Bridging the Gap? Access to telecommunciations for all people

3.4 Is education helping bridge the gap?

Diamantino Freitas, Bob Allen, Leonor Pereira, Christian Bühler, Anton Civit

3.4.1 Introduction

Three main issues will be discussed in this sub-chapter: the role of education in "Bridging the gap", technical accessibility to education and the use of distance education for the inclusion of disabled students.

The main question being raised throughout chapter 3 is "Are more products reaching the market?" and the subsequent question "If not, why not and where are the gaps?". The main aim of this sub-chapter is therefore to look into whether education, in the broadest sense, is aiding or hindering in this process.

The term education is used here to encompass curricula in ICT (Information and Communication Technology) engineering courses, the education of carers and users, as well as education in its broadest sense, with its role in empowering users and changing mentalities towards issues of accessibility and disability.

Training and assistance to the industry in adopting inclusive design along with the use of guidelines, which is also an education issue, is mainly discussed in the previous sub-chapter on industry awareness. It is however important to reiterate that many designers and researchers still have very little awareness of issues relating to telecommunications and disability. They may have had little or no contact with the users of the systems and services for whom they are designing equipment. These aspects are still missing from many typical technical curricula in ICT engineering.

A reasonably large number of existing pioneer courses and solutions have appeared over the past few years. An example from Ireland will be presented here in some detail (3.4.4). Relevant studies carried out recently, such as the TIDE-HEART, Line-E will also be discussed (3.4.3).

The second and completely separate issue of the use of distance education for the inclusion of disabled students will be presented through several examples showing the role that technology can play in the provision of education for these students (3.4.5).

The third aspect to be discussed is the technical accessibility to education. For example, children with special needs will increasingly need to access eLearning services for their educational activities in the future (3.4.6).

3.4.2 The role of education in "bridging the gap"

Education can be used to "Bridge the Gap" in a number of ways. The main tendency to date has been to focus on the provision of specialised technical training, namely, to designers and engineers in ICT. It has also included training in assessment methods and techniques, to clinicians. Whilst this has proved extremely useful to many, it raises two questions: (a) Is the current education and training of the correct type? And (b) are these the only people education should be directed toward?

When examining the first question, consideration should be given to the first courses introduced many years ago designed to "teach people about computers". The approach was invariably to teach simple programming. Most people did not need to know how to program, they needed to know how to use computers. Eventually this approach was modified towards the modern day system which is far more application specific. The second question should be considered by asking, "where are the users in all this?" Whilst education can be very technical and professional there is also a need to educate the potential assistive technology user to know what is possible, what is available, what is affordable and what is realistic. In other words the users should be empowered to make their own choices, to help themselves where possible, and to demand additional or modified services where these are realistic.

Educating users makes sense. It follows on the example of countries like the U.S.A. where services have developed more significantly than in Europe. Most people who have examined and compared the two cultures readily come to the conclusion that there has been a far greater level of activism in the U.S.A. than in Europe, which in turn, has led demands having to be met.

Manufacturers will not provide new or modified services unless:

They are compelled to by law, or
They can readily identify a market, or
They have been requested to do so, and take the initiative to pilot a new idea, or make the design of an existing product more inclusive.

If legislation is to be introduced in Europe to insist upon accessible technologies being produced wherever possible, there will be a significant role for various types of education to meet the needs of manufacturers and designers to learn how to meet new legislative requirements. Examples of such courses that already exist in the US have been given in sub-chapter 3.3.3 (trace.wisc.edu/training/).

Education has a role to play in providing users with the knowledge of what they should ask for, as well as in teaching professional staff how to meet needs.

3.4.3 The TIDE, HEART, Line E study

This study, published in 1994 [TIDE-HEART], addressing RT/AT (rehabilitation technology/assistive technology) specialists and related professionals and their specific education needs, clearly identified the motivation for training in assistive technology. Its conclusions deserve to be mentioned here and are still as valid overall today.

The rapid technological development during the past decade has resulted in many new technological services and devices, not always being followed up by the required training of the professionals involved in the designing, adaptation, prescription and service delivery of Technical Aids for people with disabilities.

