Individuals with Mobility Impairment
A study by the National Center for Education Statistics shows mobility impairments as the second most common type of disability among students enrolled at 2-year and 4-year postsecondary educational institutions. The term mobility impairment refers to an expansive range of disabilities which vary in severity from stamina limitations to complete paralysis and include, but are not limited to, disorders of the skeletal, respiratory, neuromuscular, cardiovascular, and pulmonary systems. Some of the most common causes for mobility impairments include spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and muscular dystrophy.
- Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) often occur during the young adult years and usually result in full or partial paralysis. Thus, students with SCI may still be in the rehabilitation process and adjusting to a whole new life and body image.
- Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a chronic condition characterized by difficulty in controlling and coordinating voluntary muscle movements. Individuals with CP can be slightly to severely affected, with one or more parts of the body involved and may experience:
- Stiff or excessively loose torso and limbs;
- Involuntary motion of legs and arms;
- Difficulty walking; and/or
- Extreme difficulty in speaking, swallowing, or chewing.
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a common neurological condition that generally affects young adults. Individuals with MS may experience:
- Slurred speech,
- Paralysis,
- Uncontrollable eye movement,
- Loss of balance,
- Lack of coordination, and/or
- Extreme fatigue.
A individual with MS can also experience a series of attacks, followed by partial or complete recovery. Alternately, MS can follow a slow, progressive course with few or no periods of recovery. The frustration of not knowing how one may be able to function from one day to the next could affect the mood of individuals with MS.
- Muscular Dystrophy (MD) includes many types, but the two most common are Aran-Duchene and myotonic dystrophy.
- Aran-Duchene (adult progressive spinal muscular dystrophy) involves impairment of the muscles of the hands. There may be involuntary twitching of the hand and arm muscles, and the legs may be weak and stiff.
- Myotonic dystrophy involves stiffness in the limbs and a difficulty in relaxing the grip. The voice may have a nasal quality, and facial muscles are weakened, resulting in a mask like appearance.
Assistive Technology
Individuals with mobility disabilities will demonstrate a wide range of physical abilities and thus, will use an array of assistive technology devices and software to facilitate computer access. Some may use alternative technology while others may be able to use standard input devices, but lack the fine motor control required to select small buttons on the screen. Examples of alternative technology include:
- Use of a joystick, trackball, or even speech input.
- Keyboard adaptations, such as a tongue touch keypad, key guards, and alternative keyboard software applications. Be aware that some alternative keyboards (i.e. Intellikeys) plug into the serial ports of any computer, while other devices (i.e. Unicorn Expanded Keyboard) require additional equipment.
- Acceleration techniques that allow the user through keystrokes to input a predefined shorthand version of a word or phrase which is automatically expanded by the computer into words. Some programs such as Word and Excel, provide the option to create "Macro Commands".
- Word lists or word prediction where the initial letter(s) of the words is entered and a dynamic menu of word choices is presented. The user then selects the desired word, rather than typing each letter.
Accommodation Suggestions
Individuals with mobility impairments may encounter a variety of access barriers. Time limited actions, such as timed tests, time-responsive webpages, and live text-based interaction are particularly problematic for individuals who have slow input methods or little to no control over their arms or hands. Similarly difficult are devices and tasks requiring significant physical effort or repetitive actions as well as technology that does not offer or support keyboard alternatives or shortcuts.
Suggestions for designing distance education to be accessible for individuals with mobility impairments include:
- On-site meetings need to be held in accessible locations (see Image 13).
Image 13: Symbol for accessible location by individuals with disabilities
- Asynchronous text-based correspondence, such as email and web bulletin boards, and flexible deadlines can address some of the access barriers.
- Larger icons and hypertext links can assist individuals who have difficulty controlling their hand movements.
- Short breaks during live interaction will also allow additional time to respond plus provide time to relax their muscles.
The next page will present information about individuals with seizure disorders.
College of Architecture (COA)
Disabilities
Mobility Impairment
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