Aug 25 - Ahonen, Accessibility Challenges with Mobile Lifelong Learning Tools...

Mikko AHONEN, Accessibility challenges with mobile lifelong learning tools and related collaboration. University of Tampere, Hypermedia Laboratory. mikko.ahonen@uta.fi

Usability focuses on making applications and websites easy for people to use.
Accessibility focuses on making them equally easy for everyone to use,
including people with a disability. (WAI, 2003)

When mobile tools exchanges data with other devices via a potentially unreliable or narrow communication line, as in wireless communications, user interfaces for management of database communications of mobile tools are required to meet user's needs such as fast response, high usability, reliability and easy-to-use features. Standardizing these new user-interfaces will be very beneficial and convenient for mobile users.

When Blanchard (2001) took a look at usability standards like ISO 13407
HUMAN CENTRED DESIGN PROCESSES FOR INTERACTIVE SYSTEMS, he noticed that
focus is on usability and not accessibility per se and there were no statements
requiring systems to be accessible.

Ahonen's original interest on accessibility issues has come up in the development of
evaluation criteria for mobile learning solutions. Action: Read about more of Ahonen's works.

Churchill and Wakeford (2002, 173) have foreseen this challenge area:
“Experience of mobility is embedded in an experience of temporality which includes mutually negotiated rhythms of contact, availability and accessibility.”
They have suggested a following design framework for collaboration on the move with two dimensions:
1. Tight versus Loose Mobility
2. Close versus Distant Information

References that I may want to read further in the future:
Ahonen, M. (2003) Mobility, Accessibility and Learning. Keynote Speech in Mlearn 2003 Conference. London.
Blanchard, H. E. (2001). International standards: Their scope, quality, and impact. In M. J. Smith & G. Salvendy (Eds.) Systems, social and internationalization design aspects of human-computer interaction. pp. 537-540. Erlbaum. Mahwah, NJ.
Churchill, E. & Wakeford, N. (2002) Framing Mobile Collaborations and Mobile Technologies. In Brown, B., Green, N. & Harper, R. (Eds.) Wireless World. Social and Interactional Aspects of the Mobile Age. Springer. London.
ISO (2003) ISO/IEC 18021, Information technology - User interfaces for Mobile tools for management of database communications in a client-server model. First Edition. International standard specification. Available online.
Vavoula, G. & Sharples, M. (2002) Requirements for the Design of Lifelong Learning Organisers. Mlearn 2002 Conference Proceedings. London.
WAI (2003) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). Guidelines working document. World Wide Web Consortium. Online: http://www.w3.org/WAI/