This course will investigate the analysis and design of
accessibility issues and features related to computing applications. It
will investigate the major sources of information and work towards
developing a comprehensive strategy for improving the accessibility of
computing applications.
Class News:
Updated Oct 16 [regarding due date for Project analysis and design]
Accessibility is
EXTREME HCI! Human-Computer Interaction is about designing
usable systems. ISO 9241-171 Guidance on Software Accessibility defines
accessibility as, "usability of a product, service, environment or
facility by people with the widest range of capabilities " and it notes
that: "The concept of accessibility addresses the full range of user
capabilities and is not limited to users who are formally recognized as
having a disability." Thus, good accessibility serves all of us.
Accessibility is the new frontier of developing
usable systems. CMPT
480/840 Accessible Computing is in the forefront of this movement.
ASSETS, the ACM
conference that focuses on accessibility, published a paper, Techniques to
Assist in Developing Accessibility Engineers, about our
course in 2008, before any other accessible computing courses had
appeared in North America.
Accessibility involves the ultimate in multi-media {visual, auditory, tactile} and media-shifting to communicate using media that the user is capable of using. Therefore, accessibility involves finding new and alternate ways of interacting with different users within a single application. This leads us to consider new ways of using existing technologies and new technologies for existing problems.
Please contact Prof. Jim Carter <carter@cs.usask.ca> for further information.
Jim Carter <carter@cs.usask.ca> 280.3 Thorvaldson Bldg, 966-4893.
Office hours: Mon/Weds/Fri 12:30 - 1:20 or by appointment.
Assignments:
A number of
interactive assignments will be used to acquaint students with a range
of accessibility issues and a range to techniques for dealing with
these issues.
Critiques:
Students will be
expected to become familiar with the assigned readings prior to the
class in which they will be discussed. Students will be assigned to
prepare critiques of particular readings.
Project: A major project will
require students to investigate a
related topic in greater detail than is covered in the class. Students
will be required to make a short accessible presentation about their
project.
5% Project Proposal [Oct 3]
15% Project Analysis and Design Report [Nov 16]
5% Project Presentation [Nov 28]
15% Project Evaluation Report [Nov 30]
20% Revised Project [tba]
| Week | Topics: Basic Concepts | References |
| Week
1 Sept 7 |
Introduction
to
Accessibility
Issues • Identifying Our Own Need • Developing An Approach to Accessibility |
--- |
| Week 1 assignment |
A#1 Before and After Considering Accessibility | |
| Week
2 Sept 10-14 |
Universal
Accessibility • Discussion of Stephanidis paper • various terms related to universal accessibility • Perspectives on Universal Accessibility - Some Critiques of Keates |
C. Stephanidis, 2000. From
User interfaces for all to an
Information Society for All: Recent achievements and future challenges,
6th
ERCIM
Workshop
"User Interfaces for All", 14 pages, http://ui4all.ics.forth.gr/UI4ALL-2000/files/Position_Papers/Stephanidis.pdf • S. Keates, Pragmatic research issues confronting HCI practitioners when designing for universal access, Universal Access in the Information Society, 5(3) 299-305 [available from U of S Library via Springerlink: http://www.springerlink.com.cyber.usask.ca/content/1615-5297/] |
| Week 2 assignment |
A#2 OS-Based Accessibility Settings and Services | |
| Week
3 Sept 17-21 |
Sensory
Limitations {Visual, Auditory, Physical, Cognitive} • Discussion of class critiques of Jacko & Vitense • Overview model of User Needs Summary • The User Needs Summary |
J.A. Jacko and H.S. Vitense,
2001. A review and
reappraisal of information technologies within a conceptual framework
for individuals with disabilities, Universal
Access
in
the
Information
Society, 1(1):56-76. [available from U of S Library via
