Most people acknowledge that personal computers have enormously enhanced the autonomy and communication capacity of people with special needs. The key factor for accessibility to these opportunities is the adequate design of the user interface which, consequently, has a high impact on the social lives of users with disabilities.The design of universally accessible interfaces has a positive effect over the socialisation of people with disabilities. People with sensory disabilities can profit from computers as a way of personal direct and remote communication. Personal computers can also assist people with severe motor impairments to manipulate their environment and to enhance their mobility by means of, for example, smart wheelchairs. In this way they can become more socially active and productive. Accessible interfaces have become so indispensable for personal autonomy and social inclusion that in several countries special legislation protects people from 'digital exclusion'.To apply this legislation, inexperienced HCI designers can experience difficulties. They would greatly benefit from inclusive design guidelines in order to be able to implement the 'design for all' philosophy. In addition, they need clear criteria to avoid negative social and ethical impact on users. This paper analyses the benefits of the use of inclusive design guidelines in order to facilitate a universal design focus so that social exclusion is avoided. In addition, the need for ethical and social guidelines in order to avoid undesirable side effects for users is discussed. Finally, some preliminary examples of socially and ethically aware guidelines are proposed. q 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Interacting with Computers 17 (2005) 484-505 www.elsevier.com/locate/intcom 0953-5438/$ -see front matter q

It is essential that all individuals are able to interact effectively with healthcare services. New and innovative approaches are necessary to meet the needs of people from ethnic minorities accessing health care.

This paper reports the findings from a twoyear pilot project called Care OnLine (COL). The COL project has introduced computers and the Internet into the homes of 50 elderly and vulnerable volunteers and provided shared Internet access at five shared schemes housing older people across the Market Harbrorough district of Leicestershire. A specific web portal was designed that was geared towards older and vulnerable people and provided information about the different services available to them, as well as links to a variety of websites. All the volunteers were provided with training in using computers and the Internet, and were interviewed regarding their experiences. Findings related to their attitudes towards, and experiences of, computers and the Internet are reported. The impact of having access to computers and the Internet on the volunteers' lives and some lessons learnt from providing such a scheme are also discussed.

The universal accessibility concept is usually formulated in terms that ignore the socioeconomic and sociopolitical contexts. Therefore, it has impact only on a small fraction of the global population of people with disabilities. This issue raises the need for a comprehensive approach that takes into account issues related to literacy, availability of technology, digital literacy, the use of minority languages, etc.

20w w w . g e r o n t e c h j o u r n a l . n e t J a n u a r y 2 0 0 7 , V o l 6 , N o 1 O r i g i n a lTelevision and the Internet are converging at an ever increasing rate, to create a communication and information medium for the mass market. In Britain some 62% of households already have access to digital television, many using Freeview digital TV services delivered via a rooftop aerial. In September 2005, the UK Government confirmed that digital switchover will take place between 2008 and 2012 with a plan to steadily shut down all analogue TV signals by 20121 .Digital TV offers the opportunity to provide more than just a vast range of TV channels to consumers. Already interactive TV (iTV) services, including Electronic Programme Guides and information services such as BBCi, are widely available. A further extension of the iTV concept is the provision of Internet access alongside digital TV services. Web-based iTV is delivered via a set-top box (STB) connected to the Internet by a telephone line or broadband communication connection. The user is able to surf the World Wide Web (WWW) and send and receive email using a remote control or sometimes a wireless keyboard. As web-based iTV extends access to the Internet to households who have no personal computer (PC), the technology offers the opportunity to considerably widen access to digital information services, including on-line health services and e-government services to user groups currently reluctant or unable to invest in a PC. For example, Kaye 2 comments: "As the initial hardware costs are lower for a system that is more secure, and much easier to use, than the Internet (all you need is your existing TV, set-top box, telephone point and remote control), [one can] predict Britain's 8.6 million disabled people and their families are more likely to purchase interactive V. Mitchell, C. Nicolle, M. Maguire, H. Boyle. Web-based interactive TV services for older users. Gerontechnology 2007; 6(1):20-32. This article reports a study that explored user requirements for web-based interactive TV (iTV) services from the perspective of older users. Members of a University of the Third Age (U3A) group were recruited for the study in order to explore the potential for web-based iTV to be used as a tool for mediating social communities. Focus groups and user trials were used to explore participants' reactions to the concept of web-based iTV and to identify barriers to use. The study found that the web-based iTV service offered in some contexts several advantages to personal computer use that were valued by study participants. However, significant physical and cognitive barriers to use were identified, such as cost of services, lack of privacy, information overload and learning interface equipment. Recommendations for designing web-based iTV services for older users, generated in response to these concerns, include keeping the user interface simple, avoiding multi-modal keys on the keypad and providing information portals tailored to the interests of older users. Web-ba...

SUMMARYThis paper presents some of the work of the EU WWAAC project (World Wide Augmentative and Alternative Communication), which aims to make the electronic highway more accessible to people with cognitive and communication impairments, in particular those using symbols instead of text to communicate. Few specific guidelines are available to make sites truly accessible and usable for these user groups. We propose that guidelines are required for two purposes: to design standard Web pages for use by the general public, including a wide range of older people and people with disabilities, and also to design Web pages specifically for particular impairment groups, e.g. for symbol users in their personal, educational and employment activities. Not only should the guidelines be relevant to particular user groups, they must also be • accessible-that Web developers can easily find the most relevant guidelines, and• usable-that Web developers can easily put those guidelines into practice.

The European Social Fund-supported Portland Partnership project developed a computer-based virtual learning environment (VLE) to benefit students with cognitive and physical disabilities. This system provided students with access to a suite of software programs to teach them basic/essential skills needed for everyday life and to use information and communications technology (ICT

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