scholarly journals Accessibility in Native Mobile Applications for Users with Disabilities: A Scoping Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 5707
Author(s):  
Patricia Acosta-Vargas ◽  
Belén Salvador-Acosta ◽  
Luis Salvador-Ullauri ◽  
William Villegas-Ch. ◽  
Mario Gonzalez

The objective of this scoping review is to characterize the current scenario of mobile applications considering accessibility issues for people with cognitive, motor, and sensory disabilities. Nowadays, mobile devices have grown exponentially, giving way to new ways of relating, managing, and working. In this context, mobile devices seek to democratize access to knowledge on different topics; however, the application of accessibility guidelines is neglected. The reviewers extracted the most relevant articles published between 2000 and 2020 from the ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. In this scoping review, the PRISMA-ScR checklist was used to extract scientific articles; Cohen’s kappa coefficient = 0.4117 was applied, which implies moderate concordance of reviewers; 22 primary studies were extracted from a total of 211. The results obtained in this research suggest applying WCAG 2.1 in mobile applications to achieve an adequate level of accessibility. Future work suggests designing review tools that include machine learning based on artificial intelligence algorithms.

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (24) ◽  
pp. 6917 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inmaculada García-Martínez ◽  
José María Fernández-Batanero ◽  
David Cobos Sanchiz ◽  
Antonio Luque de la Rosa

Teaching in higher education is changing due to the influence of technology. More and more technological tools are replacing old teaching methods and strategies. Thus, mobile devices are being positioned as a key tool for new ways of understanding educational practices. The present paper responds to a systematic review about the benefits that mobile devices have for university students’ learning. Using inclusion and exclusion criteria in the Web of Science and Scopus databases, 16 articles were selected to argue why Mobile learning (Mlearning) has become a modern innovative approach. The results point to an improvement in students’ learning through Mlearning, factors that encourage the use of mobile devices in universities have been identified, and effective mobile applications in improving teaching and learning processes have been presented. The inclusion of this methodology requires a new role for teachers, whose characterization is also specified.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (18) ◽  
pp. 6324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Salvador-Ullauri ◽  
Patricia Acosta-Vargas ◽  
Mario Gonzalez ◽  
Sergio Luján-Mora

Nowadays, one of the learning resources in the educational area are serious games, also called training games; they are games designed with a different purpose than fun, whose main objective is to reinforce the new concepts more creatively. However, not all existing serious games are accessible in a way that allows access to a more significant number of users. Therefore, this research proposes to apply a combined method to evaluate accessibility in serious games, considering the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. As a case study, we evaluated the accessibility of 82 serious games developed by Physical Education Technology Interactive Simulations at the University of Colorado. We propose to replicate this combined method for users with various types of disabilities, considering the various accessibility barriers. As future work, we suggest generating an accessibility heuristic evaluation focused on serious games, based on the accessibility issues identified. Finally, we believe it is essential to strengthen accessibility policies in each country, as well as implement best practices that generate innovation by incorporating diversity in building and designing more inclusive serious games.


2003 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-86
Author(s):  
Christine Rzepka

One of the top reasons given for use of the internet is the ability to search for health information. However, much of the planning for web-based health information often fails to consider accessibility issues. If health care organizations and community agencies’ web sites have the latest, most wellresearched information on the health topics of the day, it is useless to those who cannot access it because of invisible technological barriers. Many flashy, high-tech sites were designed only to appeal to the needs of the mainstream population, with no consideration given to how people with disabilities must adapt their use of the web in order to access information. This article addresses issues of access specific to web site development, and will explore barriers to accessibility frequently experienced by web users with disabilities, requirements for ADA compliance, and how people with disabilities use the web. Web site accessibility guidelines, as well as simple evaluation tools, will be discussed. A thorough review of the article will enable even the least tech-savvy of health educators to enhance their skills in planning and evaluating web sites to promote access for people with disabilities.


2021 ◽  
pp. 152483802098556
Author(s):  
Mark A. Wood ◽  
Stuart Ross ◽  
Diana Johns

In the last decade, an array of smartphone apps have been designed to prevent crime, violence, and abuse. The evidence base of these apps has, however, yet to analyzed systematically. To rectify this, the aims of this review were (1) to establish the extent, range, and nature of research into smartphone apps with a primary crime prevention function; (2) to locate gaps in the primary crime prevention app literature; and (3) to develop a typology of primary crime prevention apps. Employing a scoping review methodology and following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, studies were identified via Web of Science, EBSCOhost, and Google Scholar. We included English-language research published between 2008 and 2020 that examined smartphone applications designed explicitly for primary crime prevention. Sixty-one publications met our criteria for review, out of an initial sample of 151 identified. Our review identified six types of crime prevention app examined in these publications: self-surveillance apps, decision aid apps, child-tracking apps, educational apps, crime-mapping/alert apps, and crime reporting apps. The findings of our review indicate that most of these forms of primary crime prevention apps have yet to be rigorously evaluated and many are not evidence-based in their design. Consequently, our review indicates that recent enthusiasm over primary crime prevention apps is not supported by an adequate evidence base.


2021 ◽  
pp. 153944922110326
Author(s):  
Mary E. Stoykov ◽  
Courtney Heidle ◽  
Shamshir Kang ◽  
Lisa Lodesky ◽  
Lindsay E. Maccary ◽  
...  

