Spring 2007

ISOM PhD Student Brings IT Accessibility to Disabled Students

Rakesh Babu is used to looking at the world through rose-colored glasses. That’s because Babu, a PhD student in the Department of Information Systems and Operations Management, suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, a disease that causes progressive loss of vision that can lead to total blindness.

Although Babu has some vision, he is considered legally blind. He is unable to drive, read or dial a telephone without assistance. He wears pink-tinted glasses at the recommendation of his doctor to ease strain on his eyes and preserve what little vision he still has left.

But having a visual disability hasn’t stopped Babu from striving to complete his PhD. Nor has it dissuaded him from becoming an advocate for making technology accessible to people of all abilities.

At the Bryan School, Babu’s work focuses on creating models and developing protocols that will improve accessibility for the disabled in online environments. In collaboration with Vishal Midha, a fellow PhD student in ISOM, he recently published a scholarly paper analyzing the effectiveness of e-learning tools such as Blackboard and other course management systems in providing equal access to higher education for people with disabilities.

That paper, “Accessible E-Learning: Equal Pedagogical Opportunities for Students with Sensory Limitations,” was chosen as best paper last year by the Southern Association for Information Systems.

Babu’s conclusions are remarkable: Given proper access to computers and technology, disabled individuals can perform as well as their non-disabled colleagues.

“Technology-mediated learning improves learning outcomes for students with disabilities more than for those without disabilities,” says Babu. “When you are designing systems, it’s critical that it’s done with accessibility in mind.”

Babu grew up in India and earned a master’s degree in chemistry before his vision deteriorated. Remarkably, he was 29 before he used his first computer─ in large part because he didn’t have access to “assistive technologies”─ hardware and software that help the disabled use of mainstream computers.

“I spent a whole year just learning how to type documents,” says Babu, who eventually became a programmer by using access technology such as speech recognition and screen readers.

After earning a master’s in information science degree from Central Michigan University, Babu was encouraged to enroll as a doctoral student at UNCG. He credits his fellow ISOM students and Dr. Prashant Palvia, Joe Rosenthal Excellence Professor in ISOM, with encouraging him to complete his PhD and to advocate for the rights people with disabilities to have full access to technology.

“Students with disabilities often have motivations challenges because they don’t have access to technology and don’t get the support they need,” says Babu. “For me, information technology has been a great equalizer. In fact, I really feel disabled without a computer.”