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Title

Web-based teaching: communicating technical diagrams with the vision impaired

Author(s)

Baillie, Christopher;  Burmeister, Oliver K.;  Hamlyn-Harris, James H.

Abstract

Technical diagrams are an inescapable part of professional life. In the IT (information technology) field, advancement often involves the ability to analyse and design systems, requiring the preparation and interpretation of diagrams. One standard vehicle for achieving this in the object-oriented community is with the Unified Modeling Language (UML). The UML is a visual communication tool which conveys non-visual (structural) information about program architecture. Where students have vision impairments, particularly blindness, alternative communication mechanisms need to be discovered that will enable such students to understand the concepts and develop into fully capable IT professionals. This paper contains a review of techniques and products that may enable blind programmers to 'read' UML diagrams.

Publication type

Conference paper

Research centre

Swinburne University of Technology. School of Information Technology

Source

Paper presented at 'Multi-modal content: flexible, re-useable and accessible', the 2003 Australian Web Adaptability Initiative (OZeWAI) Conference, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia, 01-03 December 2003

Publication year

2003

Keyword(s)

Communication;  Teaching;  Vision impaired;  Web technologies

Publisher

OZeWAI Australian Web Adaptability Initiative

Publisher URL

http://www.ozewai.org/2003/

Copyright

Copyright © 2003. This work is reproduced in good faith. Every reasonable effort has been made to trace the copyright owner. For more information please contact researchbank@swin.edu.au.

Full text

Peer reviewed