Inclusion by Accessible Social Media

This topic addresses

1. accessibility of Social Media: issues related to accessibility of dynamic, user driven social media
2. eInclusion by Social Media: the potential of social media for the inclusion of people with disabilities

Contacts

Page author(s): Klaus Miesenberger

Keywords

Accessibility, Social Media, eInclusion

Description

Social Media such as linkedIn, Twitter, Facebook have gained a level of ubiquitousness and importance that skills in using them is becoming a basic prerequisite in many aspects of our lives e.g. education, job, private relations. Beyond becoming a central platform for communication and sharing of information they also include applications (e.g. gaming, calendar). Accessibility of Social Media is therefore crucial for inclusion and participation, but development and application of Social Media based services happens very rapidly and under a high market and economic pressure and accessibility is often not a priority in these processes.

Social Media also have a big potential as assistive tools enabling and facilitating participation and inclusion. They help to ease and overcome barriers in traditional environmental and social contexts. Social Media are discussed as integral components of e.g. inclusive eLearning, Ambient Assisted Living, care provision

This symposium invites to present and discuss work related to these two aspects of Social Media.

Background

[Additional background on the subject matter]

Discussion

1. Accessibility of Social Media:
   • Requirements and Needs of people with disabilities when using Social Media
   • State of the Art and Accessibility Evaluation/Benchmarking
   • Do existing guidelines, techniques and recommendations cover all aspects relevant to Social Media
   • Design and re-design for Accessibility: experiences and examples
   • Authoring and Development Support for accessible Social Media Content and Applications
2. Inclusion by Social Media
   • Examples of services for groups of people with disabilities
   • Efficiency, effectiveness and benefits of Social Media based services
   • Principles, guidance and support in Social Media application for people with disabilities

References

Holone, H.; et al.: Social software for accessibility mapping: challenges and opportunities, in: Unitech 2010, Oslo, Norway, Tapir Forlag (2010)

Jaeger, P.; et al.: Developing online community accessibility guidelines for persons with disabilities and older adults, Journal of Disability Policy Studies 20(1), 55-63 (2009)

Wentz, B.; et al.: Email Accessibility and Social Networking, in: Ozok, A.: Zaphiris, P.: OCSC 2009, LNCS, Springer, Heidlberg 2009

Leahy, D; et al.: Social Networking Sites and Equal Opportunity: The Impact of Accessibility, in: 22nd Bled eConference, Bled, 2009

Cahil, M.; et al.: Media Access Australia. Social Media Accessibility Review (2009): available on August 2012 from: http://www.mediaaccess.org.au

Taylor, A.: Social Media as a Tool for Inclusion, Report for Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, available on August 2012 from: http://www.homelesshub.ca/ResourceFiles/Taylor_Social%20Media_feb2011%20%281%29_1_2.pdf

Holone, H.: Inclusion by Accessible Social Media; Introduction to the Special Thematic Session, in: Miesenberger, K., Karshmer, A.; Penaz, P.; Zagler, W.: Computers Helping People with Special Needs, 13th International Conference, ICCHP 2012, Linz, Austria, July 11 -13, 2012, Proceedings, Springer, Heidelberg

Fuglerud, K.; et al.: Use of Social Media by People with Visual Impairments: Usage Levels, Attitudes and Barriers, in: Miesenberger, K., Karshmer, A.; Penaz, P.; Zagler, W.: Computers Helping People with Special Needs, 13th International Conference, ICCHP 2012, Linz, Austria, July 11 -13, 2012, Proceedings, Springer, Heidelberg

Dale, O.; et al.: User Testing of Social Media - Methodological Considerations, in: Miesenberger, K., Karshmer, A.; Penaz, P.; Zagler, W.: Computers Helping People with Special Needs, 13th International Conference, ICCHP 2012, Linz, Austria, July 11 -13, 2012, Proceedings, Springer, Heidelberg

Spiliotopoulos, D.; et al.: Designing User Interfaces for Social Media Driven Digital Preservation and Information Retrieval, in: Miesenberger, K., Karshmer, A.; Penaz, P.; Zagler, W.: Computers Helping People with Special Needs, 13th International Conference, ICCHP 2012, Linz, Austria, July 11 -13, 2012, Proceedings, Springer, Heidelberg

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