Mobile Learning for All

This paper presents research regarding the accessibility design for a mobile learning activity carried out at the Italian National Research Council, Institute for Educational Technologies. In particular, we introduce some considerations about the methodology and the design steps used to build some educational tools on mobile devices that are fully accessible for students with special needs using a compact screen reader (on a Smartphone). Briefly, we outline the common problems of accessing an online learning management system through a Smartphone (services and information), and then we introduce a mobile learning environment, the Accessible Mobile Learning (AMobiLe), which we have designed with specific features for visually impaired students. One of the main aims of our research is to explore and evaluate ways of using mobile devices to stimulate collaborative learning, as well as to demolish barriers for disabled students in order to reduce the digital divide.