A case study on accessibility improvements in the source code of didactic material for distance technical courses at IMD/UFRN

Abstract

Society has demanded inclusion and accessibility so people with disabilities and other specific needs can act effectively and autonomously. For this to occur in distance education, digital teaching materials must be accessible. However, there are still programmers maintaining their attitudinal barriers on the grounds that accessibility concerns significantly affect their work and greatly increase programming costs. In this context, this paper reports a case study that analyzed changes to improve accessibility in the source code of didactic material for distance technical computer courses, offered by Instituto Metrópole Digital (IMD) of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Brazil. The original and modified source codes were compared to identify the amounts of files, lines and types of modifications by specific parts of source code affected by accessibility improvements in this courseware. It was observed that 66% of all teaching material files were modified, covering 2% of all their source code lines. The proportion of changes needed was very small compared to the benefit they bring to people with disabilities. The results of this case study are good indications that the web programming of accessible digital teaching materials is more a matter of care (attention, concern) than effort (work, resources). It is necessary to reflect on experiences like this one in order to rethink previous conceptions about the professional performance of programmers in promoting accessibility and inclusion in distance education.