CSE590 SO - Spring 2005 Ebooks and Accessibility Katherine Deibel Computer Science & Engineering University of Washington

CSE590 SO - Spring Personal Biases  Research: Development and evaluation of Ebook technology for users with dyslexia and other reading disorders  Disability Advocate  Disability Advocacy Student Alliance (DASA)  International Dyslexia Association

CSE590 SO - Spring Defining Disability Americans with Disabilities Act (1990)  a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual;  a record of such an impairment; or  being regarded as having such an impairment

CSE590 SO - Spring Defining Physical Impairment Americans with Disabilities Act (1990): Any physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical loss affecting one or more of the following body systems: neurological, musculoskeletal, special sense organs, respiratory (including speech organs), cardiovascular, reproductive, digestive, genitourinary, hemic and lymphatic, skin, and endocrine

CSE590 SO - Spring Defining Mental Impairment Americans with Disabilities Act (1990): Any mental or psychological disorder, such as mental retardation, organic brain syndrome, emotional or mental illness, and specific learning disabilities.

CSE590 SO - Spring Practical Definition(s) Disability:  A diagnosed medical condition that deviates from a defined norm  A condition that can substantially limit major life activities  A condition that might entitle an individual to legal protection and special services

CSE590 SO - Spring Types of Disabilities  Sensory  Deafness***  Blindness  Low vision  Color blindness  Meares-Irlen Syndrome

CSE590 SO - Spring Types of Disabilities  Sensory  Mobility  Paraplegia  Quadriplegia  Ataxia  Cerebral palsy  Arthritis  Amputation

CSE590 SO - Spring Types of Disabilities  Sensory  Mobility  Cognitive  Learning Disorders  Dyslexia  Dyscalculia  Dysgraphia  Speech Disorders  Aphasia  Stuttering  Autism  Mental retardation

CSE590 SO - Spring Types of Disabilities  Sensory  Mobility  Cognitive  Psychological  Depression  Unipolar  Bipolar  Anxiety  Schizophrenia  Phobias  Behavior Disorders  ADD/ADHD  Tourette Syndrome

CSE590 SO - Spring Types of Disabilities  Sensory  Mobility  Cognitive  Psychological  Others  Chronic Disease  Asthma  Diabetes  AIDS  Cancer  Chronic Fatigue Syndrome  Addiction / Recovery  Obesity

CSE590 SO - Spring Print Accessibility  Sensory  Mobility  Cognitive

CSE590 SO - Spring Print Accessibility  Sensory  Mobility  Cognitive Blindness:  Printed Braille  Computer Braille Reader  Tactile Graphics

CSE590 SO - Spring Print Accessibility  Sensory  Mobility  Cognitive Blindness:  Text-To-Speech

CSE590 SO - Spring Print Accessibility  Sensory  Mobility  Cognitive Low Vision:  Text-To-Speech  Magnification  Lens-Based  On-Screen  Text Re-Rendering  Large Print Books  Computer-Based

CSE590 SO - Spring Print Accessibility  Sensory  Mobility  Cognitive  Book Holder  Page Turner  Text-To-Speech  On-Screen Magnification  Book Holder  Page Turner  Text-To-Speech  On-Screen Magnification

CSE590 SO - Spring Print Accessibility  Sensory  Mobility  Cognitive  Book Holder  Page Turner  Text-To-Speech  On-Screen Magnification Learning Disabilities:  Color Overlays  Text Re-Rendering  Large-Print Books  Computer-Based  Text-To-Speech

CSE590 SO - Spring Disability Laws Americans with Disabilities Act (1990)  Extends Civil Rights Act (1964) to people with disabilities:  Requires reasonable accommodations for:  Employment  Public Services (including transportation)  Public Accommodations  Telecommunications

CSE590 SO - Spring Disability Laws Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1975, 1997):  Requires schools to provide free educational interventions for children with learning disabilities  Special classes  Learning aids  Testing modifications

CSE590 SO - Spring Disability Laws Rehabilitation Act, Section 504 (1973):  Precursor to the ADA  Allows individuals to petition for disability accommodations  Guarantees equal opportunity for education

CSE590 SO - Spring Disability Laws Rehabilitation Act, Section 508 (1998):  Federal electronic and information technology must be accessible  Equal access to technology  Equal access to information  Mandates accessible web pages  Not the same as the W3C accessible guidelines

CSE590 SO - Spring Law & Access to Print How is accessible text provided?  ADA…No Rules  IDEA…No Rules  Section 504No Rules  Section 508No Rules The Bottom Line: Handled mostly case by case or state by state

CSE590 SO - Spring “Computer files or electronic versions of printed instructional materials shall be provided…” “These supplemental materials shall be provided to the public or private institution of higher education at no additional cost and in a timely manner, upon receipt of a written request…” WA State Bill 6501 (2004)

CSE590 SO - Spring KY State Bill 85 (2003) Postsecondary Textbook Accessibility Act  Extends earlier bill for K-12  Mandates publishers to provide electronic versions of instructional texts upon request  Specifies response time: “…an electronic format version of requested instructional material within fifteen (15) working days of receipt of an appropriately completed request.”

CSE590 SO - Spring Is Access Enough?  Most laws specify some structure for accessible text: “Structural order of material shall be maintained. Structural elements, such as headings, lists, and tables must be identified using current markup and tools.”  Accessible structure?  What file format?

CSE590 SO - Spring New York’s Chapter 219  Hierarchy of preferred formats for electronic textbooks 1. DAISY 2. Accessible HTML 3. Accessible PDF 4. Microsoft Word and ASCII

CSE590 SO - Spring HTML  Highly structured language  W3C’s Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)  Possible for authors to create highly structured, accessible documents  Possible for authors to create documents with little or no structure  Structure facilitates navigation  Growing AT support for well-structured, accessible markup

CSE590 SO - Spring Microsoft Word  Proprietary Format  Structure possible through styles and formatting, though authors seldom use  No HTML-like accessible table structure  Structural information (e.g., headings, alternate text) not communicated effectively to AT  Structure is passed on to other file formats when documents are exported

CSE590 SO - Spring PDF  OS-independent file format  Only tagged PDFs are accessible  Has HTML-like structure  Supports alternate text for images  Many PDF authoring tools don’t support it  Difficult to add structure / tag an untagged document

CSE590 SO - Spring DAISY  A formal ANSI/NISO specification for digital talking books (  An XML language for adding structure to books  text-only  text-with-synchronized audio  A growing number of production and playback tools  Typically viewed at the most accessible format for Ebooks

CSE590 SO - Spring DAISY – The Downside  Standard allows for six categories:  From full audio and title text only…  …to no audio and full text  Focuses heavily on text-to-speech  Talking books do not address all print accessibility issues  Text-to-speech has adoption issues

CSE590 SO - Spring The Future?  How does DRM fit into Ebooks and Accessibility?  How will publishers respond to these laws in the long run?  HCI research on Ebook usability?  Education research on Ebook use?  ???