Mobile Navigation and Information Services for Disabled Students in University Buildings : a Needs Assessment Investigation

Mobile technologies may be helpful to support students with disability in navigating buildings and accessing useful services in higher education facilities. However, the design of appropriate mobile solutions depends on knowledge of the actual needs of disabled students, and is made difficult by the lack of contributions in the literature about the point of view of disabled students on their experiences and difficulties in the higher education environment. This paper reports results of an interview-based study we carried out with 14 disabled students in our university. The study led to the identification of significant issues related to navigation of university buildings, access to supporting information services, and relationship with mobile information technology. In the paper, we discuss these issues and their possible impact on the design of mobile systems for disabled students that support indoor navigation and service provision in university buildings.