Al-Wabil, Zaphiris, Wilson - 2006 - Web Design for Dyslexics Accessibility of Arabic Content - Lectu

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Web Design for Dyslexics: Accessibility of Arabic Content Areej Al-Wabil, Panayiotis Zaphiris, and Stephanie Wilson Centre for Human-Computer Interaction Design City University, London EC1V 0HB, UK a.al-wabil@city.ac.uk, {zaphiri, steph}@soi.city.ac.uk

Abstract. This paper reports results of a workshop on the design of electronic content for users with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD), particularly Arabic dyslexics. First we shed some light on the nature of the Arabic language and discuss features that account for the unique needs of Arabic users with reading disorders. Then we present recommendations for accessible web design for Arabic content in light of existing guidelines on web design for dyslexic users.

1 Introduction The use of electronic materials is increasing and more educational content is being made available to users online. Web design guidelines promoting accessibility for users with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD), dyslexics in particular, have been developed [1,2]. Until recently, our understanding of dyslexia was largely confined to research on the English language. For this reason, existing accessibility guidelines fail to address some issues related to non-Latin orthographies. For accessibility issues related to presentation and content, it is important to consider the linguistic properties of the content, especially for the case of users with SpLDs. Evidence in recent studies has shown that linguistic properties of different languages such as phonological, morphological, and orthographic characteristics influence the learning of reading and writing of that particular language [3]. A few studies have begun to appear that look into characteristics of dyslexia in Arabic [4,5,6]. Design guidelines for Arabic content need to consider features of the Arabic language that account for the unique needs of users with reading disorders. Arabic is widely spoken with an estimated 200 million native speakers. It is also the language of the Quran and is believed to be the second most widely used script in the world [7]. The spread of Islam prompted the incorporation of other cultures outside the Arab world and resulted in what is referred to as the "Arab scripted world", which includes contemporary languages such as: Farsi, Jawi, Kurdish, Pashto, Sindhi, Urdu, Dari, and Uyghuri [8]. Issues related to the design of Arabic electronic content were explored in a workshop investigating accessibility of Arabic content for users with SpLDs, particularly dyslexics. The objectives of the workshop were to identify the most K. Miesenberger et al. (Eds.): ICCHP 2006, LNCS 4061, pp. 817 – 822, 2006. Š Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006


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