivo validar as recomendações propostas, verificando a forma como o conteúdo e a informação são disponibilizados, isto é, se os aplicativos são efetivamente acessíveis. Pelos resultados obtidos, foi possível identificar que todas as aplicações apresentaram problemas de acessibilidade, prejudicando assim, a interação do usuário com a aplicação móvel. Também foi elaborado um questionário de acessibilidade formado pelas mesmas recomendações adaptadas, onde foi solicitado que pessoas voluntárias com deficiência o respondessem. Desta forma, o usuário atribuía um nível de relevância para cada recomendação do questionário, identificando ser muito ou pouco relevante para ele. Ao todo obtivemos 103 respostas, e de acordo com as análises realizadas, foi identificada variações de relevância entre os grupos e subgrupos de usuários que responderam o questionário, principalmente de pessoas com deficiência visual, nosso grupo mais expressivo neste trabalho, variando de usuários com visão próximo do normal a total cegueira. Com isso, foi possível elaborar uma lista de prioridades de recomendações de acessibilidade. A lista de prioridades tem como objetivo garantir que os principais requisitos de acessibilidade sejam implementados nas primeiras versões do software, ou seja, as recomendações consideradas mais relevantes pelos usuários, são consideradas prioritárias para o processo de desenvolvimento de aplicações móveis do governo eletrônico / The present work has as premise to investigate guidelines, techniques, methods and standards of accessibility existing in the context of e-government, via desktop and mobile devices, in order to identify and analyze what can be applied in the development process to make its applications accessible. Faced with the growth of technology and the need for digital inclusion, the focus of the work is aimed at people with disabilities, aiming at something that can reach everyone in a minimal way. The purpose of this study was to elaborate a set of 35 accessibility recommendations for mobile applications, adapted from the Electronic Government Accessibility Model (e-MAG), a standard that consists of specific recommendations for the development of websites and web portals of the Brazilian government . After adapting the recommendations, an evaluation of 12 e-government applications was carried out, the evaluation was a revision review of guidelines made by a specialist, in this case, the author himself. The evaluation aimed to validate the proposed recommendations, verifying how content and information are made available, that is, whether applications are effectively accessible. From the results obtained, it was possible to identify that all the applications presented accessibility problems, thus impairing the user interaction with the mobile application. An accessibility questionnaire was also prepared, which was made up of the same adapted recommendations, where volunteers with disabilities were asked to respond. In this way, the user assigned a level of relevance to each recommendation of the questionnaire, identifying it to be very or slightly relevant to it. In all, we obtained 103 responses, and according to the analyzes, we identified variations of relevance among the groups and subgroups of users who answered the questionnaire, mainly of people with visual impairment, our most expressive group in this study, ranging from users with vision close to normal to total blindness. This has made it possible to draw up a list of priorities for accessibility recommendations. The list of priorities aims to ensure that the main accessibility requirements are implemented in the first versions of the software, that is, the recommendations considered most relevant by the users, are considered as priorities for the process of developing e-government mobile applications

O presente trabalho tem como premissa investigar diretrizes, técnicas, métodos e padrões de acessibilidade existentes no contexto do governo eletrônico, via desktop e dispositivos móveis, de forma a identificar e analisar o que pode ser aplicado no processo de desenvolvimento para tornar acessíveis suas aplicações. Diante do crescimento da tecnologia e da necessidade de inclusão digital, o foco do trabalho destina-se a pessoa com deficiência, visando algo que possa atingir a todos de forma mínima. Assim, o trabalho teve como objetivo elaborar um conjunto de 35 recomendações de acessibilidade para aplicações móveis, adaptado do Modelo de Acessibilidade em Governo Eletrônico (e-MAG), padrão que consiste em recomendações específicas para o desenvolvimento de sítios e portais web do governo brasileiro. Após a adaptação das recomendações, foi realizado uma avaliação de 12 aplicativos do governo eletrônico, a avaliação foi uma inspeção por revisão de guidelines feita por um especialista, no caso, o próprio autor. A avaliação teve como objetivo validar as recomendações propostas, verificando a forma como o conteúdo e a informação são disponibilizados, isto é, se os aplicativos são efetivamente acessíveis. Pelos resultados obtidos, foi possível identificar que todas as aplicações apresentaram problemas de acessibilidade, prejudicando assim, a interação do usuário com a aplicação móvel. Também foi elaborado um questionário de acessibilidade formado pelas mesmas recomendações adaptadas, onde foi solicitado que pessoas voluntárias com deficiência o respondessem. Desta forma, o usuário atribuía um nível de relevância para cada recomendação do questionário, identificando ser muito ou pouco relevante para ele. Ao todo obtivemos 103 respostas, e de acordo com as análises realizadas, foi identificada variações de relevância entre os grupos e subgrupos de usuários que responderam o questionário, principalmente de pessoas com deficiência visual, nosso grupo mais expressivo neste trabalho, variando de usuários com visão próximo do normal a total cegueira. Com isso, foi possível elaborar uma lista de prioridades de recomendações de acessibilidade. A lista de prioridades tem como objetivo garantir que os principais requisitos de acessibilidade sejam implementados nas primeiras versões do software, ou seja, as recomendações consideradas mais relevantes pelos usuários, são consideradas prioritárias para o processo de desenvolvimento de aplicações móveis do governo eletrônico / The present work has as premise to investigate guidelines, techniques, methods and standards of accessibility existing in the context of e-government, via desktop and mobile devices, in order to identify and analyze what can be applied in the development process to make its applications accessible. Faced with the growth of technology and the need for digital inclusion, the focus of the work is aimed at people with disabilities, aiming at something that can reach everyone in a minimal way. The purpose of this study was to elaborate a set of 35 accessibility recommendations for mobile applications, adapted from the Electronic Government Accessibility Model (e-MAG), a standard that consists of specific recommendations for the development of websites and web portals of the Brazilian government . After adapting the recommendations, an evaluation of 12 e-government applications was carried out, the evaluation was a revision review of guidelines made by a specialist, in this case, the author himself. The evaluation aimed to validate the proposed recommendations, verifying how content and information are made available, that is, whether applications are effectively accessible. From the results obtained, it was possible to identify that all the applications presented accessibility problems, thus impairing the user interaction with the mobile application. An accessibility questionnaire was also prepared, which was made up of the same adapted recommendations, where volunteers with disabilities were asked to respond. In this way, the user assigned a level of relevance to each recommendation of the questionnaire, identifying it to be very or slightly relevant to it. In all, we obtained 103 responses, and according to the analyzes, we identified variations of relevance among the groups and subgroups of users who answered the questionnaire, mainly of people with visual impairment, our most expressive group in this study, ranging from users with vision close to normal to total blindness. This has made it possible to draw up a list of priorities for accessibility recommendations. The list of priorities aims to ensure that the main accessibility requirements are implemented in the first versions of the software, that is, the recommendations considered most relevant by the users, are considered as priorities for the process of developing e-government mobile applications