This has applied to both basic as well as continuously updated training in the area. The objective of the action was to propose components for a curriculum in assistive technology. The work was decomposed into survey of existing training programmes, identification of training requirements for the various professionals and of critical components with subsequent proposal of components for a European curriculum. This curriculum should be composed of technical components as well as of human and socio-economic components.

The model proposed was based on a human development model that takes into account the problems faced by people with varying ability to adapt to the environment. Technical components include communication as well as mobility, manipulation and orientation. Under the communication topic, the sub-areas of interpersonal communication, telecommunications, user's interfaces, seating and positioning, computer access, multimedia and environment control were proposed as framework components.

Important characteristics for of the European curricula were proposed as well: user focus, multidisciplinary, new technology, market orientation and evaluation. Minimum training requirements were proposed for technicians/engineers, occupational therapists, teachers of special education, physiotherapists, speech therapists, architects as well as for users/consumers.

Recommendations for implementation of the courses were also issued, such as regional organization, exchange of human resources, production of educational material, stimulation of in-service training and development of a common taxonomy in assistive technology training.

3.4.4 The development of educational courses to meet practical needs - A case study from Ireland

Background

Ireland has a comparatively low population density with a concentration of the population around the eastern seaboard area. These two facts mean that while many services for people with disabilities are centred in Dublin on the East side, they must work to a catchment area of users some considerable distance away throughout the remainder of the country.

In 1982 the Central Remedial Clinic (www.crc.ie) started an Assistive Technology service with a limited staff. They were able to provide assessment, recommendation, procurement assistance, and training to people with a wide range of physical disabilities. They offered help in areas such as Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Independent Living technology support, access to the curriculum, vocational enablement and access to leisure facilities and the arts.

As the service progressed and gained experience it was realised that people with disabilities were not getting the best from the available technologies due to lack of support at a local or regional level. This led to many pieces of equipment being quickly abandoned by users. Other organisations in other countries had come to similar conclusions and as just mentioned in the previous section, the European study HEART was conducted to examine best practice in service delivery. The Central Remedial Clinic (CRC) conducted its own national examination of the extent of the problem over many years. The results of this were later presented to the AAATE conference in 1999 under the title "Issues surrounding Assistive Technology use and abandonment in an emerging technological culture" [AAATE].

The problem was how could a measure of service be provided regionally to prevent the high level of equipment abandonment through lack of support? The first proposed solution was piloted in a HORIZON funded project, TEST (Training and Education Support using Technology), in 1995. It involved establishing a network of supporters throughout the country drawn from the existing community therapists and support personnel. This initiative was not very successful because (a) the community staff were already loaded with work preventing them devoting enough time to the task, and (b) the community staff simply did not have the requisite skills with which to do the work. Of these two problems (b) was the most significant.

A further opportunity was presented in 1997 to embark on a further pilot action under a project called APHRODITE (A Partnership to Harness Resource Opportunities & Distribute Information Technology Expertise www.crc.ie/aphrodite). This action allowed for the previous problems to be addressed in a different way. First, a relationship was forged with a user organisation to provide the support throughout the country through a number of Technical Liaison Officers (TLO's), second, the TLO's, users, carers, teachers and other concerned persons were provided with training through a specifically designed course called CATA (Certificate in Assistive Technology Applications www.crc.ie/cata).

How did CATA develop?

With the help of The Center on Disabilities in California State University who have many years experience in developing and presenting courses in Assistive Technology Applications in the United States, CRC defined the course content for the CATA course that was first delivered in September 1998. CRC were very conscious that they were going to deliver the course to an Irish audience and that special attention would have to be paid to the modules addressed to funding and legislation issues. The Electrical engineering department of University College (www.ucd.ie) - also a partner in the project - introduced a learning disability module and a "Vision of technology for the future" module.

The involvement of University College Dublin allowed the course to be fully accredited from day one.

By June 1998, the trainers for the CATA course met each week to discuss progress in relation to the manual and the course modules. Application forms for the course were sent to various organisations and individuals throughout Ireland. The interest in the course was phenomenal and the applications received, covered a cross section of the disability arena from professionals, parents, teachers, people with disabilities and other interested parties. An application was also received from the United States!

