Today is the World Accessibility Awareness Day.
We are proud to honor this day by choosing to sponsor the Accessibility Days underway between today and tomorrow in Rome, the largest Italian event on the theme of Accessibility and Inclusiveness of digital technologies.
We have been dealing with for a long time accessibility, and for more than a year we have been talking about it as one of the most important issues that the world of e-learning has to face in a very short time.
First, why anyone in any condition must be able to access digital training without discrimination.
In addition to the ethical issue, however, there are also practical and regulatory aspects to take into account:
- The need to comply with WCAG extension (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), which define the accessibility criteria applicable to IT products and services;
- The deadline for the adaptation of websites and mobile applications to accessibility obligations was set for November 5, 2022;
- The obligation to comply with Legislative Decree 2022/82, which implements the "Accessibility Act" concerning the accessibility requirements of products and services not only for the PA but also for private entities, and which will become operational starting from June 28 2025.
It is therefore no coincidence that, among the many Digital Learning topics presented by Piazza Copernico as part of the 15th Edition of the International Conference on Mobile, Hybrid, and On-line Learning - eLmL 2023, held this year in Venice, Italy, from 24 to 28 April 2023, one of the most relevant studies presented was precisely that on accessibility.
Our e-learning course production team dedicated to the preparation of the intervention, made up of Saverio Santulli Sanzo, Marta Federici, Silvio Meconi, Alice Antonello, Giuseppina Somma, Antonio L'Abbate, Daniele Consorti, Claudia Falconio, works for a long time on these issues, and has produced a scientific article full of informative ideas, as well as presenting the accessible methods applied within the training projects of Piazza Copernico.
The work was presented, on behalf of the entire team, by Saverio Santulli Sanzo.
Accessibility in e-learning_from Inclusive Choice to Universal Training
Abstract
The article discusses the topic of digital accessibility as the ability of information systems to deliver usable services and provide usable information, avoiding any form of discrimination, including that oriented toward those who require assistive technologies or special computer configurations due to disabilities or unsuitable environmental conditions. In this paper, the experience of the Piazza Copernico's development team is explained in regarding the implementation of an accessible and usable course. The paper shows the complexity of this topic and the main solutions implemented in a real example to guarantee an effective inclusive learning environment.
To learn more about our approach to digital accessibility, follow us on the next one Learning Forum 2023, in which our General Manager Oliviero Vittori will lead the Phygital Talk
"E-LEARNING AS A TOOL FOR INCLUSION: HOW TRAINING CAN BECOME THE ENGINE OF CULTURAL CHANGE".
Among the participants in the panel also Claudia Falconio, Technology Enhanced Learning Director of Piazza Copernico, who will illustrate the results of a working group that has been working on this topic for at least two years.
For information on the theme of accessibility within digital training projects or to view the complete scientific article published during the conference, write to info@pcopernico.it.