Post on 21-Feb-2023
Promoting Facebook Use 1
Running Head: IMPROVING ACCESS TO FACEBOOK
An Interface to Support Independent Use of Facebook by People with Intellectual Disability
Daniel Davies, Steven Stock, and Larry King
AbleLink Technologies
Karrie Shogren, Michael Wehmeyer
University of Kansas
Final pre-publication manuscript. Published as:
Davies, D.K., Stock, S.E., King, L.R., Wehmeyer, M.L., & Shogren, K.A. (2015). An interface
to support independent use of Facebook by people with intellectual disability. Intellectual and
Developmental Disabilities, 53(1), 30-41.
Promoting Facebook Use 2
Abstract
Use of social networking sites, such as Facebook, is rapidly expanding but people with
intellectual disability are at risk for exclusion because sites like Facebook are not designed for
cognitive access. The purpose of the present study was to describe the development and initial
testing of a cognitively accessible prototype interface for Facebook, called Endeavor Connect,
designed to support independent Facebook use by people with intellectual disability. The
performance of young adults with intellectual disability when completing five common
Facebook tasks was compared when using the Endeavor Connect and Facebook interfaces.
Results suggest that when using Endeavor Connect, young adults with intellectual disability
completed more tasks independently with fewer errors and required fewer prompts. Implications
for research and practice are discussed.
Promoting Facebook Use 3
An Interface to Support Independent Use of Facebook in People with Intellectual Disability
The use of social networking sites, such as Facebook, is rapidly expanding throughout the
world. As of June 2013, 1.15 billion people worldwide were monthly active users of Facebook,
and 699 million people were daily active users (Facebook, 2013). Although there are debates
about the social implications of the increased use of social networking, a growing body of
research suggests that engagement with Facebook can potentially enhance social capital
(Brandtzæg, 2012; Valenzuela, Park, & Kee, 2009). Social capital can be defined as “features of
social organizations such as networks, norms, and social trust that facilitate coordination and
cooperation for mutual benefit” (Putnam, 1995, p. 67). Social capital enables individuals,
through their social networks, to connect and potentially cultivate information and resources that
enable them to gain economic, educational, and vocational advantages (i.e., bridging social
capital) and to gain emotional and physical support (i.e., bonding social capital). Researchers
have found that Facebook can impact bonding social capital by facilitating direct communication
through the posting of comments and messaging, typically with individuals who the users also
know offline, and bridging social capital (where ties tend to be weaker) through browsing
profiles and liking photos and posts (Wilson, Gosling, & Graham, 2012).
Researchers have also found that people with intellectual disability all too often have
limited social networks that severely restricts their opportunity to build social capital. Clement
and Bigby (2009) noted that “typically, people with intellectual disability have small, highly
restricted social networks characterized by interactions with other people with intellectual
[disability], family members, and paid workers” (p. 264). Building social networks and
community connections, resources, and supports, however, remains one of the most frequently
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identified goals of people with intellectual disability and their families (Kampert & Goreczny,
2007; Shogren, 2012). With the growing role of technology and social networking sites like
Facebook in shaping access to social capital, people with intellectual disability are at even
greater risk for exclusion because of difficulties with technology access and use. Despite the
ubiquity of technology in the day-to-day life of most people in society, evidence over the past
decade suggests that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities too often have
limited access to technology and that technology is underutilized by this population for a variety
of reasons (Carey, Friedman, & Bryen, 2005; Palmer, Wehmeyer, Davies & Stock, 2012; Tanis,
Palmer, Wehmeyer, Davies, & Stock, 2012; Wehmeyer, Palmer, Smith, Davies, and Stock,
2008), primary among these reasons is the fact that the majority of technologies are not designed
to be cognitively accessible.
Advocates in the field of applied cognitive technologies have recently developed and
endorsed a statement on The Rights of People with Cognitive Disabilities to Technology and
Information Access (Braddock, Hoehl, Tanis, Ablowitz, & Haffer, 2013_ENREF_1), suggesting
the criticality of ensuring that people with cognitive disabilities have “access to comprehensible
information and usable communication technologies” (p. 98) that use principles of universal
design, and follow best practices in the development of innovative applied cognitive
technologies. As a field, applied cognitive technologies refers to “research and development to
provide technology supports that enable people with cognitive disabilities to successfully
function in typical environments, to increase participation in tasks and activities in typical
environments, and to promote social inclusion, self-determination, and an enhanced quality of
life” (Wehmeyer & Shogren, 2013, p. 92). Applied cognitive technologies focus on electronic
and information technologies that are used by all people, and their application to enabling people
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with cognitive disabilities to access typical living, work, education, and community
environments.
