The effects of implementing Web accessibility standards on the success of secondary adolescents with learning disabilities.

摘要

Children with learning disabilities comprise the largest population of students who are provided with special education services. As this population continues to increase, so does its need to utilize the internet for educational resources. Web accessibility has become a paramount concern in providing equal access to audiences of all abilities. Unless web accessibility is supported and employed, the internet does not deliver worldwide access as it was intended. Additional research relating to children both with and without learning disabilities and the difficulties they encounter in locating web content as a result of inaccessible web page design is needed.; This study engaged 60 students in a secondary school setting in order to identify the navigational effectiveness and response accuracy of web sites constructed to adhere to federal guidelines relating to web accessibility. The goal of the study was to determine the effects of following or not following these guidelines in the creation of instructional, web-based learning modules for adolescents with learning disabilities. The study itself comprised of an informative web site for adolescents with and without disabilities. Two web sites, one accessible and one non-accessible, were created in order to evaluate the accuracy of response and time for each participant. Students also completed an attitude survey.; Results of the study showed that all students who used the accessible web site scored higher than those who used the non-accessible site. It was also found that students without learning disabilities scored higher than did students with learning disabilities. Students in both learning groups who used the accessible web site also completed the Web Site Response Form more quickly than did students who used the non-accessible site. And, students with learning disabilities took longer to complete the form using the non-accessible web site compared to students without learning disabilities. Lastly, student attitudes about both web sites were generally positive.; The results of this study indicate that web sites created using universal design guidelines that adhere to federal recommendations for web accessibility may assist all types of students in improving the accuracy of response when using information from a web site.