Abstract

E-Learning environments are enhancing both their functionalities and the quality of the resources provided, thus simplifying the creation of learning ecologies adapted for students with disabilities. The number of students with disabilities enrolled in online courses is so small, and their impairments are so specific that it becomes difficult to quantify and identify which specific actions should be taken to support them. This work contributes to scientific literature with two key aspects: 1) It identifies which barriers these students encounter, and which tools they use to create learning ecologies adapted to their impairments; 2) It also presents the results from a case study in which 161 students with recognised disabilities evaluate the efficiency and ease of use of an online learning environment in higher education studies. The work presented in this paper highlights the need to provide multimedia elements with subtitles, text transcriptions, and the option to be downloadable and editable so that the student can adapt them to their needs and learning style.

Abstract

The information about the environment and the precise guidance of visually impaired people is the basis for their safe movement of the traffic network. Therefore, the information and communication services should be adapted to this group of users. The services based on the advanced information and communication technologies provide the visually impaired persons with information about the environment while moving along the traffic network. This paper analyses the currently available information systems of users when moving traffic network, and the currently most services based on new ICT (Information and Communications Technology). The analysis was carried on a representative sample of the City of Zagreb (Croatia) in involving all interest groups of visually impaired people. Based on defined user requirements is proposed a new services based on NFC (Near Field Communication) and RTLS (Real-Time Locating Systems). Testing and analysing the efficiency of single information and communication technologies have been performed on the actual traffic network system of the City of Zagreb. The users of the Croatian Society for Promotion and Development of Tiphlotechnology (Hrvatska Udruga za Promicanje i Razvoj Tiflotehnike – HUPRT, http://www.huprt.hr) participated in checking the efficiency of single technologies and services. First published online: 28 Jan 2015 Document type: Article