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This study examines the digital accessibility of information services for students with disabilities at the University of Jordan. Despite advancements in disability rights and technology, academic libraries often lag in providing fully accessible digital services.

The mixed-methods research involved quantitative surveys from 173 students with disabilities and a qualitative interview with the head of the information application department, in addition to a focus group interview with 10 students with disabilities. Quantitative analysis included means, standard deviations and four-way ANOVA to identify significant differences in perceptions. Qualitative insights highlighted specific issues and recurring themes, revealing significant gaps in digital accessibility.

The results revealed a weak level of digital accessibility of students with disabilities to information services in academic libraries in Jordan is very low. The findings indicate a need for improvements in library infrastructure, staff training and policy development. The study also offers insights into challenges in a developing country context and provides recommendations for enhancing library inclusivity and support structures, emphasizing the importance of aligning services with international accessibility standards.

The findings will primarily be beneficial for library managers to understand their library’s deficiencies and responsibility towards the local community and the enhancement of digital inclusion. This understanding will aid in planning training programs and workshops for employees on supporting students with disabilities. Additionally, it serves as a valuable resource for collaboration between libraries and educators to organize educational sessions for academic librarians in Jordan and other developing nations.

It serves as a valuable resource for collaboration between libraries and educators to organize educational sessions for academic librarians in Jordan and other developing nations. This research adds value to existing literature by highlighting the context in one developing country.

This study aims to provide an explorative perspective on how workarounds – defined as practices that deviate from an official pathway to a target – delineate a decisive element for users with visual impairment to enable assistive technologies in the context of office work.

An ethnographic study with in situ observation at participants’ work locations together with interviews was conducted to cater for the explorative nature of this study.

The study outlines three types of workarounds that can be distinguished into: (1) own investment into invisible work, (2) engaging support from colleagues and (3) the complete circumvention of technology use. It is furthermore discussed that workarounds remain largely unnoticed but yield the potential as an enabling factor for insights into the use of assistive technology (AT).

The layered model of workarounds that locates them at the individual, social and organisational level can guide the design and analysis of enabling technologies in complex office work contexts. Technology designers can incorporate enquiries on workarounds into participatory or co-creative design processes. Information technology (IT) professionals and leaders of IT support teams can use this model to gain insights from workarounds into improvement opportunities for the effective integration of assistive technologies.

This study connects the concept of workarounds, which is deeply rooted in the tradition of workplace studies and computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW), with the practices of handling technology employed by knowledge workers with visual impairments to retain workability. This approach offers a novel perspective on the embeddedness of enabling technologies in the context of knowledge work. It highlights the intricate ways in which technology is integrated into daily work practices, thereby providing valuable insights into the intersection of AT and knowledge work.

The viewpoint paper aims to highlight the assistive role that Generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) can play in the design of learning and development programs for employees with special needs. The article discusses the challenges, benefits and reasons why Gen AI should be used to manage diversity, equity and inclusion by creating personalized and customized training and development programs.

The viewpoint paper is based on reviewing articles and videos on the application of Gen AI in learning and development.

Gen AI offers immense opportunities to design personalized learning solutions for employees with special needs due to disability that can be physical or cognitive. The AI-based solutions support special learners by customizing assistive technology-based solutions and content based on the level of disability and need of the learner. This paper also highlights the importance of synergy between the training department, government and technology solution providers.

The viewpoint paper fills in an important gap by discussing the role that Gen AI can play by facilitating the learning and development of employees with unique skills.

This study aims to explore how libraries in the United Arab Emirates use technology to preserve and digitize cultural and historical documents. It examined how these institutions use different technology models to facilitate the dissemination of UAE’s cultural traditions, practices, historical experiences and expressions to the local and global populations interested in learning about the country.

