Evaluation of an application for making palmtop computers accessible to individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Background Palmtop computers provide a promising mobile platform to address barriers to computer-based supports for people with intellectual disabilities. This study evaluated a specially designed interface to make navigation and features of palmtop computers more accessible to users with intellectu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability Vol. 31; no. 1; pp. 39 - 47
Main Authors: Stock SE, Davies DK, Davies KR, Wehmeyer ML
Format: clinical trial research tables/charts Journal Article
Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd Mar2006
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Mar2006
      vid: 31
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      pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd
      place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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        2009181805
        10.1080/13668250500488645
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        atl: Evaluation of an application for making palmtop computers accessible to individuals with intellectual disabilities.
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          Stock SE
          Davies DK
          Davies KR
          Wehmeyer ML
        affil: Vice President, AbleLink Technologies, Inc., 528 N. Tejon St., Suite 100, Colorado Springs, CO 80903; steve@ablelinktech.com
      sug:
        subj:
          Computer User Training
          Computers, Hand-Held Utilization
          Education, Special
          Internet
          Intellectual Disability Rehabilitation
          Persons with Intellectual Disabilities
          User-Computer Interface
          Adolescence
          Adult
          Clinical Trials
          Computer Literacy
          Data Analysis Software
          Data Collection, Computer Assisted
          Female
          Funding Source
          Male
          Intellectual Disability Psychosocial Factors
          Middle Age
          P-Value
          Paired T-Tests
          Pilot Studies
          Software Design
          Human
          Adolescent: 13-18 years
          Adult: 19-44 years
          Middle Aged: 45-64 years
          Female
          Male
      ab: Background Palmtop computers provide a promising mobile platform to address barriers to computer-based supports for people with intellectual disabilities. This study evaluated a specially designed interface to make navigation and features of palmtop computers more accessible to users with intellectual disabilities.Method The specialised cognitively accessible interface was compared with a standard Windows CE interface. Participants completed a structured set of navigation/computer use tasks using both the experimental and control conditions. Measurements included the amount of assistance needed and errors made in completing the navigation/computer use tasks.Results Participants (N = 32) made significantly fewer errors (p<.001) and required significantly fewer prompts (p<.001) while using the specialised software interface compared to the mainstream Windows interface.Conclusions The research demonstrates the feasibility of using special software design methods, such as linear program flows, error minimisation and the incorporation of repetition and consistency, to improve access to palmtop computers for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Issues related to designing cognitively accessible interfaces are discussed.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        clinical trial
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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