Researchers working in the field of applied cognitive technologies have applied best
practices related to universal design to the design of systems to support access to: public
transportation and community access (Mechling, Gast, & Langone, 2002; Davies, Stock,
Holloway, & Wehmeyer, 2010), cell phones (Stock, Davies, Wehmeyer, & Palmer, 2008),
employment (Furniss et al., 2001; Taber, Alberto, & Fredrick, 1998); the Internet and web
browsers (Friedman & Bryen, 2007; Lancioni, Van den Hof, Furniss, O'Reilly, & Cunha, 1999;
Wehmeyer et al., 2011), portable reading systems (Davies, Stock, King, & Wehmeyer, 2008),
education (Bouck, Taber-Doughty, Flanagan, Szwed, & Bassett, 2010; Ayers & Langone, 2008);
and money management tools (Davies, Stock, & Wehmeyer, 2003). Yet, such principles have
not yet been widely applied or applied to the development of tools to support access by people
with intellectual disability to social networking sites, such as Facebook. Facilitating access to
Facebook for people with intellectual disability is important given its widespread use and the
growing body of data suggesting its impact on social capital. The purpose of the present study,
was to describe: (a) the iterative design and development and (b) initial pilot testing of the
usability of a cognitively accessible interface for Facebook, called Endeavor Connect, developed
to support independent Facebook use by people with intellectual disability.
Method
Study Participants. Twelve adults with intellectual disability were recruited from the
Colorado Springs School District 11 transition program, Mosaic and Carmel Community
Living, which are adult service provider organizations. The average age of study participants
was 29.5 years old, with a range from 20 to 45 years old. The sample included five females
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and seven males. The average IQ score for the group was 53.5, with a range from 38 to 66.
None of these participants had a Facebook account and thus were not Facebook users.
Procedures. The usability testing took place over a two-week period at AbleLink's
Cognitive Innovation Lab in Colorado Springs using a Gateway All-in-One touchscreen
computer with at 21.5 inch display. The 12 participants received training and were observed
when engaging in five Facebook-specific tasks when in the mainstream Facebook program and,
again, when using the Endeavor Connect interface. Differences in the: a) number of scripted
Facebook tasks successfully completed; b) the amount of assistance required to successfully
complete each task; and c) the number of errors made in completing each task were examined
across Endeavor Connect and Facebook. The five common Facebook tasks included: a)
reading/comprehending an incoming Post; 2) making an outgoing Post; 3) posting a picture; 4)
navigating to a designated Friend’s Facebook page, and; 5) navigating back to the Home page.
Each task was task analyzed to determine the steps necessary to complete the activity under both
conditions.
The order in which each participant interacted with Facebook and Endeavor Connect was
randomized to attempt to control for learning effects. Each participant received training on how
to complete each of the five tasks in Facebook or Endeavor Connect immediately preceding their
interaction with the respective system. Training involved a demonstration of each task followed
by one hands-on walk-through of the common Facebook tasks to allow participants to engage in
each condition with as much prompting support as needed.
After training was completed, each participant interacted with Facebook and Endeavor
Connect, respectively, and data were collected on the three dependent measures using a standard
data collection form. Data collectors were trained on use of the data collection instrument and
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participated in mock sessions with project staff to help identify and address how to score various
actions. To limit potential frustration and feeling of failure on the part of research participants
with intellectual disability, the number of prompts required and errors made for each task was
capped at three each. Therefore if a study participant required more than three prompts or made
more than three errors, the task was scored as not completed and research staff demonstrated
how to complete the task before moving on to the next task.
After completing the task sequences in Facebook and Endeavor Connect, a brief
interview was conducted with each participant to identify their perceptions of ease of use and
preferences for Facebook or Endeavor Connect.
Endeavor Connect
Prior to and during the design and development of Endeavor Connect, informal
interviews were conducted with people with intellectual disability, their families, support
providers, and administrators to determine their perceptions of needs related to using Facebook,
and as the Endeavor Connect prototype was designed and developed, the effectiveness of
specific supports to promote access to and use of Facebook. These informal interviews shaped
the design and development process.
The first phase of the design and development activities involved identifying initial
system requirements for Endeavor Connect. These activities included (a) identifying best
practices in the design of applied cognitive technologies that support independent computer use
by people with intellectual disability and (b) reviewing current technical developments in
Facebook features, use statistics, and privacy features/policies to identify specific features
needed in Endeavor Connect to interface with Facebook.
