The world of digital humanities can be a treasure trove of information for consuming, whether for the purpose of research, training, or recreation. While the techniques and tools to access digitized information and visuals might be available in exhibit forms in person, such as displays at museums, libraries, and other institutions, the impact on the largest audience of consumers can arguably be found through the material’s availability on the internet.
While pondering the term “accessible”, I reflect on the many factors and steps that need to align for the final person in the sequence, the consumer, to truly have access. The beginning of the process starts with the materials themselves being digitized. While working with the Mississippi Digital Humanities Hub at USM, we have talked with many people and memory institutions around the state, such as libraries, museums, colleges and universities, and historical societies, who have items that help tell the stories of their community and heritage, but many items are sitting in boxes or dusty shelves and are not shared beyond their storage rooms. While the thought of the digitization process and equipment can at times seem daunting, a step-by-step process can help make it more manageable. One of the initial priorities might be determining what needs to be made available first. As discussed in prior classes, the concept of mass digitization versus critical digitization comes into play. Mass digitization is the concept in which someone would try to digitize everything, while critical digitization organizes materials or items into groupings or collections with a specific shared purpose or theme. Once this information is decided, the equipment and techniques needed to actually scan or digitize the materials enter the picture. This equipment could be as simple as a cell phone or as high-tech as large-scale scanners, and the software can be either very basic, depending on the materials, or specialized, such as needed for 3-D visualization, which can then be used to visually reconstruct an item either on a screen or perhaps a 3-D printer. Another option for items that have been scanned, such as older documents handwritten in cursive, would be to upload them to a transcription site, in which volunteers could then transcribe them. Some software programs have been developed for the scan-to-text of cursive, but it has not been perfected yet; thus, it still needs to be reviewed by humans before it can be accepted as accurate. To view a transcription service for use by Mississippi memory institutions or a list of digitization tools available to them by the Hub, please visit https://www.ms-digital-hub.com/mdhh-tools.
Once materials have been scanned, it is of utmost importance that they have appropriate metadata or tags to help make them easily searchable. Without this vital information, internet searches such as Google will not be effective in picking them up. Once the materials are ready for publication, downloaded onto the internet, and made live, then the importance of each prior step comes into play. When search information has been gleaned from the digitally published materials, that information can be utilized in a multitude of creative ways through Digital Humanities tools such as StoryLine JS or Map Warper, for example. For tutorials on these and other DH tools, please visit the Center for Digital Humanities at Southern Miss at https://usmcdh.org/tutorials/.
While the term accessible describes something that is easy to approach or use, it is not interchangeable with the term accessibility. It is the field of accessibility, particularly when discussing computer accessibility for individuals with disabilities, in which additional or specialized concepts, devices, software, and approaches are growing.
Computer accessibility for individuals with disabilities is a broad term, encompassing not only types of modifications, software, or hardware, but also addressing the specific needs of the user on an individual basis. While a specific diagnosis of a disability might help point in a general direction to be considered as a starting spot, it is important to remember that each person should be evaluated on an individual basis by a qualified professional to determine their own specific needs.
Because the terms and concepts of both accommodations and disabilities are so broad, I have created a guide that includes some resources that are larger in scope and then narrowed down to more specific fields. It is noted that while the purpose of this resource guide might be geared toward accessibility for individuals with disabilities, many of the accommodations can be adapted to create a better experience for all users. It is important to note that these resources are provided for informational purposes only and are not an endorsement of any particular product or company.
The WCAG, one of the better-known Web Content Accessibility entities, is a good place to start for guidelines for standards recognized internationally for making web content accessible. There are multiple facets of information and resources within the website, including the W3C Accessibility Initiative (WAI), which not only develops and maintains the guidelines but also emphasizes strategies, standards, and supporting resources to help make the Web accessible for individuals with disabilities. This website is worth exploring in order to not only gain a general understanding of resources but also concepts and considerations, including accessibility fundamentals, tools and techniques, and Digital Accessibility Courses. There are practical suggestions for accommodations for those with cognitive, physical, and visual disabilities who might benefit more from using the keyboard only or possibly a touch screen. Those with hand tremors or limited dexterity might benefit from using specialized software for their mouse and keyboards. Those in need of hands-free interactions might benefit from speech recognition or a virtual mouse. For more information, you can visit https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/.
When discussing the front-end of website accommodations, the Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool (WAVE) is a place that website creators can utilize to evaluate their content and make it more accessible to individuals with disabilities, either by entering the creator’s website and reviewing it for accessibility or by installing a browser extension to regularly evaluate web content. Specific categories available on WAVE also include accessibility training, accessibility in procurement, technical assistance, and evaluation and reporting. For more details, be sure to visit https://webaim.org/.
While some software or programs may have been originally developed in order to serve individuals with a specific type of disability, over time, those items have proven beneficial to those with other types of needs. One example is voice-to-text or text-to-voice. These programs could prove beneficial to those with limited or no manual dexterity, low vision or blindness, or as a tool for those with specific learning disabilities, such as reading due to dyslexia. For an interesting blog entitled 5 Assistive Technology Tools for Students with Dyslexia by Amy Foxwell, view https://www.readspeaker.com/blog/assistive-technology-for-dyslexia/.
Whether it be tools to help those with visual, motor, cognitive, hearing, and learning disabilities or a combination thereof, the ever-evolving field of assistive tools, techniques, equipment, and software continues to grow. While the field of Digital Humanities continues to expand as well, it is exciting to see the strength of the two fields combining to serve all our consumers in their quest to explore our human society and culture, and the story of our humanness.