The course, which consists of intensive training, self-study, and a certificate project, set out to train participants:

To identify a wide range of applications for assistive technology in the home, school, work place, and community environments
About existing and new assistive technologies for people with disabilities to include, but not limited to, augmentative and alternative communication, environmental controls, seating and positioning, mobility devices, computer access technology, and technology for people who may have learning, physical, cognitive and/or sensory disabilities
To address individual needs through a collaborative team approach
About resources that are available to support assistive technology devices and services
How to address leadership challenges regarding assistive technology implementation
How to implement this training upon completion of the course

31 participants from all over Ireland, as well as the U.S. and Belgium, including teachers, therapists, people with disabilities, information officers and assistive technology practitioners, attended the 1998 course. Many organisations, including Health Boards, funded their staff to attend the course. Feedback indicates that the course was perceived as very worthwhile and value for money and there was an immediate waiting list for CATA 1999.

CATA 2001

Today the course has evolved somewhat. It is currently structured in five parts:

1. Students are provided with an Internet address, login name and account number to allow them study the pre-course materials and to participate in on-line discussion with fellow learners and course tutors. The students also complete some on-line exercises. This takes place over an 8-week period.
2. Following the initial on-line study, students attend college for a full week of classroom tuition.
3. Some time later students attend for a further two days for follow up.
4. Students are required to undertake and complete a project of 3,000 words. The topic is discussed with the tutors during the course.
5. A learning journal is completed together with the project to encourage students to reflect on what they have learned during the course.

The course modules are:

Assistive Technology applications in Ireland
Funding and Legislation
The process of Matching People and Technology(1)
Specialised technologies:
- Computer Access
- Seating/Mobility
- Learning DisabilitiesHearing ImpairmentVisual Impairment
- Alternative and Augmentative Communication
- Environmental Control
- Powered Mobility.

(1) members.aol.com/IMPT97/mpt.html

The Diploma in Assistive Computer Applications (DACA)

CRC have introduced a more advanced course specialising in computer access that started in 2001. This has been designed, accredited and publicised. As time goes on, further courses will be developed to fill gaps and identified needs within the community. Above all else, these courses are user driven and have evolved in a bottom-up way.

The ethos of the new course can be stated as follows: With the proliferation of computers in all facets of society, computer access has become a critical factor to "level the playing field" for people with disabilities. People use computers in all aspects of their lives including education, recreation, leisure and employment and to ensure that people with disabilities reap the benefits that technology can produce it is essential that access to computers is available for all regardless of physical, sensory or cognitive limitations. Assistive technology provides the tools that enable people with disabilities to benefit from the technological revolution as well!

A personal computer, can make a major contribution to the lives of people with disabilities, it can be used as a writing tool for people who may not be able to physically use a pen and paper, for people who are visually impaired, for people who cognitively can not read and write. It can be used to store and organise information, it can be used as a reading or communication tool, it can be used as a method of accessing education.......the opportunities are endless.

This course will provide participants with the opportunity to look at the possibilities that computers can play in the lives of people with disabilities, to explore and contemplate these opportunities and to reflect on their own personal attitudes and values towards the service provision of Assistive Technology. The course will provide a practical knowledge base on the range of Assistive solutions available and will endeavour to instil a user-focused approach to the evaluation and recommendation of Assistive Technology.

Target group

The course will target graduates of the Certificate in Assistive Technology Applications (CATA) who wish to expand and develop their knowledge in the area of Assistive Computer Applications. The graduates come from a variety of backgrounds including people with disabilities, parents and carers of people with disabilities, educationalists, service providers, medical personnel and trainers. It will offer all graduates the opportunity to further explore the possibilities that Assistive Technology offers to people with disabilities in an Adult Education setting and will create a pathway towards further learning within this area.

Course duration

The duration of the course will be 144 hours. The Certificate in Assistive Technology Applications course, which is a pre-requisite for the Diploma course, takes 144 hours to complete also.

DACA assessment requirements

Participants will be required to complete a substantial assignment within each module and a learning journal on completion of the course. As some sub modules of the course are of a practical nature, assessments of the participant's abilities will be monitored and recorded.

Entry requirements

Participants must have completed the Certificate in Assistive Technology Applications (CATA) and achieved a minimum of a pass grade. As with the CATA Course, the organisers will favourably consider applications from people with disabilities who at present make up approximately one third of all graduates of CATA. This ensures that each course has a balance of interests participating in the learning and it has been noted that this gives a holistic element to the delivery and learning outcomes of the course content.