This study relied heavily on a review of the relevant literature and case studies covering how UAE libraries use technology to preserve, document and share tangible and intangible cultural heritage. The methodology entailed gathering and synthesizing relevant information from scholarly journal articles, government and reputable institutional resources online and reports. Collectively, it led to a close analysis of the impact of technology on cultural preservation and an assessment of the specific technology models preferred for optimal outcomes in preserving and disseminating cultural heritage information of the UAE.

Multiple UAE libraries rely heavily on technology to collect, record, translate and store cultural heritage information, including releasing it to users when required. The National Archives of the United Arab Emirates, the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive, Mohammed Bin Rashid Library, the UAE National Library and Archives, New York University Abu Dhabi and Khalifa University of Science and Technology and Research libraries have leveraged different technological models and tools to make UAE’s cultural heritage information available and accessible globally. Artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms, three-dimensional imaging and scanning, electronic archiving systems, document management systems and ICT storage systems have helped the UAE libraries to promote and disseminate the nation’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage.

By relying on scholarly and authoritative sources of information and evidence to draw conclusions, this study contributes to the existing literature by offering insights into the innovative strategies used by UAE libraries to leverage technology for cultural preservation and promotion. In underlining the value of digital approaches to safeguard tangible and intangible cultural heritage, the research highlights the instrumentalism of technology in preserving the UAE’s cultural heritage and identity.

In January 2021, the state government of NSW, Australia, announced that all year 9 and 10 elective courses developed by schools will be phased out. This paper offers a brief historical account of school-developed board-endorsed courses (SDBECs) in NSW and a close analysis of the policy to phase them out.

I give an historical account of the meaning and place of SDBECs within the NSW school system, before situating the policy decision to phase them out within the broader historical and political context of curriculum reform in NSW. Finally, I offer an analysis of the discourses and framing of the policy both across curriculum review reports and in the government and public rhetoric, by examining policy documents, government media releases, news and blog articles at the time of the policy change.

This policy change and surrounding discourses are contextualised and analysed to show how the curriculum came to be blamed for a host of educational problems, and how the government arrived at their irrational yet politically expedient policy response by distorting the meaning of one metaphor: the crowded curriculum. I conclude with a reading of the policy as indicative of centralisation and de-legitimisation of teachers’ curriculum development work.

The convergence of state and federal discourse about curriculum as a site of cleaning up, reforming or re-organising should concern educators in Australia especially as authority over education is increasingly centralised and made vulnerable to political whim. Close studies of such minor policy decisions provide a window into how larger processes of centralisation are justified and enacted at the local level.

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as three-dimensional (3D) printing technology, has been used in the health-care industry for over two decades. It is in high demand in the health-care industry due to its strength to manufacture custom-designed and personalized 3D constructs. Recently, AM technologies are being explored to develop personalized drug delivery systems, such as personalized oral dosages, implants and others due to their potential to design and develop systems with complex geometry and programmed controlled release profile. Furthermore, in 2015, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the first AM medication, Spritam® (Apprecia Pharmaceuticals) which has led to tremendous interest in exploring this technology as a bespoke solution for patient-specific drug delivery systems. The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive overview of AM technologies applied to the development of personalized drug delivery systems, including an analysis of the commercial status of AM based drugs and delivery devices.

This review paper provides a detailed understanding of how AM technologies are used to develop personalized drug delivery systems. Different AM technologies and how these technologies can be chosen for a specific drug delivery system are discussed. Different types of materials used to manufacture personalized drug delivery systems are also discussed here. Furthermore, recent preclinical and clinical trials are discussed. The challenges and future perceptions of personalized medicine and the clinical use of these systems are also discussed.

Substantial works are ongoing to develop personalized medicine using AM technologies. Understanding the regulatory requirements is needed to establish this area as a point-of-care solution for patients. Furthermore, scientists, engineers and regulatory agencies need to work closely to successfully translate the research efforts to clinics.

This review paper highlights the recent efforts of AM-based technologies in the field of personalized drug delivery systems with an insight into the possible future direction.

This paper aims to critically examine the discourse on the disability workforce in Australian tourism policy and planning documents.

