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Introduction
Digital technologies are becoming an increasingly significant part of the everyday lives of children and adolescents, with access to information and social interaction growing in ease and ubiquity (Parsons, 2015). One such technology is the iPad produced by Apple, a touchscreen device launched in 2010 which aims to combine the functions of a mobile phone and a computer (Melhuish and Falloon, 2010). As noted by Hayhoe (2014), Apple’s iPad includes a number of features designed to make it more accessible to a variety of users but, despite this, some elements require further improvement to make it a fully inclusive form of technology. This paper will critically review literature on inclusive and assistive technology, with a particular focus on the iPad. In doing so, it is revealed that this product lacks inclusivity for a particular group of users, i.e. those with cerebral palsy (CP). Subsequently, the universal design for learning (UDL) principles (Rose and Meyer, 2002) is explored and used to evaluate the iPad with reference to current legislation. Elements of the iPad are then redesigned and evaluated with regards to the inclusion of users with CP. The paper concludes with potential limitations of the redesign and directions for future research.
The iPad has a number of built-in accessibility options to increase its ease of use for several groups of users, such as those with visual impairments (Serianni, Eley and Cannon, 2017). However, one investigation revealed that the use of touchscreen devices may be problematic for individuals with fine motor impairments; they may encounter difficulties with the fine hand movements required to use these devices effectively (Kagohara et al., 2010). One particular group of individuals who are likely to experience motor difficulties are those with CP; this is the term for a group of conditions characterised by fine and gross motor dysfunction as a result of brain damage early in life (Levitt and Addison, 2018). Individuals with CP may also experience difficulties with speech and language, which has the potential for creating problems with social interactions (Mirenda, 2017). Due to the growing significance of mobile technologies in the social lives of children (Parsons, 2015), it is imperative that individuals with CP can access technologies, such as the iPad, in order to communicate with others...