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Identifying best practices. Previous research (Davies et al., 2010; Davies et al., 2008;
Davies, Stock, & Wehmeyer, 2001, 2004; Stock, Davies, Wehmeyer, & Lachapelle, 2011; Stock
et al., 2008) conducted by the research team over the past 15 years on the development of
applied cognitive technologies was reviewed to identify best practices in the design of applied
cognitive technologies to guide the development of Endeavor Connect. Several best practices
were identified, including:
Combining use of pictures and system-generated audio prompts for navigation to provide
the user with greater independence and self-direction;
Using familiar voices for audio prompts (i.e., a parent, a sibling, friend, or support
provider) to promote enjoyable and compelling use of the software.
Using clear, uncluttered interface designs, such as oversized picture-buttons, to maximize
the effectiveness of touch screens used for desktop, tablets, and smart phone devices and
to support people with physical disabilities;
Using interface designs that utilize consistency and repetition to promote independent
use;
Using “error minimization” techniques, such as removing buttons from the screen when
their use is inappropriate, unnecessary, or distracting to limit the possibility for errors;
Including a complete set of user-controlled customization options to allow support
providers to adapt the available features and interface to meet the unique needs of
different end-users with intellectual disability;
Building in assessment and management systems to support tracking of use/progress.
Identifying Facebook-specific features needed in Endeavor Connect. As described
previously, Facebook was one of the first social networking tools developed, and currently has
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over a billion users world-wide. Since September 2006, anyone over the age of 13 with a valid
e-mail address can become a Facebook user. Users can engage in a variety of activities, such as
adding friends; posting messages, photos, and videos; playing games; signing up for Facebook
apps; and updating personal profiles to notify friends about themselves and their lives. Facebook
users can also join groups created by companies, government entities, non-profits, social causes,
employers, news outlets, schools and many other organizations. Facebook includes both
personal privacy and security features (e.g., user login, ability to permit or withhold public
access to items posted to a user’s Timeline or Home page, limiting availability of content to
approved individuals). Requirements development work included identification of potential
strategies and feature options that may be important in future iterations of the Endeavor Connect
system to enhance the mainstream Facebook privacy and security features. For example, a
potential option that can be selected by the end user may include the ability for things like
incoming Friend requests or even day-to-day outgoing posts to be automatically screened via a
third party email notification to a parent or care giver prior to being presented to the Endeavor
Connect user for consideration. These types of important feature options, though identified
during this project, were reserved for future research and development.
Based on a review of Facebook Platform (Facebook Developers, 2010) and interviews
with key stakeholders, specific technical objectives to enable Endeavor Connect to interface with
Facebook were also identified. Although the scope of the project did not allow for all of these
requirements to be developed and evaluated, they included:
Developing the interface to have clean, uncluttered screens and multimedia
techniques to promote independent usability;
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Supporting the most widely used Facebook features such as posting to the Home page
or Timeline, video posting, managing Friend requests, and accessing games and apps
as user-controlled options with an interface ‘look and feel’ similar to that of the
mainstream Facebook interface;
Developing a set of user-controlled safety and security options beyond those already
provided by Facebook (such as third party approval of Friend requests) to provide
additional supports for security and protection against bullying and other potential
social networking hazards;
Developing a configuration interface to allow support providers to activate or
deactivate security options and access to various Facebook elements such as apps,
games, Friend requests, etc.;
Developing cross-platform versions of the system to enable operation on a wide
variety of hardware platforms (Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android tablets and smart
phones, and other mobile devices);
Developing accessible online multimedia training materials for both support
providers and end users with intellectual disability to learn how to implement and
utilize the Endeavor Connect system to safely access Facebook.
Consequently, Endeavor Connect was designed to provide a method of accessing existing
Facebook accounts, but without needing to use the mainstream Facebook user interface. The
prototype interface was designed such that account preferences and security features set up in
Facebook will carry over to Endeavor Connect. The Endeavor Connect interface was developed
to mimic the mainstream Facebook Home page interface, except that many of the options,
features, menus, and other clutter that require high levels of cognition were removed to provide
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an appealing but simplified appearance. Endeavor Connect was designed to support the most
frequently used features of Facebook: accessing Home page Posts, creating and posting on the
Timeline or Home page, posting pictures, navigating to Friend’s pages and navigating back to
one’s Home page.
