Abstract
The chapter presents some experiences carried out in Computer Sciences Department of the Universidad Católica del Norte (Chile) related to the development of technological products at the service of people with disabilities. Since 2006, the author has been working with institutions made up of people with disabilities in co-creating solutions to problems that affect their independence and inclusion in different areas. Products have been created for the blind, deaf, and children belonging to autism spectrum disorder. The work teams of each project have been made up of the author of this chapter together with students from Computer Science and the Master's Program in Computer Engineering. Results have been satisfactory. The challenge is to achieve an effective universal design, which should include, from the early stages of each project, not only typical end users, but also those who present conditions that require special considerations to access the technology.
TopIntroduction
This chapter shows the experiences in the field of technological development for the inclusion of people with disabilities, developed in Computer Science Department of the Universidad Católica del Norte, located in the city of Antofagasta, in Chile. This line of applied research and technological development, called “Inclusive Computing” arises at the end of 2016, and has remained constant over time since then, covering inclusion issues from different perspectives. The projects and works described below have been led by the author of the chapter and developed with the participation of different students from the Computer Science and Magister in Computer Engineering programs at the Institution.
The topics and work that are described in the chapter are the following:
- 1.
Usability and universal design. Usability is considered as one of the most important quality attributes, being a fundamental aspect in all software products. It is even more crucial in those systems that are designed for a wide variety of users, called by different authors as inclusive products. The target of this research topic is to provide a broad perspective on different factors influencing usability identified in several investigations focused on software products for users with sensory disability.
- 2.
A first approach to the structure of a proposal for the elicitation of software requirements for inclusive systems, with an emphasis on the attribute of usability. This work is still in development, so only the phases that are being considered as part of the guide are indicated.
- 3.
Experiences in mobile and web application development for people with disabilities. Specifically, they present a mobile application that allows the autonomous movement of blind or visually impaired people in closed spaces; a platform (web and mobile) for audiobooks; a mobile application to support language development in ASD children; a web page with a user interface based on Chilean Sign Language; and a mobile application to configure Smartag NFC for the blind and visually impaired.
The objective of this chapter is to share the experiences developed in the field of creating software products for people with disabilities. In doing this, the author seeks two results: firstly, to encourage other researchers and developers to create more technological products that reduce the inequalities that affect people with disabilities. Secondly, to show how universities can make a concrete contribution to the community's social problems. The two indicated results result in a win-win relationship between social organizations and institutions of higher education. Social organizations obtain solutions to their problems, while universities improve the teaching-learning process by solving real problems, with real clients and users.
TopBackground
According to the World Report on Disability of the World Health Organization (Banco Mundial & Organización Mundial de la Salud, 2011), around 15% of the world's population has some type of disability. The same report, declares that the number of people with disabilities is increasing, this mainly due to the aging of the population.
According to the World Health Organization, the concept of disability is defined as an umbrella term covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions, being a complex phenomenon that reflects the interaction between the characteristics of the body of a person and the characteristics of the society in which the person lives (Banco Mundial & Organización Mundial de la Salud, 2011). Hence, disability is a consequence of the functional impairments of a person that prevent them from successfully interacting with a product or service in a given context.
When talking about people with disabilities, a large part of the population associates it with a person who uses a wheelchair, a blind person with a cane or a deaf person. However, these disabilities are only part of a larger set of conditions, which are sometimes known as “invisible disabilities”, because they are not visible to the naked eye. Among these are Autism Spectrum Disorder, visual decline, severe depression, speech difficulties, among others.
Disability is a barrier or limitation that is not found in the person who has a particular condition, but is located in the environment in which these people are inserted, that is, it is society who is not prepared to allow people with disabilities develop their potential for their own well-being and as a contribution to society.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Inclunova: Start up that arises from the first inclusive project developed by the Department of Computer Sciences of the Universidad Católica del Norte. This company is dedicated to the development of inclusive technologies.
PictoLomi: Mobile application that implements a video game that, based on the use of pictograms, seeks to support the language development of children with the ASD condition.
Usability: Characteristic of a product that describes how easy it is to use it in a given context.
Chilean Sign Language: Language used by the deaf community. It is based on the description of signs using the hands and facial and body expression.
Inclubooks: Technological platform made up of web and mobile applications, developed for blind people to have access to audiobooks in the cultural context of Chile.
Universal Design: Principles of design that seek that any product be created for the use of all people, regardless of the conditions it presents, in such a way that redesign is not required to adapt its use to any particular group of users.
Pasos: Mobile application marketed by the company Inclunova. This application is responsible for guiding the movement of a blind person in a closed environment, such as inside a building.
Voice Talk Beacon: Mobile application developed by the Department of Computer Sciences of the Universidad Católica del Norte, installed in the Hospital of the city of Antofagasta (Chile). Its objective is to guide the movement of blind people who need to attend a service in said area.
Near Field Communication (NFC): Technology that enables wireless communication and data exchange between two nearby devices.
Disability: Barriers to the environment that make it difficult for people with any special physical, social or mental condition to participate in different social, academic or other fields.