A VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR DISABLED STUDENTS: DEVELOPMENT OF ADAPTIVE INTERACTION METAPHORS AND METHODS

MEDICAL ADVANCES, NEW LEGISLATION, AND CHANGING SOCIAL ATTITUDES HAVE ENCOURAGED MORE DISABLED INDIVIDUALS TO CONTINUE THEIR EDUCATION. HOWEVER, DISABLED STUDENTS HAVE LIMITED ACCESS TO TYPICAL SCIENCE LABORATORIES. ONE PROMISING AND INNOVATIVE WAY TO PROVIDE ACCESS IS THROUGH VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT TECHNOLOGY, WHICH CAN PROVIDE A UNIQUE TOOL FOR THE DISABLED BY OFFERING OPPORTUNITIES FOR MANIPULATIVE EXPLORATION AND MOBILITY WITHOUT REQUIRING PHYSICAL ACCESS, DEXTERITY, AND STRENGTH. RESEARCHERS ARE DEVELOPING A VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT (VLE) TO PROVIDE GREATER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES TO DISABLED PERSONS. THEY ARE PERFORMING HUMAN FACTORS ANALYSES TO FACILITATE VLE DESIGN, CONSTRUCTING A PROTOTYPE OF THE VLE, INCLUDING A MODULE FOR PHYSICS INSTRUCTION, AND EVALUATING ITS UTILITY. VLES BENEFIT DISABLED STUDENTS BY PROVIDING THEM GREATER CONTROL OVER THEIR ENVIRONMENT AND MORE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES. THE POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS OF VLES FOR EDUCATION ARE VAST AND WILL PROVIDE THE NEXT GENERATION OF INTERACTIVE LEARNING SYSTEMS. DEVELOPMENT OF VLES FITS AMERICA'S AGENDA OF DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGY FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH, AND FACILITATING EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR DISABLED AND NONDISABLED INDIVIDUALS.