When first launching Endeavor Connect, the system provides a login prompt. To avoid
the barrier of having to login each time, an option to retain the user’s login information is
provided so that on subsequent startups the system goes directly to the accessible version of the
end-users Home page in Endeavor Connect. Figure 1 provides a screen shot showing the
appearance of the Home page in Endeavor Connect for an end-user after logging in. The posts
on the Home page in Endeavor Connect, as shown in Figure 1, are pulled directly from, and
therefore identical, to the posts on end-user’s screens in the mainstream version of Facebook. In
other words, Endeavor Connect displays all things posted by friends in Facebook, regardless of
whether the end-user is in Facebook or using the Endeavor Connect interface. Similarly,
anything posted by an end-user in Endeavor Connect is also posted to approved friend’s
mainstream Facebook pages.
At the top of the screen in Figure 1 are two optional toggle buttons that can be used to
increase the volume and text size, as needed. Each post—either by the end-user or by a Friend of
the end-user—is displayed chronologically along with one or two buttons to the right of each
post. The green speaker button, which is present for every post, can be clicked to initiate a built-
in text-to-speech feature that reads the post aloud. Special programming was done so that the
text-to-speech system first identified the person making the Post before proceeding to read it.
For example, the post that is at the lower part of the screen in Figure 1 would be read as: “Chet
Kincaid said ‘My favorite color is blue.” This feature was designed to allow non- or low-readers
Promoting Facebook Use 12
to better comprehend incoming text posts. The Like button (i.e., the blue ‘thumbs up’ button),
which is available for any post on the end-user’s Home page or Timeline, allows the end-user to
‘Like’ posts on their Home page or Timeline. If ‘Like’ is selected for any post in Endeavor
Connect, it is also transferred to friend’s mainstream Facebook Home page or Timeline. Users
can also click on any images posted to see them at nearly full screen and print them if desired.
In terms of making posts in Endeavor Connect, two options were developed. Tapping the
button with the keyboard letter ‘T’ near the top of the screen (see Figure 1) opens a simple dialog
box, shown in Figure 2, with a system generated prompt to “Please type the message that you
would like to post.” After entering text, the Post button is selected to complete the post, or the
Cancel button can be used to abort the text post. The second method for posting in Endeavor
Connect allows for audio-recording of messages, eliminating the need for typing. By clicking on
the microphone button (shown at the top of Figure 1), a display opens and a system-generated
audio message is played, prompting the user to “Please record your Facebook message after the
beep.” This is immediately followed by the familiar beeping sound. This display is shown on
the left side of Figure 3. After finishing the message, the user clicks the “Done” button and the
display shifts to that shown on the right side of Figure 3, with the system-generated audio
prompt, “Click the blue Post button to post this message to Facebook, or click Cancel to start
over.” This allows users to easily re-record their audio post in the event of misspeaking. Audio
posts appear in the user’s Home page in Endeavor Connect with the green speaker button, and
the recorded message plays when the green speaker button is clicked, as shown in the audio post
at the bottom of the screen in Figure 4. In Facebook, audio posts appear as an audio link that,
when clicked, plays the audio message using the Friend’s default media player.
Promoting Facebook Use 13
Another commonly used feature in Facebook is posting pictures, and by clicking the
camera icon at the top of the screen (Figure 1) users can initiate a sequence to post digital images
to Endeavor Connect and thus, Facebook. After clicking the camera icon, the box shown on the
left side of Figure 5 opens. This box displays all images that had been placed in a designated
folder (the folder can be set up by the end-user or a support provider in the Endeavor Connect
options menu). A system generated audio message prompts the user to “Please select the picture
that you would like to post to Facebook.” Upon selecting the desired image, it is displayed in the
window on the right of the screen and the system prompts the user to “Select the Post button to
post this picture to Facebook, or press Cancel to start over.” Users can click on any number of
pictures while searching for the desired image, before selecting the Post button. Posted images
appear on mainstream Facebook pages just like all other images posted to Facebook, but appear
somewhat larger when displayed in the prototype Endeavor Connect version. Figure 4 shows
how a picture appears on the Endeavor Connect Home page. Of note, there is also a green
speaker button to the right of the posted picture that when pressed, will read the name of the
individual who posted the picture.
The final features to be noted are along the right side of the screen in Figure 1. The top
button (house icon) can be used to return to the user’s Home screen, which displays the personal
information they have provided and mimics the Timeline feature in Facebook. The second
button (two silhouettes with talking bubbles) returns the user to their Home page. The third
button (three human silhouettes) brings up the end-user’s list of friends, including their pictures.
