Professional paper
Initiatives for promotion of accessibility of electronic information for persons with disabilities
Vedran Vučić
; Linux Centar, Beograd
Abstract
This paper presents an overview of the developments that led to the establishment of standards for management and definition of technological, economic and social aspects of accessibility of Internet sites and electronic documents for persons with disabilities. The persons with disabilities are being discriminated due to a lack of accessibility of electronic information. Accessibility of electronic resources is not limited to disability related issues only but it also takes into account situational, social and cultural aspects . Indeed, those aspects do not exclude functionality as an important criterion. They include cultural, social, gender and situational aspects as the use of Internet should not be based solely on a person’s disability. Other aspects of personality should not be neglected either. The development of free software has enabled easier implementation and the development of web applications developed according to the accessibility guidelines. Free software Author is presented in this paper as a successful and viable application for accessible learning content management. Free licensing enables everybody to use this software freely. Legal regulations enacted in EU, USA, Canada, Australia and other states give an example of how this issue can be legally regulated in a successful way. A variety of civic, governmental, inter-governmental associations and institutions strive on local and international levels to promote and implement standards and legal regulations in the field.
Keywords
accessibility of electronic information; persons with disabilities; technological standards; web applications; inclusive education; free software
Hrčak ID:
52016
URI
Publication date:
15.3.2009.
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