Abstract:

Today's society finds individuals who are constantly searching for specific and imediate knowledges, and makes education more flexible and appropriate to the users profile and needs. The computing environments have become powerful tools in formal educational institutions, in organizations and even more in self regulated learning. The expansion of the technologies used in e-learning allows all digital media to be made available in support systems such as AVAs, STIs, e-books, SHAEs, video lesson, etc.. This teaching method makes extensive use of digitized materials in different levels of interactivity, present in all levels of learning. The digital content that facilitate web-based education in the form of learning objects, can provide new opportunities for a population previously exposed to various difficulties of access to formal education. However, the creation of these resources at the same time that promotes the responses to the heterogeneity of students, may represent an exclusion factor for individuals who lack access to technology resources or who are prevented from accessing them because of possible disabilities. In the perspective of Universal Design, a product is universally accessible if it is noticeable for all individuals without adaptation. It is not about developping another specific and directed content to supply a deficiency, but to allow people with disabilities the access to the same information. In inclusive education, all individuals must have access to the same pedagogical and didatic content;must have the same perception about everything that is presented without information loss or detriment of relevant content to the understanding of the subject. Accessibility must be considered since the beginning of a learning object project, and not an adaptation after its creation. This paper presents issues that should be considered by teachers who creates contents to make the digital materials for distance courses accessible to all individuals regardless of its possible disabilities.

Keywords:

Learning objects, e-learning, accessibility.