This is shown in Figure 6. Clicking on a friend’s pictures takes the user to their friend’s Home
page, which has the same format as the end-user’s Home page (Figure 1).
Design and Analysis
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The purpose of the pilot test reported in this manuscript was to examine the usability of
the accessible interface of Endeavor Connect, as compared to the mainstream Facebook
interface. Specifically differences in the a) number of scripted Facebook tasks successfully
completed; b) amount of assistance required when successfully completing each task and; c)
number of errors made in completing the common Facebook tasks were examined when
individuals with intellectual disability used Endeavor Connect and Facebook. Data collection
provided information on the number of steps correctly completed, the amount of assistance
required to complete the tasks, the number or errors made and the success rates for task
completion using Facebook and Endeavor Connect. Notes were also taken on each participant’s
interaction with each system. The results were analyzed descriptively, to explore the degree to
which participants completed more tasks successfully in Endeavor Connect, and empirically,
using Sandlers' A-statistic, to examine mean differences in the three dependent measures.
Interview data was also summarized to provide information on participants' perceptions of their
experiences with the two platforms.
Results
Eleven participants were able to complete all five Facebook tasks with three or fewer
prompts or errors per task when using Endeavor Connect, while only four participants were able
to do so while using the mainstream Facebook interface. When comparing the average tasks
completed independently, Endeavor Connect led to significantly more independent completion,
(average across participants of 4.6 vs. 3.8 out of 5 tasks completed; p = .006). It appeared when
observing participants that the overall complexity and screen clutter, in addition to difficulties
with reading or writing, made it difficult for many participants to use Facebook by itself. When
using the mainstream Facebook interface, participants would often click on incorrect screen
Promoting Facebook Use 15
elements or stop using the system and ask for help on how to proceed. The amount of
information shown on a mainstream Facebook page at times required multiple verbal and
gestural prompts from research staff for completion of a single task.
Relatedly, in terms of the number of errors, some participants tended to click on elements
on the screen, even when they appeared to be uncertain of how to complete a task. The most
common error was selecting the incorrect interface element (e.g., selecting Post instead of
Friends). Several participants repeatedly used the steps that had been successful in a previous
task, even if they were not relevant to the present task. Other, participants, however, tended to
stop interacting with Facebook when they were uncertain and asked research staff for help. This
led to variability in the number of errors across participants, but overall participants had fewer
errors per task when working with Endeavor Connect (average .05 vs. .30; p = .013). There
were some specific errors that were the most common within Endeavor Connect, however. For
example, several participants selected the Cancel button instead of the Post button when posting
audio messages or digital pictures; this appeared to be a result of the system generated audio that
prompted users to “Select the Post button to post this picture to Facebook, or press Cancel to
start over.” Some individuals appeared to cue into the last part of that message, and an
alternative setting which allows the system to be set up to simply say “Select the Post button to
post this picture to Facebook” or to use further verbal identifiers in the system generated prompt,
e.g. “Select the blue Post button to post this picture to Facebook, or press the red Cancel button
to start over.”
Finally, in terms of the number of prompts, more participants asked for help or simply
waited for a prompt instead of engaging with Facebook or Endeavor Connect, as shown in the
higher rates of average prompts to average errors per tasks, although participants still needed
Promoting Facebook Use 16
significantly fewer prompts when using Endeavor Connect (average .22 vs. .58; p = .024). The
most challenging task across systems for participants was posting pictures, and many participants
needed step-by-step prompts when using the mainstream Facebook interface. When interacting
with Facebook alone, many participants also asked for help when text was involved, particularly
typing a post. Several participants appeared uncomfortable or nervous when asked to type a post
in Facebook, and quickly reached the maximum number of prompts or errors before the task was
discontinued. Fewer issues were encountered when participants were able to audio record their
voices, and hear the playback from posts in Endeavor Connect.
Overall, when asked which system they preferred, participants generally reported that
Endeavor Connect was easier to work with ("This one [Endeavor Connect] is probably easier for
me”). They also reported liking to record and hear their voices ("I like recording my voice
better, it’s easier” and "I like recording my voice for people”) and to have Endeavor Connect
read the text aloud (“It told me what it said”). Perhaps most importantly, participants identified
ways that Endeavor Connect could support their social networking (“I’d like to talk to my dad
and my friends on here” and “I could use this to talk to my friends"). During the study one
participant spontaneously recorded a post saying “I would like to go to the movies with a friend
this weekend.” When reminded of the purpose of the study and that her use was just “pretend”,
the participants stated “I know, but that is what I would have said.”
