RIWC_PARA_A124 Website design for people with Learning Disabilities

Unit of Labour and Vocational Rehabilitation
Prof. Dr. M. Niehaus
Designing barrier-free websites for people
with intellectual disabilities:
What do the experts say?
23rd RI World Congress, Oct 25-27 2016, Edinburgh
Elena Brinkmann, Marie Heide, Lena Bergs, Mathilde
Niehaus
Funded by
Elena Brinkmann, Marie Heide, Lena Bergs
University of Cologne

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Content
Introduction
– Research issue
Research approach
– Characteristics of the participatory approach
Methods
– Expert interviews
Results
Conclusions
List of references

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Introduction
• Importance of the Internet for daily
life, affecting education, employment
and leisure
• On the one hand: People with
intellectual disabilities benefit from
the various opportunities on the
Internet (Freese/Mayerle, 2014)
Source: Shutterstock/Pavel Ignatov

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Introduction
• On the other hand: Many people with
intellectual disabilities are still reap
few or no benefits from these
technologies (Aktion Mensch, 2010)
• Specific barriers to Internet use:
material barriers, technical barriers,
language (Bernasconi, 2009)
Source: Shutterstock/Pavel Ignatov

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Accessible websites for people with intellectual
disabilities
Introduction
Accessibility is given if [websites] can be used by
people with disabilities in the usual manner without
special difficulties and basically without help by other
people. (Equal Opportunities for Disabled People Act
(BGG), § 4)

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How can we improve the accessibility of
information on the Internet for young people
with intellectual disabilities using the Internet
without outside help?
Introduction

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Introduction
Process-oriented approachProduct-oriented approach
 Inclusion/participation
 User-orientation (needs
of the target group)
 Standards
 Guidelines
WCAG
2.0
Aspects of website accessibility for people with
intellectual disabilities
BITV
2.0
CRPD

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Research Issue
What specific criteria need to be considered
when developing barrier-free websites for
people with intellectual disabilities?

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Characteristics of the participatory
approach
Participatory approach
– Research not about or for people with intellectual
disabilities, but with them (Bergold/Thomas, 2010)
– Link between science and life experiences
(Schuppener, 2009)
– Use of self-reports rather than assessment by others
(e.g. teachers, counsellors)

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approach
Practice-based evidence
- Including the life circumstances of people with
intellectual disabilities: content-related foundation,
higher credibility (Gebert, 2014)
Legitimate reversal of the power relation
- Expert status of both researchers and participants
(Bergold/Thomas, 2010)
- Mutual recognition of expertise (Gebert, 2014)

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approach
Methodological issues
- Adequate quality criteria in addition to the general
quality criteria, e.g. cooperative research process
- Gebert (2014): „Subjectivation of the process shall
explicitly indicated as profit.“
Practical issues
- Specific limitations of financial, time and institutional
resources
- Recruitment of the participants

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Methods
Participatory and inclusive research approach
Expert Reference Inclusive future Action
interviews group workshop guideline
Source Images:
Shutterstock/Gusi Lebedeva/D Line/howcolour

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Methods
Expert interviews
– Heterogeneity of perspectives
– Interdisciplinary nature of the subject
Experts
– People with intellectual disabilities (N=22)
– Computer scientists / digital media designers
– Social education workers / special pedagogues
– Web site operators (N=6)
– People concerned with easy-to-read

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Methods
Semi-structured interview guidelines for
- Evaluation of accessability and usability for websites
- Adapted guidelines for each expert group
› Orientation along guidelines, empirical research and
the pilot study
› Problem: Acquiescence tendency
› Closed questions with 3-point scale answer options
(Finlay 2002), open questions

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Results - Accessibility/Barriers
Web site
operators
Usage of
unusual
words
Quality of text
differs
No common
standardsComplexity

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Results - Accessibility/Solutions
Web site
operators
Working
together with
the target
group
“We use a kind of an
encyclopaedia for
explaining difficult and
unusual words.”
“A kind of a
dictionary
could be
useful.”
Using identical
pictures for the
same content

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Results - Accessability
Participants
Difficult
words
Unclear
structure
Quantity of
text/pictures
Navigation
depth
Development
of solutions in
the reference
group
Starting
point

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Results
First indications suggesting criteria for developing barrier-
free websites for people with intellectual disabilities:
 Less text on a website and more headings and
subheadings
 Explanations of difficult words
 Less levels of navigation
 Pictures which are related to the content

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Conclusions
Common standards are important for the development of
barrier-free websites
– Ordinance (BITV 2.0) does not lead to optimal web
site accessibility
– Process-orientation is hardly considered during web
site development for the target group
 User-orientation, Interaction of all stakeholders

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List of references
Aktion Mensch e.V. (2010). Web 2.0. Barrierefrei. Eine Studie zur Nutzung von Web 2.0 Anwendungen
durch Menschen mit Behinderung. Bonn.
Bergold, J., & Thomas, S. (2010). Partizipative Forschung. In G. Mey & K. Mruck (Hrsg.), Handbuch
Qualitative Forschung in der Psychologie (S. 333-344). Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für
Sozialwissenschaften / Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH Wiesbaden.
Bernasconi, T.: Barrierefreies Internet für Menschen mit geistiger Behinderung. Eine experimentelle
Pilotstudie zu technischen Voraussetzungen und partizipativen Auswirkungen. Univ., Diss.--
Oldenburg, 2007. BIS-Verl. der Carl-von-Ossietzky- Univ, Oldenburg (2007).
Buchner, T., Koenig, O., & Schuppener, S. (2011). Gemeinsames Forschen mit Menschen mit
intellektuelle Behinderung: Geschichte, Status quo und Möglichkeiten im Kontext der UN-
Behindertenrechtskonvention. Teilhabe, 50(1), 4-10.
Gebert, T. (2014). Partizipative Forschung mit Menschen, die als geistig behindert werden. Im
Spannungsfeld von Teilhaberecht und Wissenschaftlichkeit. Behindertenpädagogik, 53(3),
251-271.
Schuppener, S. (2009). Identität von Menschen mit geistiger Behinderung - Untersuchungs- und
Unterstützungsmöglichkeiten im Kontext partizipativer Forschung. In F. Janz (Hrsg.), Edition
S. Empirische Forschung im Kontext geistiger Behinderung (S. 305-319). Heidelberg: Winter.

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Thank you 
Homepage:
http://online-dabei.uni-koeln.de/
Contact:
online-dabei@uni-koeln.de
0049-221-4704602

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