DACA course structure:

Models of Assistive Technology - 24 hours
Individual planning - 24 hours
Practical Computing - 24 hours
Computer Applications for Persons with Sensory Disabilities - 24 hours
Computer Applications for Persons with Physical Disabilities - 24 hours
Evaluating Computer Use and Interaction - 24 hours

Empowerment vs. Enlightenment

The courses taught at CRC are practically driven and contain a significant element of empowerment training. This stems from experience gained over a period of twenty years of assistive technology service delivery. During that time the question was often raised as to what was the most effective way of affecting change in society to help people with disabilities.

There are two possible approaches:

Conduct scientific analysis of the need for a service or for additional service provision and bring this to the attention of "decision makers" in government. It is then hoped that enlightened legislators and politicians will recognise this need and provide resources.
Empower users with the knowledge as to what can realistically be done to help them whether this is in the form of provision of service or technology or indeed, both. This also looks at ways people can help themselves and become as independent as possible.

Method 2 seemed to work far more effectively in practice. As a result, education can often significantly help people with disabilities by providing them with the knowledge they need to make informed and realistic choices. They can compare resources allocations within different sections of society and ask questions pertaining to the balance of resource provision.

Empowerment does NOT mean generating aggressiveness or discontent.

3.4.5 IMPACT - Families and Carers Training

Another example is the IMPACT course, published in 1999 (www.fontsys.nl/impact/), which is concerned with assistive technologies and how health or social service professionals can help to ensure that older or disabled customers are in a position to benefit from the assistive technologies that they need. The aim of the course, supplied on paper and on CD is to give an overview of:

The problems that can be posed by ageing and disability; the importance of assistive technology and the roles of the different professional actors involved.

The learning goals of the course are:

To know about ageing and disability, the main forms of assistive technology, products, devices and applications;
Recognise the current situation of availability and take-up of assistive technology is often very unsatisfactory and understanding the role of all branches of the health and social services in remedying this situation and know the elements of the role of 'assistive technology intermediary'.

Modules of the course comprehend physical, vision, hearing and communication impairments.

3.4.6 TELEMATE - Distance Education for Professionals involved in the Design, Development and Provision of Assistive Technology

TIDE-TELEMATE is a European-wide framework to share multidisciplinary training and education in assistive technology. It aims at helping professional multidisciplinary healthcare teams specialised in AT to keep up to date with their knowledge in order to ensure the best possible service and information for the users of assistive technology and their carers.

TELEMATE provides harmonised curricula, sample courses, and a means to maintain an expanding network of teaching courses. TELEMATE integrates the many topics and skills required by experts working with assistive technology, whatever their background or professional speciality. Its framework provides a pattern for the development of training packages in all European countries. In turn this will facilitate an easier exchange of knowledge and personnel. TELEMATE was set up as European project in the Telematics Applications Programme (DE4103). After expiry of the project it is now continued by the project partners, now open for collaboration with other parties.

The underlying aims of TELEMATE are:
1. Disabled and elderly people should be given better awareness and understanding of assistive technology and its benefits, quicker implementation of new developments, and better-informed and integrated services from multidisciplinary providers.
2. Members of multidisciplinary teams using assistive technology, including clients, will better understand each other's roles and how to use new technology.
3. Harmonised educational programmes will promote staff mobility, encourage the introduction of new technology, stimulate new developments, and so foster a vigorous single EU market in assistive technology.
TELEMATE has similar aims to those of the European TIDE projects EUSTAT and IMPACT but focuses on AT specialists: those professionals working daily with assistive technology and matching the right technology to the needs of specific persons and situations. This includes specialist engineers, technologists and equipment service managers in addition to the intermediaries served by IMPACT.

TELEMATE has:

reviewed the TIDE- HEART Line E findings about existing education of AT professionals;
proposed telematic procedures for delivery and maintenance procedures (prt.fernuni-hagen.de/pro/telemate/deliver.htm)
realised and done two demonstrator courses delivered across Europe in 2000, "Fundamentals in Assistive Technology" and "Computer Access I"(prt.fernuni-hagen.de/pro/telemate/courses.htm).
realised a database where available courses in the field of Assistive Technology are listed. This work will be continued and updated (www.fernunihagen.de/FTB/telemate/database/welcome.htm).