Discussion
The design, development, and pilot testing of the Endeavor Connect interface suggests
that a specially-designed, cognitively-accessible interface to Facebook provides an effective
means to support greater access to the social networking site by young people with intellectual
disability. Given the ubiquity of Facebook in society and research suggesting its potential
impact on the building of social capital in the general population (Wilson et al., 2012), creating
Promoting Facebook Use 17
meaningful ways for people with intellectual disability to access Facebook is necessary to
promote meaningful inclusion in society, a fundamental right of people with disabilities, and to
create opportunities for economic, educational, and vocational gains.
By using best practices in the design of applied cognitive technologies, including
principles of universal design and the use of error minimization techniques, personalization and
customization, and reduced screen clutter, as well as insights into the most common uses of
Facebook and the preferences of people with intellectual disability and their systems of support
for using Facebook, the technical team was able to develop an effective interface that retrieves
information from Facebook (and delivers it back) and displays it in a format accessible to people
with intellectual disability. The data from the pilot test suggested that people with intellectual
disability are more able to be successful when navigating Endeavor Connect (vs. Facebook) and
make fewer errors and require fewer prompts. Further, people with intellectual disability report
enjoying the features in Endeavor Connect, particularly features not readily available in
Facebook, such as recording messages to post.
Further research is needed that moves beyond pilot testing and more systematically
examines the degree to which people with intellectual disability are able to independently utilize
the features of an accessible social networking program, like Endeavor Connect, over time. Such
testing should also address the limitations inherent in the pilot testing, such as the small number
of participants and the use of the same participant group to examine the usability of Facebook
and Endeavor Connect. Additionally, the pilot testing conducted in this study was brief, and
examination of the degree to which people with intellectual disability are able to sustain
independent use of Endeavor Connect over time is needed. The impact of Endeavor Connect on
relationships, online and offline, and bridging and bonding social capital should also be
Promoting Facebook Use 18
examined, to evaluate general concerns that the use of social networking may under some
measures actually increase social isolation in terms of face-to-face human contact. Further, work
is also needed to examine effective strategies to balance independence and potential risks in the
use of Facebook. Facebook itself has security features available, such as limiting who can see
certain types of posts, and additional features were identified for Endeavor Connect, such as the
ability to set up third-party access and review of posts, friend requests, and other critical features
that need to be developed and evaluated in future research. The most appropriate and respectful
ways to support people with intellectual disability to balance the risks inherent to sharing
information publically on the Internet (e.g., cyber-bullying, exploitation) need to be further
examined. There is a general concern in society for abuse of photos, predatory behavior and
cyber bullying within the realm of social media use, but it appears that despite these concerns
people will continue to grow their use of social media. The potential for additional technological
precautions and protections that may be enabled by the Endeavor Connect approach is a very
important area to consider for further research.
Technology-mediated social networking through sites like Facebook is clearly becoming
a part of day-to-day life of the majority of people in society. Promoting access to such
opportunities is necessary to ensure the full participation of people with disabilities in all aspects
of society, congruent with their preferences, interests, and desires. This study demonstrated that
it is possible to create a cognitively accessible interface design, Endeavor Connect, using proven
design methodologies, that parallels the overall appearance and functionality of Facebook but is
optimized to meet the needs of people with intellectual disability, including graphic
representations, computer-generated audio prompts, and error minimization techniques. Further
work is needed to examine the usability of Endeavor Connect, strategies to promote access to
Promoting Facebook Use 19
Facebook to people with intellectual disability, and the creation of a range of supports and
support tools that facilitate the use of technology by people with intellectual disability that are
embedded in mainstream applications.
Promoting Facebook Use 20
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Figure 1: The opening Home page display in Endeavor Connect interface (Note: screen shots
are shown smaller than actual size).
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Figure 2. Screen shot of the simple typing box, for typing posts. This is pulled up by clicking
the ‘T’ near the top of the screen in Figure 1.
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Figure 3. Screen shot of the interface for making audio posts in Endeavor Connect. This is
accessed by clicking on the microphone in Figure 1.
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Figure 4. Endeavor Connect Home page for an end-user with picture and audio messages.
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Figure 5. Screen shot of the interface for posting photos in Endeavor Connect. This is accessed
by clicking on the camera icon.