The U.S Department of Health and Human Services estimated that 8% of internet users are people with disability which might hinder their full-access to web pages (Reep, 2006, p. 180). One of the forms of disability is autism, which generally affects one’s ability to communicate (Bergstein, 2008). James Ball, an autism-education consultant in New Jersey, said many autism children find chat rooms and instant-messaging causing a lower-anxiety way of socializing compared to engaging in face-to-face communication.
That difficulty is overcome by John LeSieur, the owner of software business in Saint Remi, Quebec, who builds the Zac Browser for Autistic Children (a software programming for autism children) in honour of his 6-year-old grandson. A huge advantage he shares with everyone is free software download.
In designing the program, LeSieur focused at simplifying the experience of using computer for autism children. It presents a hand-picked slate of choices ranges from free public website mainly on educational games, music, and other visually entertaining images. As Nielsen (2000) says navigation buttons should be minimised since you build your web not only for the able but also for the disable (http://www.uidesign.net/2000/books/webusability.html).
This finding is welcomed by Dianne Zager, director of the Center for Teaching and Research in Autism at Pace University (Pennsylvania, Philadelphia). She commented, “LeSieur's approach of limiting distractions and using the software as a confidence-boosting tool is a very good idea.”
How different is the program from the conventionally available?
Autistic children find too many choices is overwhelming so that this program disables keyboard buttons like “Print Screen” and shuts off the mouse’s right button function to eliminate the chance of autistic children lose self confidence after making a counterproductive click. This program provides a bigger-than-normal icon to click, sets the view configuration of no advertisements or other flashing or blinking image, retains users’ self esteem by blocking access to very dark or complicated website.
By the existence of this program, cyber space world should be no longer perceived as horrific for autism children, nonetheless this rare tool can harmonize autism children need of alternative media.
references:
Bergstein, B 2008, Grandfather builds Web browser for autistic boy, Yahoo news, viewed on 11 June 2008
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/business_of_life;_ylt=AqwovK9eaZFB5QAtXgR1YcQjtBAF
Repp, D, 2006, ‘Chapter 7: Writing for the Web’ in Technical Writing: Principles, Strategies, and Readings, Pearson Education, US.
The Gospel according to Jakob: A review of “Designing for Web usability” by Jakob Nielsen 2000, uidesign, viewed on 11 June 2008
http://www.uidesign.net/2000/books/webusability.html
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