Knowledge Framework

The TELEMATE project has identified three particular issues in the field of assistive technology education:

the different educational approaches needed for members of a multidisciplinary support team, according to their background;
the requirement for a common approach, language, and mutual understanding between multidisciplinary team members;
the breadth of knowledge required of service provider teams for holistic support of their clients.

These issues are reflected in the knowledge framework, the philosophy and the course delivery. The TELEMATE philosophy of AT provides a theoretical basis for a balanced approach to work in AT. It has evolved in one direction from the centrality of the end-user of AT, as set out by the World Health Organisation, and in the other direction from the primary education of the professionals who provide AT.

A common understanding of the fundamentals of AT design and provision across all disabilities therefore underpins more detailed studies in specialist areas. Within this foundation lies cross-disciplinary education that enables professionals initially trained in other spheres to understand each other's competencies and communicate and work effectively together.

Figure 3.6 - Spheres of training and cross-disciplinary education

Spheres of training and cross-disciplinary education

Following and extending the HEART Line E proposal, six areas are identified within which many topics may be studied. A few topics are shown as examples. Included in each column is a topic that is referred to as "method of approach". This subject represents the foundation of each area and, although present in each column, is unique to each.

Figure 3.7 - User-centred fundamentals for Assistive Technology

User-centred fundamentals for assistive technology

Access Framework

TELEMATE proposes a practical framework for sharing information about the education of AT professionals. It draws on other educational framework that deal with issues such as methods for defining interchangeable educational resources, for the comparison of education.

The database, initially containing details of existing Assistive Technology courses, provides a platform to initiate the dialog between providers of AT courses and those wishing to find out what is available. This will encourage the creation of appropriate new courses as well as steering professionals to existing courses.

To sort the courses which a provider wishes to submit to the database, the framework first uses the categorisations under function and context used in the Concept Framework (above) as illustrated above. The second classification is the context in which the AT is used. Where appropriate, separate modules within comprehensive courses are individually classified. The website specifies:

A classification of course modules by entry requirements and topics
A standard to enable mix & match of modules, including cross disciplinary training
A database for tutors and students

Figure 3.8 - Different classifications of courses

Different classifications of courses

Consortium

The consortium consists of seven partners all involved in rehabilitation engineering, rehabilitation education, and distance teaching. Three of them (CoRE, IST/CAPS, PRT) are from universities, two (FTB, SAGO) are non-profit research institutes, and two (Handitek, Rehab-Nor) are companies. URL: www.telemate.org

3.4.7 Distance education for the inclusion of disabled students

This sub-chapter presents some of developments occurring in education supported by assistive technology training in Europe concerning people with disabilities, their families and carers, and the professionals involved in the process of design of products and equipment in general, especially the ones involved in adaptation, prescription and technical aids services. Several examples of projects are presented.

Social integration/inclusion is understood, as an opportunity given to disabled people to choose where they want to live just like any other person. To children and youngsters this means staying at home with their parents. To adults it means staying in the same surroundings as their family, friends and acquaintances and also, in their cultural environment.

Educational support related to special curriculum areas can sometimes become very difficult to implement when a disabled child goes to a regular school, especially for children from low incidence groups. In fact, it is unusual for a school to have an expert prepared for teaching specific subjects to children and youngsters with mental, visual or hearing impairments when such a student is not present in the school. An itinerant teacher working more than in one school can be one of the solutions where a teacher works in close collaboration with general assistants who can ensure the day-to-day communication and co-operation with the regular teacher. Another possible solution is to create a mixed support system flexible enough to answer all the needs, with the use of distance education.

Students with disabilities are also more likely to be successfully integrated in mainstream schools if modules of integration of assistive technology are included in continuing education courses for school teachers. The development of such courses is therefore required [PROMISE, p.4].

Distance education can complement the work done by an itinerant teacher and make a useful contribution to support learning of special curriculum areas such as communication with graphic sign systems, sign language, Braille and low vision training.

These applications may be of particular relevance for some of the more remote areas where travel is too time-consuming and expensive. It can also assist in the exchange of information and communication between the different professionals involved where face-to-face meetings might prove difficult to organise.