Sensory priming is a technique to facilitate neuroplasticity and improve motor skills after injury. Common sensory priming modalities include peripheral nerve stimulation/somatosensory electrical stimulation (PNS/SES), transient functional deafferentation (TFD), and vibration. The aim of this study was to determine whether sensory priming with a motor intervention results in improved upper limb motor impairment or function after stroke. PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Web of Science, and EMBASE were the databases used to search the literature in July 2020. This scoping review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement and recommendations for the Cochrane collaboration. In total, 30 studies were included in the analysis: three studies examined TFD, 16 examined PNS/SES, 10 studied vibration, and one combined the three stimulation techniques. Most studies reported significant improvements for participants receiving sensory priming. Given the low risk, it may be advantageous to use sensory-based priming prior to or concurrent with upper limb training after stroke.


Author(s):  
Endurance Uzobo ◽  
Aboluwaji D Ayinmoro

Background As it is common with the most devastating events in the world, women always seem to be at the most disadvantage position. This situation manifested during the period of COVID-19 lockdown throughout the world and Africa in particular. The purpose of this study is to explore Domestic Violence (DV) cases in African during the COVID-19 lockdown. Methods Data for this study were gleaned from an electronic literature search using various databases PubMed and BioMed Central, Web of Science, etc. Key search words were gender DV during and after COVID-19. A total of 68 records were identified during the search. However, only 46 of these sources met the inclusion criteria. Results From the review done in selected African countries which include Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana and Zimbabwe; it was discovered that COVID-19 lockdown across these countries worsens the already existing cases of DV. The study also noted that generally, the response of the government has been very poor in terms of dealing with DV cases in the period of COVID-19 lockdown. Conclusion The study concluded that despite the failures of government in tackling the DV pandemics, NGOs have been very active in championing the cause of those violated while also trying to provide succour to victims. Thus, the study recommended that countries in Africa need to join international initiatives in prioritising DV cases while trying to deal with the virus itself. Thus, one disease should not be traded for another.


Safety ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Miroslava Mikusova ◽  
Joanna Wachnicka ◽  
Joanna Zukowska

The topic of the use of mobile devices and headphones on pedestrian crossings is much less explored in comparison to the use of the mobile phone while driving. Recent years have seen many discussions on this issue, especially in foreign countries. The Slovak Republic, however, has not been giving it enough attention (and it is not mentioned in the National Road Safety Plan for the Slovak Republic from 2011 to 2020). This paper aims to draw attention to this issue. It presents basic outputs of a pilot study on pedestrian safety, with a focus on the use of mobile devices and headphones at selected non-signalized pedestrian crossings in three Slovak cities. Overall, 9% of pedestrians used headphones or mobile devices at observed pedestrian crossings (4% of them used headphones, 1% used headphones and at same time used their mobile phone, 2% made phone calls and 2% used their mobile phones). While these numbers can be considered relatively low, the study proved that during weekdays every 2 min someone was using the crossing without fully focusing on crossing the road safely. Another main finding was that although the safety risk at pedestrian crossings is increased by factors such as rush hour traffic or reduced visibility, pedestrian behavior related to the use of mobile phones and headphones does not change. A safety assessment was also carried out at the crossings. The results show that pedestrian behavior is not affected by the level of safety of the crossing (e.g., visibility of the crossing for drivers). The results of the presented analysis suggest that action is needed to change that. Due to the lack of information about accidents involving pedestrians using mobile phones and headsets when crossing the road, no relevant statistical data could be analyzed. The dataset collected can be used as a basis for further investigation or comparisons with other countries of the relevant indicators. In future work, we would like to include a pedestrian–driver interaction factor focusing on driver speed behavior in relation to pedestrians (who are on or are about to step onto a pedestrian crossing) and identify critical situations caused by improper behavior of drivers and/or pedestrians. This will help to understand speed adjustment problems related to pedestrian crossings.


2021 ◽  
pp. 002246692110133
Author(s):  
Chung Eun Lee ◽  
Julie Lounds Taylor

Postsecondary educational programs (PSEs) are increasingly an option for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This scoping review synthesized research to understand the impacts of these programs for students with IDD and for campus, and barriers to these programs across stages of engagement (exploration, participation, completion). Studies were identified by searching PubMed, PsycINFO, ERIC, and Web of Science databases and reference lists of included articles. Twenty-one studies met inclusion criteria. Multiple benefits were identified for students with IDD and campus. Persistent barriers across all stages of program engagement included lack of funding and lack of collaboration. Barriers specific to stages included lack of knowledge, options, individualized support, integration into campus, and transportation. Implications for research and practice are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 15-24
Author(s):  
Taha Ahmadi ◽  
Hernández Cristian ◽  
Cubillos Neil

This article presents a review of the most relevant manual techniques and technologies developed from the field of artificial vision aimed at identifying biomechanical alterations. The purpose is to describe the most important aspects of each technology, focused on the description of each of its stages and experimental results, which suggest the integration of mobile devices with artificial vision techniques, in addition to the different computer programs used for such end. Finally, the results showed that the identification of the crook index for alterations in posture turns out to be a technique currently used by most specialists. The great challenge is to develop portable devices through mobile applications that allow the detection of the corvo index and the barometric analysis, as well as for other types of applications that depend on visual analysis by experts.


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