Overcoming the Barriers to Computer Use by Individuals Who Have Disabilities
A Reply to “Computer Access Equity” by Walter Maner

Barbara Shiller Heinisch

Dr. Maner refers to the right of people with disabilities to computer access. He presents reasons for the inequities that exist and offers opinions on whether or not people should be entitled to access. The issues of computer access, however, must remain secondary general issues of access for people with disabilities. While recent legislation mandates the inclusion of people with disabilities into the mainstream of society, local policy is still decided by people who grew up happily singing the words to Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer (...All of the other reindeer/used to laugh and call him names./They never let poor Rudolph/join in any reindeer games...) Millions of children are still singing these words during the Christmas holidays. To sing those words is to validate the practice of excluding people because of their differences. Of course, Rudolph uses his difference as an asset in the end; in real life, though, people with disabilities do not become the heroes. Other images from childhood have contributed to the attitudes of adults in society today. Pinocchio’s punishment for wrongdoing, for example, was a progressive physical deformity. Snow White’s situation looks different when one considers that she went off to live in the woods with seven eligible bachelors; dwarves are not perceived in the same way as men.

Access issues are influenced by the ways in which people with disabilities are perceived by others in this society. Today’s adults have grown up internalizing negative images of people with differences. They are also bombarded with examples of physical perfection every time they turn on the television or pick up a popular magazine. The mandate for inclusion of people with disabilities exists, but the spirit of inclusion is not yet evident in our society. The barriers to computer access are no doubt colored by people’s underlying attitudes toward people with differences.

In a previous paper (“Computer Access Equity for Persons with Disabilities”), Maner referred to the problems stemming from the lag between the development of technological solutions and their availability to persons with disabilities. He blames this lag for some of the access problems. Once these technological solutions have become available on the market, though, there are still many barriers to persons with disabilities receiving the technology they need.

There is a continuum, starting with the development of the technological solutions; leading to the manufacture and marketing of them; to the training of people to demonstrate and publicize the products; to people being trained to evaluate those who might use the adaptive equipment; to the acquisition of the computers and adaptations by those who need them; to training the people in the use of the equipment; to a practical application in the schools or the workplace. Each stage of the continuum presents barriers to the consumer.

The first barrier is information. Hopefully, the federal laws and regulations referred to by Dr. Maner are having an impact on the applications of technology for persons with disabilities. Because of these laws, educators and employers are beginning to develop the awareness that people with disabilities can utilize technology to eliminate some of the barriers between them and others. Educators in public schools and in institutions of higher education are still generally uninformed, however, of the existence and applications of adaptive technology. In one study, it was found that only about 50% of post secondary institutions had the equipment needed for implementing augmentative communication systems. (Horn and Shell, in Shell, Horn and Severs, 1989). Since augmentative communication is a part of the continuum of possible adaptive technology services, one can assume that a lack of such services at the university level implies that the lack is intensified in school systems.

There appears to be a discrepancy between the potential offered by computers in educational settings and the ways in which they are actually being used. (Behrmann, 1988) The presence of computers in a school does not necessarily mean that they are being used appropriately, or to the best advantage for the students. The fact that most states in this country do not yet require basic computer literacy as a requirement of teacher certification is endemic to the problem. Teachers need to be able to teach students basic computer technology as well as modifications for special applications. Students need to learn to be users of information, to enable them to tap the power of the computer, and not just recipients of information. (Geisert & Futrell, 1990).

People who have overcome the barrier of ignorance and seek information on adaptive technology solutions find that the delivery systems lack standardization and can be difficult to locate. Once a person is able to locate the information, the process of assessment and evaluation entails considerable time and resources. Sometimes the time lapse between initial assessment and receipt of the necessary adaptations is so great that the adaptive devices or solutions may no longer be appropriate. This is especially true for individuals who have progressive, debilitating conditions. It is also frustratingly true for persons whose adaptive devices are being funded by state agencies. The state agencies themselves lack standardization in the delivery of services and equipment. In the state of Connecticut, for example, the agency serving people with blindness and low vision purchases and owns adaptive equipment, loaning it to those who need it for as long as it is needed; the state rehabilitation agency, on the other hand, purchases the equipment and gives it to the client. This leads to questions such as: What happens to the client with a progressive illness whose adaptive technology needs are constantly changing? Will that person be provided with new accommodations? What happens to a client of the agency serving those with blindness and low vision if the client moves out of state? Why is there no means for sharing unused or under-used equipment with others who could use it? (Some states – Pennsylvania and Maine are examples – have begun developing equipment libraries to loan equipment to those in need. States exploring this concept need to consider the the question of whose job it is to do this.)

Another barrier exists in the design and manufacture of the computers themselves. Certain devices are so specific to the needs of a small population of users that there is no market for competition. Hence, competing products have not been developed and those who need a device are at the mercy of a manufacturer, who often prices the product out of reach of the average consumer. Although the prices have recently been reduced, the Kurzweil personal readers now manufactured by Xerox are an example of this. These machines “read” printed matter and convert it to voice output.

