IMS releases specification to improve accessibility of online learning
Accessibility for LIP version 1.0 lets computer users set preferences for how information is seen and controlled
BURLINGTON, Mass. - July 25, 2003 - IMS Global Learning Consortium (IMS) today announces the release of the final Accessibility for Learner Information Package (LIP). The Accessibility for LIP specification was developed by IMS member organizations from North America, Europe and Australia. This collaborative work was complemented by a grant awarded to the WGBH National Center for Accessible Media by the U.S. Department of Education's "Learning Anytime Anywhere Partnerships" program. The specification is available at no charge from http://www.imsglobal.org/accessibility/ in a fully accessible HTML version and in a downloadable PDF version.
What the specification does
Accessibility for LIP is a model for describing and recording user preferences for content, display, and control of interfaces for online learning that is useful for a wide range of users, including those with disabilities. The specification creates a framework that is adoptable by small and large eLearning developers, alternative access system developers, and content providers around the world. It serves all users by making learning materials easy to access from any and all "points of entry" (school, home, office, library or while using mobile devices) after an initial, one-time recording of preferences by the user.
"In the past, a user's options for setting special requirements were varied and often product- specific. As assistive technology developers, we enthusiastically support this specification which makes it possible for learners to quickly communicate their special requirements in a universal way," said Randy Marsden, Vice President of the Assistive Technology Industry Association, a nonprofit organization based in Chicago.
A learning environment built according to the Accessibility for LIP specification can allow users with disabilities, as well as users with situational challenges, to overcome limitations due to environment, hardware, or bandwidth. The learning environment's standard settings may also be customized if they are not suitable. In addition, learners can express content requirements and preferences that can then be used by a learning management system to selectively retrieve and filter content according to the needs of the learner. For example, in "The Inclusive Learning Exchange," a learning environment implementing Accessibility for LIP, learners can automate functions such as retrieving captions or descriptions for video, or retrieving less image-intensive versions of content.
Specification being adopted in Canada
In Canada, this specification has been adopted into a new assistive technology called Web-4-All, which is being installed on a network of public access computers across the country by the Government of Canada. Web-4-All, a pilot program of the Government of Canada, was developed by the University of Toronto's Adaptive Technology Resource Centre. Its "smart card" technology enables users to automatically adjust public computers equipped with Web-4-All to fit their needs, such as having text enlarged or read aloud. This innovative technology enables a wide range of people, from seniors with failing eyesight and the visually impaired to people with limited movement, to use public computers to access the Internet.
"Originally, Web-4-All was focused on resolving Internet access issues faced by people with disabilities and literacy challenges. But now, we believe all users can benefit from the personalization made possible through using software based on the specification," said Lawrence Euteneier, Project Manager of Web-4-All.
Professor Gregg Vanderheiden, Director of the Trace Center, agrees: "As we move into the era of mobile web access, creating content that can be viewed in different ways based on user settings will have much greater impact than just helping those with disabilities. Take closed-caption television for example. Viewers in a noisy environment, such as an airport lobby, may rely on closed-caption mode when there is nothing wrong with their hearing. But their need for captions is prompted by a particular environment, and so it will be with online learners who can do their work at any time and at any place."
Since 1971 the Trace Center, based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has pioneered universal design for making standard information technologies and telecommunications systems more accessible and usable by people with disabilities.
About IMS
The IMS Global Learning Consortium develops and promotes the adoption of open technical specifications for interoperable learning technology. Several IMS specifications have become worldwide de facto standards for delivering learning products and services. IMS specifications and related publications are made available to the public at no charge from www.imsglobal.org. No fee is required to implement the specifications.
IMS is a worldwide non-profit organization that includes more than 50 Contributing Members and affiliates. These members come from every sector of the global e-learning community. They include hardware and software vendors, educational institutions, publishers, government agencies, systems integrators, multimedia content providers, and other consortia. The Consortium provides a neutral forum in which members with competing business interests and different decision-making criteria collaborate to satisfy real-world requirements for interoperability and re-use.
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