Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

International Conference on Computer Supported Education

CSEDU 2014: Computer Supported Education pp 328–340Cite as

Technological Imagination for Accessible Design: Invoking Blind Users for Sighted Computer Science Students

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:

  • 769 Accesses

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 510))

Abstract

We propose a framework for designing computer science courses on accessible design, focusing on blind users. The dominant approach in the literature pursues student motivation for accessible design through three main springs: a ‘web of arguments’, highlighting utility and morality as key considerations, empathy, and mainstreaming. We introduce aesthetics as a compelling motivational resort, and we appeal to technological imagination to frame sighted students’ work in a personal project of weaving a Web of Voices. We present arguments, practices, and online resources to support teachers that introduce accessibility for blind users to sighted students.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Atkinson, R.: Reflections on becoming blind. Braille Monitor (2007). https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm07/bm0710/bm071004.htm

  2. Benavídez, C., Fuertes, J.L., Gutiérrez, E., Martínez, L.: Teaching web accessibility with “contramano” and hera. In: Miesenberger, K., Klaus, J., Zagler, W.L., Karshmer, A.I. (eds.) ICCHP 2006. LNCS, vol. 4061, pp. 341–348. Springer, Heidelberg (2006)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  3. Cohen, R.F., Fairley, A.V., Gerry, D., Lima, G.R.: Accessibility in introductory computer science. In: Proceedings of the 36th SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education – SIGCSE 2005, vol. 37, pp. 17–21. ACM Press, New York (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Finke, B.: Fade to white. Safe & Sound Blog (2011). http://bethfinke.wordpress.com/2011/07/14/fade-to-white

  5. Freire, A.P., de Mattos Fortes, R.P., Barroso Paiva, D.M., Santos Turine, M.A.: Using screen readers to reinforce web accessibility education. ACM SIGCSE Bull. 39(3), 82–86 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Fullerton-Batten, J.: Blind. Julia Fullerton-Batten Web Site (n.d.). http://www.juliafullerton-batten.com/small.html

  7. Gerber, E.: Conducting usability research with computer users who are blind or visually impaired. In: 17th Annual International Conference of CSUN “Technology and Persons with Disabilities” (2002). http://www.afb.org/section.aspx?FolderID=2&SectionID=4&TopicID=167&DocumentID=1718

  8. Gonzalez, D.: Guided by blindness. New York Times Blogs (2013). http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/22/guided-by-blindness/

  9. Harrison, S.M.: Opening the eyes of those who can see to the world of those who can’t. ACM SIGCSE Bull. 37(1), 22–26 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Ivin, S.: Blind portraits. Sam Ivin Photography (n.d.). http://www.samivin.co.uk/gallery_476907.html

  11. Johansson, M., Messeter, J.: Present-ing the user: constructing the persona. Digit. Creativity 16(4), 231–243 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Ludi, S.: Access for everyone: introducing accessibility issues to students in Internet programming courses. In: Frontiers in Education FIE 2002, vol. 3, pp. S1C–7–S1C–9. IEEE (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Mbipom, G.: Good visual aesthetics equals good web accessibility. ACM SIGACCESS Accessibility Comput. 93, 75–83 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Mbipom, G., Harper, S.: The interplay between web aesthetics and accessibility. In: The 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility - ASSETS 2011, pp. 147–154. ACM Press, New York (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Michalko, R.: The Two-in-One. Walking with Smokie, Walking with Blindness. Temple University Press, Philadelphia (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Michalko, R.: Blindness enters the classroom. Disability Soc. 16(3), 349–359 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Michalko, R.L.: Accomplishing the sighted world. The University of British Columbia (1977). https://circle.ubc.ca/bitstream/handle/2429/20966/UBC_1977_A8M52.pdf

  18. Perkins, D.N.: Person-plus: a distributed view of thinking and learning. In: Salomon, G. (ed.) Distributed Cognitions: Psychological and Educational Considerations, pp. 88–110. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (1993)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Pilgrim, M.: Dive into accessibility (2002). http://diveintoaccessibility.info/

  20. Regan, B.: Accessibility and design: a failure of the imagination. In: Proceedings of the International Cross-Disciplinary Workshop on Web Accessibility - W4A, pp. 29–37. ACM Press, New York (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Rosmaita, B.J.: Accessibility first! A new approach to web design. In: The 37th SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, vol. 38, pp. 270–274. ACM Press, New York (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Simokaitis, C.: Fade to White (n.d.). http://www.charliesimokaitisphotography.com/#mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=19&p=1&a=0&at=0

  23. Slatin, J.: The imagination gap: making web-based instructional resources accessible to students and colleagues with disabilities. Currents in Electronic Literacy (2002). http://currents.cwrl.utexas.edu/spring02/slatin.html

  24. Thorlacius, L.: The role of aesthetics in web design. Nordicom Rev. 28(1), 63–76 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Tsaran, V.: Victor Tsaran at TEDxSilicon Valley (2009). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsJB73c38yw

  26. Vuppala, V., Krishna, A.M.: An aesthetic approach to accessibility testing in enterprise applications (2012). http://www.stepinforum.org/stepin-summit-2012/plenaries/venkata_alluri_track.html

  27. W3C: W3C Mission. W3C Site (2012). http://www.w3.org/Consortium/mission.html

  28. W3C: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Overview. Web Accessibility Initiative (2012). http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/wcag.php

  29. Waller, A., Hanson, V.L., Sloan, D.: Including accessibility within and beyond undergraduate computing courses. In: Proceeding of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility – ASSETS 2009, pp. 155–162. ACM Press, New York (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Wang, Y.D.: A holistic and pragmatic approach to teaching web accessibility in an undergraduate web design course. In: The 13th Annual Conference on Information Technology Education - SIGITE 2012, pp. 55–60. ACM Press, New York (2012)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This article has been supported by the research project “Sociological imagination and disciplinary orientation in applied social research”, with financial support of ANCS/UEFISCDI with grant no. PN-II-RU-TE-2011-3-0143, contract no. 14/28.10.2011.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania

    Răzvan Rughiniș

  2. Department of Sociology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania

    Cosima Rughiniș

Authors
  1. Răzvan Rughiniș
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Cosima Rughiniș
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Răzvan Rughiniș .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA

    Susan Zvacek

  2. Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Maria Teresa Restivo

  3. School of Engineering, University of Ulster, Newtownabbey, Ireland

    James Uhomoibhi

  4. School of Computing, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland

    Markus Helfert

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this paper

Cite this paper

Rughiniș, R., Rughiniș, C. (2015). Technological Imagination for Accessible Design: Invoking Blind Users for Sighted Computer Science Students. In: Zvacek, S., Restivo, M., Uhomoibhi, J., Helfert, M. (eds) Computer Supported Education. CSEDU 2014. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 510. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-25768-6_21

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-25768-6_21

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-25767-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-25768-6

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation