By Kay Ansell
For many people with disabilities, access to the Internet is limited because the simple act of using a computer keyboard is an obstacle course. But once they have conquered the keyboard, cyberspace could become a disability-free zone.
Research being undertaken jointly by Monash University and the State Library of Victoria is investigating how adaptive equipment in public libraries could make the Internet more accessible to people with physical and intellectual disabilities.
Using a generous grant from AccessAbility, an initiative under the Federal Government's Networking the Nation program, Monash's Dr Kirsty Williamson and Mr Larry Stillman, diversity officer at VICNET, within the State Library, are conducting trials at nine libraries in Victoria, as well as a regional library in NSW.
The project is being sponsored by telecommunications company AAPT. In addition, Monash's School of Information Management and Systems is using an Australian Research Council small grant to explore the potential of online services for people who are blind or sight-impaired.
The equipment they are trialling includes enlarged keyboards, touch-screen keyboards and track balls that replace a conventional mouse and do not require fine motor skills. Other options include brightly coloured screens with simplified layouts that may help people with intellectual impairments.
Trial participant Mrs Margaret Farrell was introduced to the Internet through her local library in the Melbourne suburb of Kingsville.
After an initial bout of nerves, Mrs Farrell, 69, who suffers from arthritis in her hands, was able to use a slightly enlarged keyboard to access the Internet. After only one session, the advantages of cyberspace became apparent to her: "If I could speak to people in other countries, it would be great."
Dr Williamson, the director of the Information and Telecommunications Needs Research Group in the university's School of Information Management and Systems, is working with research associate Ms Amanda Bow on the trial.
"I think it's important to give people with disabilities access to online services because of the variety of ways they can be useful," Dr Williamson said. "Our daily lives are being transformed by such information technology - it would be tragic if people with disabilities were left out."
Participants are encouraged to use standard equipment to access the Internet, then try out the adaptive equipment. "We intervene only when we have to and we aim to compare success rates, so we can try to gauge how well the adaptive equipment enhances the ability to use the Internet."
Mr Stillman says the trial will ensure that available funds are spent wisely on the most cost-effective, maintenance-free equipment.
It's too early to be specific, he says, but it is possible that for a modest outlay per library, all Victorian libraries could have adaptive equipment within the next few years.
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The trial has proved helpful in launching library users like Mrs Margaret Farrell into cyberspace. |
Mr Larry Stillman and Dr Kirsty Williamson are exploring how adaptive equipment can improve Internet access for those with disabilities. |
