Abstract
Assistive Technology (AT) software market is expensive, and related products are hard to find, especially for non-English speaking users. Open Source and free AT software partially solve the cost problem, and online inventories facilitate the search for the appropriate product. Even so, users don’t have all the information gathered and systematically organized in one place. Furthermore, free software often needs to be tested and reviewed by computer and AT experts in order to detect and point out reliability, installation, and compatibility issues. We propose a methodology for creating web-based free AT software inventories, which will make the search and selection of such products straightforward. The methodology is based on the systematic organization and consistency of the information available for each product, and its effective presentation; the goal for the users is to be able to quickly find, compare and understand the functionality and features of each product. We have applied this methodology to create the Open Source / Freeware AT software inventory http://access.uoa.gr/fs.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Vanderheiden, G.C.: Redefining Assistive Technology, Accessibility and Disability Based on Recent Technical Advances. J. Technology in Human Services 25, 147–158 (2007)
Emiliani, P.L.: Assistive Technology (AT) Versus Mainstream Technology (MST): The Research Perspective. Technology and Disability 18, 19–29 (2006)
Law, C.M., Yi, J.S., Choi, Y.S., Jacko, J.A.: Are Disability Access Guidelines Designed for Designers?: Do They Need to Be? In: 18th Australia Conference on Computer-Human Interaction: Design: Activities, Artifacts and Environments, pp. 357–360. ACM Press, New York (2006)
Chopra, S., Dexter, S.: Decoding Liberation: A Philosophical Investigation of Free Software. Routledge, New York (2007)
Morelli, R., Tucker, A., Danner, N., De Lanerolle, T.R., Ellis, H.J., Izmirli, O., Krizanc, D., Parker, G.: Revitalizing Computing Education Through Free and Open Source Software for Humanity. Communications of the ACM 52, 67–75 (2009)
Richle, D.: The Economic Motivation of Open Source Software: Stakeholder Perspectives. IEEE Computer 40, 25–32 (2007)
Judge, S., Lysley, A., Walsh, J., Judson, A., Druce, S.: OATS - Open source assistive technology software - a way forward. In: 12th Biennial Conference of the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, ISAAC (2006)
Savidis, A., Stephanidis, C.: Inclusive Development: Software Engineering Requirements for Universally Accessible Interactions. Interacting with Computers 18, 71–116 (2006)
Crowston, K., Howison, J., Annabi, H.: Information Systems Success in Free and Open Source Software Development: Theory and Measures. Softw. Process Improve. Pract. 11, 123–148 (2006)
Votis, K., Lopes, R., Tzovaras, D., Carriço, L., Likothanassis, S.: A Semantic Accessibility Assessment Environment for Design and Development for the Web. In: Stephanidis, C. (ed.) HCI 2009. LNCS, vol. 5616, pp. 803–813. Springer, Heidelberg (2009)
Korn, P., Bekiaris, E., Gemou, M.: Towards Open Access Accessibility Everywhere: the AEGIS Concept. In: Stephanidis, C. (ed.) HCI 2009. LNCS, vol. 5614, pp. 535–543. Springer, Heidelberg (2009)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Pino, A., Kouroupetroglou, G., Kacorri, H., Sarantidou, A., Spiliotopoulos, D. (2010). An Open Source / Freeware Assistive Technology Software Inventory. In: Miesenberger, K., Klaus, J., Zagler, W., Karshmer, A. (eds) Computers Helping People with Special Needs. ICCHP 2010. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 6179. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-14097-6_29
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-14097-6_29
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-14096-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-14097-6
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)