1.

Despite figures suggesting that Australia is a high consumer of information and communication technologies (ICT), it is well documented that the pattern of this consumption is not spread evenly across the population; a 'digital divide' exists. This paper presents new data on the access and usage of ICT (computers and the Internet) by 3,404 households and 6,874 children from financially disadvantaged backgrounds.

2.

New technology has made virtual schooling an option for pupils unable or unwilling to attend the 'real' thing. Children may be out of school for a number of reasons such as school phobia, long-term illness, pregnancy, bullying or exclusion orders. Some children stay home to care for parents, some are the subject of legal battles. Out of school learning is no longer just a stopgap. It would seem that some learners relish the opportunity to reinvent themselves. They start again without the weight of teachers? expectations or the pressures of their peer group. They can try being a different person, with a different life, and for some it really works.

3.

This paper focuses on those rights related to free access to information and argues that access to information is indeed a fundamental human right. It is further argued that the right to access is not merely a liberty right, but also a welfare right. That is, individuals' information rights place duties on governments to provide access to information.

4.

AccessApps is an initiative developed by the Scottish JISC Regional Support Centres in cooperation with JISC TechDis. It consists of over 50 open source and freeware assistive technology applications which can be entirely used from a USB stick on a Windows computer. The list of applications include: AccessApps Help, Accessibility Essentials, Aspire Learning, Open Office, Freemind - mind-mapping, Hott notes 4 - sticky notes, Sunbird - calendar, AMIS - DAISY reader, DSpeech - text to speech, PowerReader - dyslexia reading support, RapidSet - change font/background, TheSage - dictionary & thesaurus, TypeFaster - typing tutor, TypeFaster Accessible - typing tutor, VuBar - read text one line at a time, QuickRes - change resolution, Sonar - cursor ring, Virtual Magnifying Glass, Mozilla Firefox - web browser, WebbIE: text-based browser with lots of features, Click-N-Type - virtual keyboard, Dasher, MouseTool - automated clicking, Artweaver - art package, Audacity - record/edit audio, Audiobook Cutter - split mp3 files, GIMP - edit images, UnFREEz - create gif animations, VLC Media Player, CamStudio Portable, KompoZer - web editor, Scribus - desktop publishing, Wink - desktop recording, 7-Zip Portable - file archiver, ClamWin - anti-virus, Converber - unit converter, KeePass - password manager, Sumatra PDF - read PDF documents, TopOCR - convert images to text, Anagramarama - word puzzle, Jooleem, Othello - board game, Stranded II - island adventure, Sudoku - numbers puzzle, Install Thunder screen reader.

5.

This article describes the legislative, educational and social drivers behind the development of accessible eLearning strategies using Nottingham Trent University as a case study.

6.

This resource was developed as part of the 2004 TAFE Tasmania LearnScope project 'Accessible and inclusive learning: getting it right the first time'. It provides simple tutorials for developing accessible resources for a range of commonly used software applications and html.

7.

The paper was presented at the 2006 ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, Houston, TX, USA. The author proposes an accessibility first pedogogy for web design, in which the course is organised around the requirement of implementing web pages accessible to visually impaired computer users. This approach and its advantages are discussed in detail.

8.

A listing of web accessibility guidelines and policies, from Australian Universities.

9.

Properly designed e-books, software, Web sites and learning management systems can and must be accessible to all users with disabilities. Technology is prevalent everywhere, and learners of all ages and in all fields require equal access to content to keep pace with their colleagues and classmates. Whether they are high school students, IT professionals or research chemists, inaccessible materials prevent people with disabilities from using the same materials at the same time as their peers, and can limit their educational and career opportunities.

10.

The report looks at the areas of learning where disadvantaged learners may require assistance and includes information about a selection of assistive and adaptive technologies. It deals with them first in terms of their application to the learning process, and then deals with them as technologies in their own right.