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AEGIS Conference, Brussels, Belgium, 29-30 November 2011

Accessible Course Materials for Students With Dyslexia at K.U.Leuven

Nadia Diraä, Bert Frees, Jan Engelen, Christophe StrobbeK.U.Leuven, Belgium


Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

● Founded in 1425● 38.568 students (2010-2011)● Since 1973: support of students with

disabilities by multidisciplinary working group

● Research● ICT accessibility (DocArch)● Learning disabilities (Fac Psych & Edu)● Accessibility of built environment


Accessibility Working Groups

● Physical accessibility working group● Digital accessibility working group

● representatives from – ICTS Board – ICTS services (e.g. e-learning, SAP)– library services – student support services – student representative – accessibility experts


Students with Disabilities

Disability Type 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009

Motor/mobility disability 44 51 37

Hearing impairment 16 22 27

Visual impairment 24 31 37

Chronic illness 91 112 164

Psychiatric (incl. ADHD,…) 97 209 334

Multiple 10 16 27

Other 5 6 10

Learning disability (dyslexia,…)

201 187 254

Total 488 634 890


Students with Dyslexia

● Dyslexia: disorder characterised by persistent problem with acquiring and applying reading and/or spelling at word level. Typical problems:● slow and inaccurate reading ● poor spelling● difficulty with note taking during

lectures● more time required for written tasks


Students with Dyslexia

● Students with dyslexia = 40% of students with a disability

● Compare Netherlands:● 14.000 out of 500.000 students (3%)

● The use of a text reader has a statistically significant impact on text comprehension by students(Dimmitt et al, 2006; Draffan et al 2006)


Project – support for dyslexia

● Project to evaluate the impact of the use of assistive technology (AT) for dyslexia

● Impact of two types of software● a comprehensive reading, writing and learning

software solution for students with special needs

● software that adds speech and language technology to a desktop apps so students can listen to documents, Web pages, email,…


Survey 2008-2009

● 21 students, interviewed 3 times:

1.start: focus on their experience with ICT and their diagnosis of dyslexia

2.after first exams: focus on possibilities of the AT, the problems and needs the students have faced, usability, and possible improvements

3.before exams in June: evaluation of the project by the students


Survey Findings

● Students need certain basic IT skills● Both ATs require training for optimal

use● Important preconditions

● availability of digital course materials● authorisation to use ICT during courses

and assessments● computer skills


Survey Findings

● Some students dropped out from the survey● due to lack of digital course materials● scanning readers and handbooks is too

time-consuming● advantage of the AT did not outweigh

the time they expected to need for scanning books and other materials


Additional Support for Students

● Online form with which students can request digital version of courses and books

● 2009-2010: # of requests rose to 60● workflow needed to be improved● agreements with publishers● alternate format only available to the

student who requested it


Digital Course Materials 2010-’11

● 199 requests by 44 students● alternative versions provided for 158

requests (79%)● 121 alternative versions (77%) were

downloaded by the students● => 39% of requests either not granted

by publishers or not downloaded by students

● Average time: 23 days


Digital Course Materials 2010-’11

● Publishers:● 66 different publishers were contacted● 78 requests went to 1 single publisher,

who granted all these request● 38 requests went to a publisher who

granted 82% of these requests


Conclusions

● Average waiting time (23 days) makes it difficult for students to plan properly

● But students should also request books sooner

● Distribution of digital format through e-learning system is not efficient● Working with University Library Services

to find a more efficient solution


K.U.L. Digital Accessibility Website

● www.kuleuven.be/digitaletoegankelijkheid/ ● Guidelines on web accessibility &

document accessibility (MS Word)● 5 videos on dyslexia● link collection● archives of past conferences● ...

Education

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