Orientador: Renata Cardoso Magagnin / Banca: Maria Solange Gurgel de Castro Fontes / Banca: Angelina Dias Leão Costa / Resumo: Os sítios históricos e os espaços de preservação são ambientes que possuem importante valor cultural. No entanto, essa preservação não pode deixá-lo congelado no tempo, imutável. Em alguns casos essa rigidez na manutenção do ambiente preservado pode afastar diversas pessoas, em especial aquelas com algum tipo de deficiência ou mobilidade reduzida. E essa ausência de vida pode tornar esse espaço degrado, e perder assim sua riqueza cultural. Diante desse contexto, essa pesquisa tem como objetivo apresentar um instrumento de avaliação da qualidade da microacessibilidade em áreas tombadas pelo patrimônio histórico. O instrumento foi testado no asilo colônia Aimorés, localizado na cidade de Bauru (SP). Essa avaliação foi composta por multimétodos: revisão bibliográfica, entrevistas para identificar o nível de satisfação dos usuários em relação à área tombada, levantamento por meio de técnicas de observação (Walkthrough e Mapa Comportamental) e definição de um índice geral para análise da área tombada (Índice de Microacessibilidade - IMA) e um índice para análise de uma trajeto acessível na área tombada (Índice de Microacessibilidade Trajeto Acessível IMATRAJETOACESSÍVEL). Os resultados mostraram que o instrumento proposto é eficiente para gerar dados numéricos que possibilitam realizar um diagnóstico detalhado em relação a qualidade da microacessibilidade na área tombada e em especial, no trajeto acessível. A ferramenta e os Índices objetivam contribuir como um instrumento para di... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Historical sites and preservation spaces are environments that have important cultural value. However, this preservation cannot leave it fixed in time, unchanging. In some cases, this rigidity in maintaining the preserved environment can ward off many people, especially those with some type of disability or reduced mobility. And, this absence of life can make that degrade space, and thus lose its cultural richness. In this context, this research aims to present an assessment tool of microaccessibility quality in areas declared as historical heritage. The study was conducted in the Aimorés colony, located in the city of Bauru (SP). The methodology used for this evaluation was composed of multimethod: bibliographical review, interviews to identify the users satisfaction level in relation to the listed area, surveyed through observation techniques (Walkthrough and Behavioral Map) and definition of a general index for analysis of the listed area (Index of Microaccessibility - IMA) and an index for the analysis of an accessible route in the area covered (Accessible Microaccessibility Index IMAROTAACESSÍVEL). The results showed that the proposed instrument is efficient to generate numerical data that make it possible to conduct a detailed diagnosis on the quality of microaccessibility in the area and in especially in the accessible route. The tool and the Indices aim to contribute as an instrument to diagnose microaccessibility in areas classified by historical heritage and to the ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

