Widgets to support disabled learners: A challenge to participatory inclusive design

This paper describes a combinatorial methodology that responds to the challenge of inclusive design drawing from the fields of participatory design and agile development. We describe the Widgets for Inclusive Distributed Environment (WIDE) study that aims to produce open source widgets that can be plugged into a range of learning environments to support disabled learners and are freely available for use and adaptation by the wider community. The research adopted a mixed methodology by involving disabled learners not just as research subjects but as consultants, designers and partners. We describe the WIDE process in terms of the participants' involvement. The evaluation findings of the study highlight the importance of a mixed methodology for inclusive e-learning design and contribute to the understanding of HCI approaches in the context of designing participatory studies.