Early study into making computers accessible to people with disabilities recognized the need for transparency, or the ability of the various parts of the computer and adaptations to work together smoothly without the need for artificial aids. (Bowe, 1987) The Macintosh computer was the first to incorporate access features into the design of the basic computer. The design engineers obviously realized the need for transparency, and created software options under the name of Easy Access to allow people with disabilities to use features of the Macintosh to help them compensate for their disabilities. This software was introduced as part of the System update released in 1987. One feature of Easy Access allows single-handed typing of any command meant to have several keys pressed simultaneously. Another feature allows those who have difficulty manipulating a mouse to use the numeric keypad to duplicate mouse functions. Easy Access works with any program and completely bypasses the need to use the mouse or type with two hands. (Valiulis, 1988) In addition, CloseView is a utility program supplied with the system software which offers enlargement of characters on the screen. While IBM computers do not come with access modifications built into the computers, IBM will send the Access DOS program free of charge to anyone requesting it. This program provides all of the modifications previously described.

Dr. Maner has accurately described the problems resulting from input or output barriers to computer use. With these in mind, there are various ways to educate consumers and help them to overcome these barriers to facilitate computer use. The issues in the delivery of services are numerous and complicated. There is no standardized delivery system. Many consumers hire private consultants who are knowledgeable about adaptations and can suggest possible solutions. Others travel to conferences and expos to see exhibits of the adaptive technology. Another model for the delivery of services is to assemble as many adaptations as possible into an adaptive technology laboratory so that a consumer can try various solutions to find the combination that works best.

Making choices for the establishment of an adaptive technology lab at a university presents challenges and cause for closely defining objectives. Each stage in the development of the service delivery program reflects choices: Will the program serve children or adults? Which disability populations will be served? With limited resources, which adaptive devices will be purchased? How is staff selected and trained? How are services offered to the greater community as well as that of the university? (Heinisch, 1991)

The obvious benefit of such a lab is the independence achieved by students with disabilities as they learn new skills. Shell, Horn, and Severs (1988, 1989) found that presenting students with technology tools resulted in students achieving better grades and dropping fewer courses. There are some problems, however. If, indeed, students are being taught to work independently once they have learned the necessary adaptations, the issue becomes one of segregation for these students. Because the campus word processing labs do not have the adaptations needed by the students with disabilities, they cannot work in a mainstream setting, and must continue working in the adaptive technology lab. In fact, the training on the adaptation and the training in word processing or other computer skills are two separate issues. Once the system has been made accessible, training people with disabilities is the same as training anyone else. (Guisbond, 1991.) The issue then becomes one of convincing those in other areas of the campus that disability issues should be their concern, too. It is true that of all electronic office equipment, microcomputers have the greatest potential for assisting employees with disabilities. (U.S. Government, 1988.) The social barriers, however, still exist and must be overcome.

Adaptive technology must be integrated into all areas of education, starting with the public schools. Each special education student’s Individual Education Program (IEP) should reflect the training goals for computer use and for necessary computer adaptations. Computer use by these students should not be a goal in itself, but should be a tool used to achieve more important goals. (Male, 1988). At the university level, faculty members in teacher training programs must overcome their reticence to incorporate computer goals into all their programs, and especially into special education programs. Access considerations must be built into all aspects of university programming. University faculty should be experimenting with adaptive technology, and using their talents to research new applications. In the workplace, it has been repeatedly demonstrated that adaptive technology can allow the worker with a disability to perform productively and competitively. The challenge is to eliminate the barriers that keep people with disabilities from achieving their goals.

Southern Connecticut State University

References

Behrman, M. M., (1988), Integrating Computers into the Curriculum, Boston, MA: Little, Brown, and Company.

Bowe, F. (1987), “Making Computers Accessible to Disabled People,” Technology Review, 90:1, 52 – 59, 72.

Heinisch, B. (1991), “Issues in Establishing an Adaptive Technology Lab in a University Setting,” Technology and Disability, 1:2.

Geisert, P.G. & Futrell, M.K., (1990), Teachers, Computers and Curriculum, Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Guisbond, L., (1991), “Business as Usual for the Disabled,” Computerworld, 25:6, 87.

Male, M., (1988), Special Magic: Computers, Classroom Strategies and Exceptional Students, Mountain View, CA: Mayfield.

Maner, W., (1991), “Computer Access Equity for Persons with Disabilities,” Unpublished paper.

Shell, D.F., Horn, C.A. & Severs, M.K., (1988), “Effects of a Computer-Based Educational Center on Disabled Students’ Academic Performance,” Journal of College Student Development, 29, 432 – 440.

Shell, D.F., Horn, C.A. & Severs, M.K., (1989), “Computer-Based Compensatory Augmentative Communications Technology for Physically Disabled, Visually-Impaired, and Speech Impaired Students,” Journal of Special Education Technology, X:1, 29 – 42.

Valiulis, Dave, (1988), “Open Door Policy,” MacUser, February 1988. 257 – 261.

US Government, (1988), FIRMR Bulletin 56, Washington, D.C.: General Services Administration.

Go to: Some Reflections on Access Equity – Dunlop

Home > Research Resources > Adaptive Technology > Equity and Access to Computing Resources > Overcoming the Barriers to Computer Use By Individuals Who Have Disabilities

Back to the Main Site

HOME | IN THE NEWS | RESEARCH RESOURCES
TEACHING RESOURCES | STUDENT RESOURCES | LINKS

The Research Center on Computing & Society
at Southern Connecticut State University
501 Crescent Street | New Haven, CT 06515
Director: (203) 392-6790 | e-mail: webmaster@computerethics.org

© 2000 – 2007 – Research Center on Computing & Society