Springerlink: http://www.springerlink.com.cyber.usask.ca/content/1615-5297/] • Zeljko Obrenovic, Julio Abascal, and Dusan Starcevic, Universal accessibility as a multimodal design issue, CACM May 2007/Vol. 50, No. 5 83-88 [available from U of S Library via ACM Digital Library: http://dl.acm.org.cyber.usask.ca/dl.cfm] • ISO/IEC 29138-1 - Accessibility Considerations for People with Disabilities - Part 1: User Needs Summary, SWG-A N339, http://www.jtc1access.org/documents/swga_docreg.htm |
| Week 3 assignment |
A#3 Using a Screen Reader |
| Week | Topics: Approaches to Providing
Accessibility |
|
| Week
4 Sept 24-28 |
Methodologies
for
Providing
Accessibility • A Model-Based Approach (UARM) • Context of Use • Using a Principled Approach (Guide 71) |
J. Carter and D. Fourney, 2004, Using a Universal
Access
Reference Model to Identify Further Guidance that belongs in ISO 16071,
Universal Access in the
Information Society, 3(1):17-29. [available
from U of S Library via Springerlink: http://www.springerlink.com.cyber.usask.ca/content/1615-5297/] • J. Carter, 2012, Chapter 4. Principles and Other Sources of Guidance, from Usability Centered Development, available on Moodle • Jan Gulliksen et. al., 2003, Key principles for user-centred systems design, Behaviour & Information Technology, 22(6):397–409. [available from U of S Library via: https://library.usask.ca/ejournals/view/954925254137 |
| Week 4 assignment |
A#4 Using Voice Recognition | |
| Week
5
Oct 1-3 | Web-specific
Guidance • W3C Web Accessibility Initiative Guidelines • Content and Presentation Technologies | W3C
Web
Content
Accessibility Guidelines, The Guidelines http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/ Understanding the Guidelines http://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/ Techniques for implementing the guidelines http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/ • W3C User Agent Accessibility Guidelines, http://www.w3.org/TR/UAAG20/ • W3C Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines, http://www.w3.org/TR/ATAG20/ • W3C Web Accessible Rich Internet Applications, http://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria-primer/ • J. Abascal et. al., The use of guidelines to automatically verify Web accessibility, Universal Access in the Information Society, 3(1):71-79 [available from U of S Library via Springerlink: http://www.springerlink.com.cyber.usask.ca/content/1615-5297/] |
| **** Project Proposal due Oct 3 | ||
| Week 5 assignment | A#5 Automatic Accessibility Evaluations | |
| Oct 5 Oct 8 | Term 1 Break - no class today Thanksgiving Day - no class today | |
| Week 6 Oct 10-12 |
Regulating Accessibility • The Canadian Approach (ADA, SWA) • The US Approach (Section 508) |
Government
of
Canada:
Accessibility
Domain
Architecture, http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/webarchives/20071125175659/www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/ fap-paf/documents/accessibility/access00_e.asp • Government of Canada: Treasury Board, Standard on Web Accessibility • US Government US revision of 508 and 255 Standards |
| Week 6 assignment |
A#6 Creating Alternative Text |
|
| Week 7 Oct 15-19 | Accessibility Standards • ISO 9241-20 ICT Accessibility • ISO 9241-171 Software Accessibility • ISO-IEC 29136 PC Hardware Accessibility • ISO/IEC 29138-2 Standards Inventory • ISO/IEC 20071-11 Alternative text • ISO/IEC 20071-21 Video Descriptions | NOTE: The critique for this week is not due until Weds, Oct 17 ISO/IEC 20071-21 Information technology — User interface component accessibility - Part 21 Guidance on descriptive video (descriptive audio) (copy provided by author to be accessed via Moodle) • ISO 9241-20 Guidance on ICT accessibility • ISO 9241-171 Guidance on software accessibility • ISO-IEC 29136 Information technology — User interfaces — Accessibility of personal computer hardware • ISO/IEC 29138-2 - Accessibility Considerations for People with Disabilities - Part 2: Standards inventory, SWG-A N340, available from: http://www.jtc1access.org/documents/swga_docreg.htm • ISO/IEC 20071-11 Information technology — User interface component accessibility - Part 11 Guidance on creating alternative text for images |
| Week 7 assignment |
A#7 Using Captioning | |
