inABLE

Kenyan schools host inABLE computer labs so blind learners gain digital skills alongside sighted peers instead of waiting for post-hoc fixes.

ENABLE Model location

• Pre-launch Interventions → Create Accessible Content

What it is

People engage with inABLE when seeking to provide or acquire digital literacy for blind learners in a mainstream educational setting. It focuses on enabling blind students to gain computer skills alongside their sighted peers, preventing the need for later, reactive fixes. This means people are using inABLE's model to establish computer labs and educational programs that integrate blind learners from the outset.

Why it matters

This initiative is crucial because it ensures accessibility is built in early, which makes fixes smaller, cheaper, and more inclusive, rather than allowing issues to harden into barriers later on. By facilitating digital skill acquisition for blind learners alongside their sighted peers, inABLE directly addresses the "Content Creation" intervention within the ENABLE model, emphasizing that educational materials and environments should be accessible from the start. This proactive approach prevents the burdens of Post-launch Compensations, where disabled individuals would otherwise be forced to shoulder the cost of neglect, potentially relying on various strategies from assistive technologies to legal action just to keep up. When care fails upstream, the burden grows and lands downstream on end-users. inABLE's work, therefore, acts as a critical point of care, mitigating the need for such burdensome compensations.

Real-world example

In Kenya, schools host computer labs facilitated by inABLE, allowing blind learners to acquire digital skills alongside their sighted counterparts, thereby avoiding the necessity of seeking post-hoc solutions.

What care sounds like

• "We are setting up our computer labs so that all students, including those who are blind, can learn together from day one."
• "Our curriculum explicitly integrates digital literacy for blind learners, ensuring they have the tools and support they need."
• "We believe in providing proactive care so that no student is left behind when it comes to digital skills."
• "We're making sure our educational content and methods are inclusive for everyone, right from the start."

What neglect sounds like

• "Digital skills for blind students? We'll worry about that after they graduate."
• "Our computer lab is designed for typical students; others will have to find their own way to learn."
• "We don't have the resources to adapt our digital education for every student."
• "It's not in the spec to include blind learners in the mainstream computer classes."

What compensation sounds like

When proactive interventions like those from inABLE are absent, individuals are often forced to undertake post-launch compensations to gain access. For instance, a blind student might say:

• "I use my screen reader for everything, but I still struggle to keep up in digital classes because the software isn't designed for it."
  This indicates reliance on assistive technologies. These tools are powerful, enabling users to perceive and interact with digital content despite inherent barriers, offering a crucial pathway to information that would otherwise be inaccessible and empowering individuals to navigate independently in challenging digital environments.
• "I have to ask a classmate to read out the screen or navigate the software for me during computer lessons."
  This highlights the need for human help. Relying on another person provides immediate access and support when systems fail, leveraging social connections to overcome barriers that would otherwise lead to complete exclusion and allowing tasks to be completed even when independence is compromised.
• "I’ve figured out my own system of keyboard shortcuts and commands to try and make the lab computers usable, even though it's much slower."
  This exemplifies creating user workarounds. These workarounds showcase remarkable ingenuity and adaptability, allowing individuals to bypass inaccessible features and complete tasks that are otherwise blocked. They demonstrate cleverness born from exclusion, enabling a degree of access and productivity that wouldn't exist without these self-devised solutions.
• "I've downloaded several browser extensions just to make the school's online learning platform somewhat usable for me."
  This is a form of augmenting with third-party tools. These tools offer external solutions to bridge accessibility gaps, providing missing functionalities and enabling users to adapt inaccessible systems to their needs. Often community-built, they empower users to customize their experience and gain access where native support is lacking.

These compensations highlight the extra effort and resources individuals must expend when accessibility is not prioritized from the beginning.