According to the results of several European research projects [TeleCommunity and CANS projects], developed during the last decade, using distance education can enhance the educational support quality specially because:

a student can receive support in a specific area of his/her individual educational plan;
it facilitates the "meeting" and the exchange of information between teachers and other experts involved in low incidence groups education, between parents and the support team and between the special education teacher and the regular teachers;
an expert in a certain specific area can supervise an activity performed at home or in the school class;
the student can participate in the class activities when travellling is a major problem over a long period of time;
it enables the communication with/between people with speaking or hearing disorders;
it facilitates the discussion of intervention methodologies related with low incidence cases;
it permits the presentation of materials, with the discussion of the best ways to use them.

An example from Portugal

In Portugal a project was started aiming at facilitating and enhancing the quality of the support system of low incidence groups [TeleCommunity and CANS projects]. The terminal is constituted by a personal computer, equipped with a video-conference codec and an ISDN card, connected through an ISDN basic access with a bit rate of 128kbits/s.

The interface was designed in accordance with the "Design for all principle" and meets the needs of children and youngsters with mental, low vision or hearing impairments (figure 3-9).

Figure 3.9 - Distance education software interface in Portugal

Distance education software interface in Portugal

As can be seen in figure 3.9, icons enlarge when the cursor passes over them. Characteristics of the page, line, font and background can be changed. Images and letters enlargement can be defined as well as the student cursor. The size and colours of the cursor can be chosen to maintain at all times the best contrast between the figure and background during its movements. We also see a 2x-magnification example to facilitate the reading process for children with visual impairment. The teacher has a private area where the file is selected and the "page" is sent to the student work area.

Figure 3.10 - Sign language interface showing a student with visual and hearing impairment.

Sign language interface

Until now, 114 disabled students (55 with multi-impairments, 45 with mental impairment and 14 with visual impairment), 3 deaf persons and 57 professionals have participated in the evaluation of the software interface.

An example from Spain: the NEXUS distance education experience

Currently most distance education systems are web based (e.g. WebCT, Virtual-U, FirstClass, etc). These systems pay little attention to the specific needs of disabled or older students and, in most cases, even if the educational contents are produced according to the WAI guidelines [W3C], access to the specific features of the educational software will be difficult or impossible. In Andalusia (Spain), NEXUS, a distance education system designed to take into account the needs of students with disabilities and no previous computer literacy, is currently undergoing trials to be used in high-school education, and simple vocational education for adults.

The Nexus educational model is mostly based on a virtual school where the students participate in real classes and have the possibility of interacting with the teachers and fellow students in real time. This model, although it requires more resources than the traditional model where the curricular contents are purely web-page based has been shown to be more effective for the target student groups. The NEXUS system also implements this last model but, mainly, as a complement to real time distance classes. Telecom network infrastructure can be a limitation in some areas for the implementation of the real time virtual class model but, currently with the expansion of cable and XDSL networks this problem is rapidly disappearing.

To implement this model the system architecture shown in figure 3.11 is used. In this scheme we can see the students' and teacher's computers (shown in a virtual class but physically located anywhere), and the different servers used for multicasting, remote configuration and messaging.

Figure 3.11 - NEXUS system architecture

NEXUS system architecture

A very interesting aspect in NEXUS is the possibility of using assisted web navigation as a teaching method. In this mode the teacher can control the navigation of the student browsers and add any desired comment, note or figure over it.

Finally, a list of important features for the future educational systems for all is included (mainly oriented to student with little computer literacy who may be disabled or not) extracted from the NEXUS field trials.

Isolation from the operating system (mainly to avoid problems with low computer literacy):

Very easy installation (remote configuration of users).
The educational application controls the system in order to hide the operating system to the user.
Operating system keys combinations (such as ctrl + alt + supr) should be disabled optionally.

Accessibility improvements in the user interface (to cope with disabilities following common guidelines):

Simplified use of mouse: left and right buttons of the mouse with the same function.
Few and clear navigation controls, following a defined structure and location for all the screens in order to avoid miss-orientation.
Keyboard access to all controls. Alternative input peripherals are allowed.
Should work with common screen readers or Text to Speech should be supported to the control of the application.
A clear interface based on a small set of colours, few and big controls, and clear and big fonts should be provided

Improvements of client application:

Teachers' and students' applications should have the same expression capacity.
In any kind of interaction, the name and photography of both partners should appear in the screen, reinforcing the relations between the people connected to the system.
A means of controlling students' activity should be provided. This should only control the aspects that are necessary to check the student's progress. Loging student activities which are not necessary for evaluation should be avoided.
Assistants for tasks that need a set of orders or have some additional difficulties should be provided.
In virtual classes, the students should be allowed to put questions to the teacher.

