Explored the attitudes and practices of property developers and related agents in facilitating or constraining access for people with disabilities in the built environment. Interview data indicated that respondents had limited knowledge of people with disabilities and their needs, regarding them as a minor consideration in building projects. They…

Argues that planners should design play areas based on children's physical, emotional, social, and intellectual needs. Specific playground planning goals are examined that address childrens' physical abilities, emotional development, and social and intellectual performance as well as help satisfy the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities…

Considers Web accessibility issues for the disabled and the need for colleges and universities to make distance education programs compliant with pertinent sections of the Rehabilitation Act and the Technology Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act. Describes the Department of Education's position and offers resources on…

Discussion of digital versions of traditional curricular materials notes ways they can effectively reduce barriers to learning for students with a variety of disabilities. Testimony before a Senate committee by David Rose, from the Center for Applied Special Technology and the National Center for Accessing the General Curriculum, urges passage of…

This article reports the findings from a survey of all self-reported disabled students in a single UK higher education institution. Undertaken as the initial phase of a project that focuses upon students' experience of learning in higher education, it is one of the first systematic analyses to be undertaken of the experience that disabled students…

This study investigated the language used in a selection of films containing audio description and developed a set of definitions that allow productions containing it to be more fully defined, measured, and compared. It also highlights some challenging questions related to audio description as a discursive practice and provides a basis for future…

While doing research into the topic of assistive technology in libraries, Janet Hopkins, found many examples of libraries providing assistive technology and special services for clients with disabilities. However, most of those examples are in post-secondary and public libraries. It was difficult to identify K-12 school libraries that are…

Legislative initiatives and federal regulations require states to provide students with disabilities access to the general curriculum and to include all students in state assessment systems. Assessing the progress in the general curriculum for students with disabilities challenges states to determine how academic standards apply to all students…

This article is the story of a school's journey from a deficit model of special education needs programming to an inclusive model of student learning support. The heart of this journey was the identification and management of tensions and complexities surrounding educational beliefs, school values, and pedagogical practices. This article will…

This study investigated improving the usability of a mainstream cell phone for use by individuals with low vision by providing a means to display the text of the keys in large print on the phone's screen. Two enlarging techniques (suspend and display and delay and display) were developed, and the programs were loaded into the cell phone. The…

It may seem that deaf-blindness refers to a total inability to see or hear. However, in reality deaf-blindness is a condition in which the combination of hearing and visual losses in children cause "such severe communication and other develop mental and educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for…

The purpose of this document is to provide operators with implementation and operational technical assistance related to special education in charter schools. Special education is a very complicated component of public education and providing operators with technical assistance regarding special education is particularly challenging. This primer…

This report evaluates the services which schools and education authorities provide for learners with literacy and language difficulties. The aim of this report is to help schools, colleges and universities to take forward improvements by describing good and improving practice in addressing the needs of learners with dyslexia. Research suggests…

Adults with developmental disabilities are often excluded from participating in a variety of online activities, which are part of everyday life in our digital, knowledge-based society, using information and communication technology (ICT). Numerous barriers are associated with their non-participation, including a lack of basic computer and Internet…

The devices listed in this reference circular are designed to assist people with visual or physical disabilities to access information displayed on a computer screen. These devices include screen magnifiers, screen readers, web browsers, and devices that convert print into synthetic speech or braille. Section 1 lists available products. Section 2…