Equity of Access: Adaptive Technology

"It is a serious moral problem when a group that can be empowered the most by technology is ignored by the developers". With that statement, author Frances Grodzinsky begins her defense of the idea that it is morally imperative that people (of all ages) with disabilities be afforded equal access to information via computer systems. This paper addresses the problems that computer technology poses for students with disabilities and articulates what is needed to insure equity of access, particularly in a university environment.

Grodzinsky explores adaptive technology in the United States context. She points out that, because they receive federal funding, universities are obligated to refrain from discriminating against people with disabilities. However, the accomodation required by law is typically understood to mean assisted learning only: "students who are physically challenged and those with learning disabilities are not being afforded an equal education if they are not given access to computers which meet their needs, i.e., those that use the latest adaptive technology."

At the author's home institution, the University Learning Center (ULC) campus (located in Connecticut, USA), the solution to the problem of how to fully include people with disabilities in computer use was to create an Adaptive Technology Laboratory (ATL) equipped with specialised hardware and software tools that are designed to advance the skills of students with disabilities. As Grodzinsky explains, this laboratory is linked to the campus-wide network, affording students access to all software used on campus. This software interfaces with the adaptive tools providing accessibility. The ATL affords students with disabilities who want to study computer science the opportunity to have full access to all computing resources. This lab is physically located within the ULC, where tutors can evaluate student needs and guide them towards the most appropriate adaptive tools.

Since the implementation of this ATL in the mid 1990s, several new concerns have arisen. For example, the issue of adaptive technology for the laptops of students with disabilities has emerged. In the context of this growing trend, Grodzinsky asks, "Will the university buy site licenses that will allow the adaptive software to be loaded onto student machines? How will it resolve the problem of alternate input devices if laptop computers configured and supported by the university are mandated for all entering first year students?" In addition, the ATL cannot address the constraints that students in computer lab-based classes encounter: "It is ironic that handicap access means that you can get your wheelchair through the door, but you cannot fit it underneath the worktable!"

The author notes that various software and hardware solutions have been developed to meet the needs of this population. These adaptive technologies include various types of software design, ergonomics advances, alternative input, adaptations for the physically impaired, and tools for those with learning disabilities. A number of specific types of design strategies are detailed here.

In conclusion, Grodzinsky states, "In the Age of Information Technology, the computer equipped with adaptive devices is the equalizer that allows people with disabilities to participate in and compete for jobs that require computer access. However, this technology is expensive...It is a benefit to society to have people with disabilities actively employed and enjoying a quality of life heretofore unknown before the advent of computing."

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