3.4.8 Technical accessibility to education

As mentioned in the introduction, children with a disability will increasingly need to access eLearning services along with all the other children. Technical accessibility to telecommunications is therefore the basis for access to this type of education. Technical accessibility to telecommunications has therefore become a critical issue not only for current daily life, but also for the future provision of education. This is highlighted in the e-Europe and e-Learning initiative already presented in sub-chapter 3.1.7. Chapter 3.3 of eEurope is about education and it states:

Following areas are particularly urgent and therefore require targeted action: the training of teachers; the adaptation of school curricula to fully exploit the potential of the Internet for education and innovative pedagogical methods; the assurance of access to high quality multimedia resources through broadband connections.

Another project that has highlighted the importance of accessibility to telecommunications in educational settings is PROMOTEUS (PROmoting Multimedia access to Education and Training in European Society, promoteus.org). The Partners of this project are seeking out measures that promote consent regarding multimedia access to education and further education. The project was launched in March 1999 in conjunction with the CEN/ISSS Workshop on Learning Technologies that was conceived as a complementary activity. The CEN/ISSS (European Committee for Standardization/Information Society Standardization System) workshop ensures that the necessary standardisation related actions take place from the requirements formulated by PROMOTEUS.

This is clearly an area that will continue to develop and require further research over the coming years.

3.4.9 Conclusion

Education clearly has been and is playing an important role in "Bridging the gap". There is however still a long way to go in many areas.

A fair number of courses for both users and carers have been put in place since the original TIDE-HEART study in 1994, however more courses are still needed. For example, courses should be created for older people and people with disabilities in the use of information technology [PROMISE, p4].

Another identified gap is that usability and accessibility issues are still missing form many technical curricula in ICT engineering. It can be hoped that with the raising of awareness and increasing need of industry to have employees trained in this area, it will put pressure on education providers to include these issues in their curricula.

However, the single biggest barrier to the take-up of new technology that has been identified, is the lack of specialised human resources and user support. This highlights the importance of the role of education in training the professionals and carers whilst also informing the users. The empowerment of the users through knowledge is therefore one of the main gaps identified as a barrier to more products reaching the market.

User networks such as the European Deaf Network [PROMISE] can play a very interesting role in the area of education of the users and professionals related to specific types of disabilities.

Education also has a long-term role in changing mentalities within society generally. A comparison can be drawn with the shift in overall attitude towards ensuring all buildings were made accessible to disabled people. The same shift is needs for telecommunication services and equipment.

3.4.10 References

AAATE, (1999) Issues surrounding Assistive Technology use and abandonment in an emerging technological culture.

PROMISE (1999) Preparing a European Deaf Network for Information and Communication, European Commission, DG "Information Society". www.stakes.fi/promise.

TIDE-HEART (1995) Assistive Technology Training in Europe, HEART Line E condensed report, Azevedo, L. et al., Swedish Handicap Institute, Vallingby, Sweden and European Commission, DGXIII.

W3C, (1999) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, Vanderheiden G., Chisholm W., Jacobs I, W3C recommendation. http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT

Moniz Pereirra, L. et al. (1996) Multimedia Services for Elderly or Handicapped People - TeleCommunity Project - RACE 2033 - Final Report, Moniz, Pereira L. (Ed), Edições FMH, Portugal

Moniz Pereirra, L. & Saragoca, E. (1997) User needs in the CANS site in Portugal, Deliverable 01.2, Citizens Access to Networks and Services project, Telematics Urban & Rural - 1004 Program, (not published)

Moniz Pereirra, L. & Saragoca, E. (1997) Citizen Access Service Requirements, Deliverable 02.2, Citizens Access to Networks and Services project, Telematics Urban & Rural - 1004 Program, (not published)

Moniz Pereirra, L. & Saragoca, E. (1997) MiniTrial - Assessment Criteria, Deliverable 05.1, Citizens Access to Networks and Services project, Telematics Urban & Rural - 1004 Program, (not published)

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