What Color is That Comment: The Mechanics of Online Collaboration From a Blind Student's Perspective
By Watts, Stephanie; Information Technology and Disabilities, Vol. 9, No. 1Publication Date: October 2003
Article discusses the experiences of a woman who was blind in completing a Master’s in Education in the Online Teaching and Learning program at California State University. The student was able to successfully contribute in threaded discussions, exchange e-mail with classmates and instructors, and use the Digital Drop Box tool within the Blackboard Course Management System to submit assignments. This technology was reasonably effective until it came time for her to summarize a group collaboration that centered around a document that relied mainly on graphic images. Her screen reader was not able to decipher graphics, and the brainstorming session in the collaboration was conducted at a pace that was too fast for the software to handle. The author recommends students who are blind or have low vision to consider sharing similar experiences with their instructors, who may find a way to moderate online discussions to include the whole of the class.
Published by: EASI - Equal Access to Software & Information (Website:http://www.rit.edu/~easi/)
Link to text: http://www.rit.edu/%7Eeasi/itd/itdv09n1/watts.htm
