Teaching accessibility and design-for-all in the information and communication technology curriculum: Three case studies of universities in the United States, England, and Austria.

摘要

Digital technologies allow people with disabilities to participate independently in society in ways they never could before. The full realization of these new opportunities remains elusive, though, because working professionals in the information and communication technology (ICT) field rarely receive adequate training in how to make digital ICT accessible to people with disabilities. Adding accessibility to the university ICT curriculum can help create a critical mass of ICT professionals with accessibility awareness and expertise to finally realize the full accessibility potential of digital technologies. This dissertation provides a rich informational context from which ICT curriculum leaders can decide how to best infuse accessibility into their own curriculum.;Part I consists of detailed case study narratives of curricula at three universities, documenting the context in which the curriculum was developed, the curriculum rationale, and the process of design and implementation. The three case studies were: (a) the Web Sciences master's degree program at the University of Linz in Austria, (b) the Instructional Technology master's degree program at George Mason University in the United States, and (c) the Digital Inclusion master's degree program at Middlesex University in the United Kingdom.;Part II consists of a thematic analysis across the case studies of six main themes: (a) the curriculum goals and rationale; (b) the curriculum design process, from idea to implementation; (c) defining the scope of the curriculum; (d) instructional materials and strategies; (e) instructional format and media choices; and (f) program sustainability. The last theme, program sustainability, proved to be one of the most crucial aspects of incorporating accessibility into the ICT curriculum.;Part III situates the ICT curriculum within the broader theoretical economic development framework of the capability approach, which is an approach to economic development that takes into account many variables in the quality of human life, not just financial measures. The discussion addresses the unique power of digital ICT to create capabilities in people with disabilities, and the role of the ICT curriculum within an "accessibility ecosystem" of diverse, interconnected stakeholders. The discussion concludes with a list of indicators for measuring accessibility content in the ICT curriculum.