Aims, objectives and research questions
Aims
The aims of Inclusive New Media Design are
to examine ways in which socially inclusive new media might be designed for disabled communities, particularly intellectually disabled communities
to contribute towards the social inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in the web
Including people with intellectual disabilities
Working towards maximum accessibility
Objectives
The objectives are
to explore the place of web accessibility guidelines within the practices of new media designers and within creative design processes
to explore the factors which affect the take up of accessibility guidelines and the accessibility ethos (for example, clients‚ priorities and interests)
to examine the effectiveness of guidelines as a way of achieving accessible web design
to examine the effectiveness of approaches other than guidelines as a way of achieving accessible web design (for example, the inclusion of intellectually disabled users in the design process, or demonstrations of exemplary accessible web design)
to disseminate findings amongst relevant academics, new media designers and developers and key international bodies such as W3C
Research questions
As a research project, INMD aimed to answer some research questions.
These were:
How might the social inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in new media like the world wide web be achieved?
How effective are web accessibility guidelines as a means of achieving such social inclusion?
What factors affect the take up and application of the accessibility ethos and guidelines in the web design practices of new media designers?
What is the relationship between accessibility guidelines and the creative design process?
How effective are other approaches (such as the inclusion of disabled users in the design process or highlighting exemplary practice) in achieving accessible web design?
What is the relationship between
discourses about creativity in general, and creativity in new media work in particular
designers and developers‚ perceptions of their work
the extent of their accessibility practice