| Week 8 Oct 22 Oct 24 Oct 26 | Guest Lectures - no class today - work on your project Darren Gilchrist: - Accessibility issues that often get missed Dr. Carl Gutwin: - User-based and other Usability evaluations | No critique due for this week |
| Week 8 assignment | A#8 Cultural and Linguistic Issues | |
| Week 9 O 29-N 2 | Cultural & Linguistic Accesiblitiy • CLA requirements • CLA strategies • Translation tools & databases | ISO/IEC
TR 19764 Guidelines, methodology, and reference criteria for cultural
and linguistic adaptability in information technology products (copy provided by author to be accessed via Moodle) • ISO/IEC TR 24785 Taxonomy of cultural and linguistic adaptability user requirements • J. Jagne & A. S. G. Smith-Atakan, Cross-cultural interface design strategy, Universal Access in the Information Society, 5(3) 299-305 [available from U of S Library via Springerlink: http://www.springerlink.com.cyber.usask.ca/content/1615-5297/] |
| Week 9 assignment | A#9 Colour Shifting and Shading |
| Week | Topics: Technologies |
|
| Week
10 Nov 5 - 9 |
Accessibility
Profiles,
Settings,
and
Features • The Common Accessibility Profile (CAP) • User Needs Mapping |
D. Fourney
& J. Carter, 2006. A standard
method of
profiling the accessibility needs of computer users with vision and
hearing impairments, CVHI 2006, 6 pages. • ISO/IEC 24756 Information technology – Framework for specifying a common access profile (CAP) of needs and capabilities of users, systems, and their environments • ISO/IEC 24786 Accessible user interface for accessibility settings on information devices • ISO/IEC 29138-3 - Accessibility Considerations for People with Disabilities - Part 3: Guidance on User Needs Mapping, SWG-A N341, and User Needs Template, SWG-A N 337, both at: http://www.jtc1access.org/documents/swga_docreg.htm |
| Week 10 assignment | A#10 Using Single Switch Input | |
| Nov 12 | University closed - no class today - | |
| Week
11 Nov 14-16 |
Assistive
Technologies • The Role of Assistive Technologies • The Range of Assistive Technologies • Assistive Software Technologies • Accessibility APIs • New approaches towards ATs |
ISO/IEC
13066-1 IT - AT Interoperability (copy provided by author to be accessed via Moodle) • Microsoft, Types of Assistive Technology Products, http://www.microsoft.com/enable/at/types.aspx • UNUMProvident, Assistive Technology Decision Tree, http://download.microsoft.com/download/7/e/b/ 7ebfb5a1-69af-4e2a-aba7-7f11e2d66fed/atdecisiontree.pdf • National Public Inclusive Infrastructure • Raising the Floor - Current Master List of Projects |
| **** Project Analysis and Design due Nov 16 | ||
| Week 11 assignment | A#11 Cognitive Issues | |
| Week
12 Nov 19-23 |
Adaptive
Technologies • Individualization {customization & adaptation} • Designing for Adaptation • Adaptive Software Architectures |
ISO 9241-129 Guidance on individualization (copy provided by author to be accessed via Moodle) • C. Stephanidis, A. Paramythis, C. Karagiannidis, A. Savidis, 1997. Supporting Interface Adaptation: the AVANTI Web-Browser, 14 pages http://ui4all.ics.forth.gr/UI4ALL-97/stephanidis.pdf • B. Kules, 2000. User Modeling for Adaptive and Adaptable Software Systems, http://www.otal.umd.edu/UUGuide/wmk/ |
| Week 12 assignment | A#12 Assisting Low Vision |
| Week | Topics: Advanced Topics |
|
| Week 13 Nov 26-30 |
Advanced
Research
Topics • Content and Cognitive Aspects • Cognitive and Affective Aspects **** Project Presentation Due Nov 28 • Cultural & Linguistic Guidance • Discriptive Video Guidance • Head and Eye Tracking ADE • Mobile Phone Accessibility |
R. Adams,
Decision and stress: cognition and
e-accessibility in the information workplace, Universal
Access in the Information Society, 5(4): 363–379 [available from
U of S Library via Springerlink: http://www.springerlink.com.cyber.usask.ca/content/1615-5297/] • C. Lewis, Simplicity in cognitive assistive technology: a framework and agenda for research, Universal Access in the Information Society, 5(4): 351–361 [available from U of S Library via Springerlink: http://www.springerlink.com.cyber.usask.ca/content/1615-5297/] Survey of accessibility evaluation methods |
| Nov 30 | **** Project Evaluation Report Due Nov 30 |
| Week | Topics: Project Completion |
|
| Dec 3 | tba |
Date of last revision: Oct. 10, 2012