The importance of Web sites that can be accessed and used regardless of an individual?s disability is critical. One barrier to improved accessibility of Web sites relates to the gap between Web authors? technical knowledge of Web accessibility guidelines and a broader understanding of the challenges facing disabled people when interacting with Web sites.This thesis describes the development and evaluation of a Web accessibility auditing methodology with the dual aims of accurately identifying accessibility barriers present in a Web site, and presenting the audit findings and recommended actions in a way that informs, educates and engenders an improved understanding of accessibility amongst the audience.The methodology was piloted amongst a sample of Web sites, validated against other published accessibility evaluation methodologies, and adopted for subsequent audits carried out on a commercial basis. The impact on recipient organisations and individuals of a sample of 14 commercially commissioned audits was then evaluated. Audit recipients were surveyed, and each Web site audited evaluated to identify any changes to accessibility, and the presence of evidence of changes or improvements to accessibility strategy.Strong indications were found that the audits had a positive impact both on individuals and on the commissioning organisations. The audits were identified as having a particularly positive educational and motivational impact on recipients who did not identify themselves as having expertise in Web accessibility. There was also evidence that the design approach promoted by the audits had been adopted and applied by some of the commissioning organisations. The majority of respondents cited the recommendations for improvement as the most valuable feature of the audit. This illustrates a tension between the importance of presenting specific recommendations for actions and providing richer narrative accounts of evaluation stages to encourage a more holistic appreciation of accessibility.The particular benefits of the study are found in the identification of evidence of impact of commercially-commissioned Web accessibility audits over a period of time to recipients of varying characteristics. A number of areas for further investigation have been identified, focusing on investigating the potential value of the accessibility audit in providing more ?experiential? evaluation stages.

The availability of online college and university courses have continued to grow, offering opportunities for education to students that may find attending in a regular classroom difficult, if not impossible. The number of students with disabilities enrolling in online courses is also growing. However, because of the mode of delivery (via computer/internet), blind and low vision college and university students can find it difficult to participate fully in an online course if it is not designed with accessibility in mind. Education is directly related to blind and low vision individuals becoming fully employed and independent. Blind and low vision college and university students who have previously taken an online course and used assistive technology devices to access the computer are aware of the issues of accessibility to online courses. The current study began by asking a group of blind and low-vision students to answer seven open-ended questions regarding their experiences accessing online courses at their college or university. The group responses generated 25 survey items and participants were asked to rate each item. Survey items were evaluated and participants were given the opportunity to re-rate their answers based on the group’s responses. The final results were evaluated and ranked in importance according to participant responses. Results were discussed along with the implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research.

<p>I examensarbetet har avvikelse- och underhållsrapporter rörande FörstaAmfibieregementets stridsbåtssystem analyserats för att finna eventuella brister. Iexamensarbetet finns statistik från hela 2008 representerat. Utifrån de rapporter ochden statisktik som dessa brister givit upphov till har de delsystem och komponentermed störst felfrekvens blivit granskade. I rapporten presenteras troliga orsaker tilluppkomna fel och brister, men även förslag på åtgärder för att öka tillgänglighetenpå systemet.Under arbetet med rapporten har det dock visat sig att marinens Drift, Informationoch Underhållsstödsystem (DIUS) kan vara den största orsaken till en minskadtillgänglighet. Systemet är inte anpassat för det stora antalet marina enheter ochpersonal som arbetar med systemet och de sistnämnda har inte alltid rätt utbildning.</p> / <p>This thesis has analysed incident and maintenance reports concerning the FirstMarine Regiment’s combat boat maintenance system. The aim was to find thosepossible deficiencies and shortcomings causing reduced accessibility. In addition, thethesis includes an analysis of maintenance-related statistics reported in 2008. Byusing these reports and statistical data as our factual base, we have examined thoseparts of the maintenance system and its components most frequently affected bydeficiencies and shortcomings. The thesis presents the most likely reasons for thesenegative occurrences, but also recommendations regarding measures that willincrease the overall accessibility.During our research, however, it also became evident that the main and most likelyreason for the reduced accessibility was the inherent capacity of the maintenancesystem (DIUS) used by the Royal Swedish Navy. In conclusion, this system is notsufficiently adapted to the great number of naval units and personnel who are usingit. Further, the naval personnel operating the system sometimes lack adequatetraining.</p>

In eukaryotes, the organization of DNA into chromatin is a primary determinant of gene expression. Positioned nucleosomes in promoter regions are frequently found to regulate gene expression by obstructing the accessibility of cis-regulatory elements in DNA to trans-factors. This dissertation focuses on the chromatin structure and remodeling program at the S. cerevisiae PHO5 promoter, extending the use of DNA methyltransferases as in vivo probes of chromatin structure. Our studies address the diversity of histone-DNA interactions in vivo by examining nucleosome conformational stabilities at the PHO5 promoter. We present high-resolution chromatin structural mapping of the promoter, required to relate in vivo site accessibility to nucleosome stability and show that the PHO5 promoter nucleosomes have different accessibilities. We show a correlation between DNA curvature and nucleosome positioning, which is consistent with the observed differences in accessibility/stability. Kinetic analyses of the chromatin remodeling program at PHO5 show that nucleosomes proximal to the enhancer are disrupted preferentially and prior to those more distal, demonstrating bidirectional and finite propagation of chromatin remodeling from bound activators and providing a novel mechanism by which transactivation at a distance occurs.