This research draws on a database of 490 Australian tourism policy and planning documents, across national, state, regional and local levels of governments, destination management organisations and peak industry bodies, to systematically examine the issues pertaining to disability workforce over the ten-year policy cycle (2013–2023), through critical discourse analysis.

Analysis revealed 20 of the existing 490 documents had mentions of the inclusion of people with disability (PWD) in the tourism workforce. Through critical discourse analysis, the nuances of political attitudes are evident. Tourism policies tend to exert a cautious approach towards the inclusion of PWD employment. PWD do not have a strong voice when it comes to the formation of tourism policy, especially not as members of the tourism workforce.

This research underscores an emerging call for the government’s commitment to considering the underrepresented social group of PWD in the tourism workforce. By shedding light on critical discourse analysis of the disability workforce, tourism scholars and practitioners understand the current challenges and explore opportunities to implement tangible actions for an inclusive work environment for all.

The research is novel and innovative as it critically examines the discourse of the disability workforce in the tourism sector through an institutional theory perspective. The limited emphasis of government policies on the disability workforce may result in missed opportunities to encourage meaningful employment engagement of PWD in tourism organisations. Consequently, this research contributes a tripartite model of policy recommendations that explicitly articulates the mechanisms for change that are tailored to tourism workforce and advocates for the active voices of PWD community in the policy formation process.

本研究旨在对澳大利亚旅游政策和规划文件中有关残疾人劳动力的讨论进行批判性话语分析。

本研究采用了490份澳大利亚旅游政策和规划文件, 涵盖了国家、州、地区和地方政府、目的地管理组织和行业峰会机构的文件, 系统地分析了 2013 年至 2023 年的10年政策周期内有关残疾人劳动力的讨论。

分析显示, 在现有的 490 份文件中, 有20份提到了在旅游业中的残疾和工作包容性。通过批判性话语分析, 可以看出政治态度的细微差别。旅游政策在雇佣残疾人时往往采取谨慎的态度。在关于旅游业工作政策的制定过程中, 残疾人的声音略显薄弱。

本研究强调了政府应致力于考虑残疾人这一少数社会群体在旅游劳动力中的参与度。通过揭示残疾人工作的批判性话语分析, 旅游学者和从业者能够了解当前面临的挑战, 并采取切实可行的措施来创造更具包容性的工作环境。

本研究具有新颖性和创新性。它从制度理论的角度批判性地审视了旅游业中残疾人工作的讨论。政府政策对残疾人工作的重视不足可能导致错失在旅游相关公司促进残疾人有意义的就业参与机会。因此, 本研究提出了一个三方政策建议模型, 明确阐述了针对旅游业工作的变革机制, 并倡导在政策制定过程中积极听取残疾人社区的建议。

Este artículo tiene como objetivo examinar en profundidad el tema del personal discapacitado en los documentos de política y planificación turística en Australia.

Esta investigación parte de una base de datos de 490 documentos de política y planificación del turismo australiano del gobierno a nivel nacional, estatal, regional y local, de las organizaciones de gestión de destinos y de los organismos del sector turístico, para examinar sistemáticamente las cuestiones relativas al personal con discapacidad a lo largo del ciclo político de 10 años (2013–2023).

El análisis reveló que 20 de los 490 documentos existentes mencionaban la inclusión de personas con discapacidad (PcD) en el empleo turístico. El análisis crítico del discurso pone de manifiesto los matices de las actitudes políticas. Las políticas turísticas tienden a adoptar un enfoque cauteloso hacia la inclusión laboral de las PcD. Las PcD no presentan una voz fuerte cuando se trata de la formación de la política turística, especialmente como miembros del empleo turístico.

Esta investigación destaca la necesidad emergente de un compromiso gubernamental para considerar al grupo social subrepresentado de personas con discapacidad en el empleo turístico. Al arrojar luz sobre el análisis del discurso crítico del empleo turístico con PcD, los investigadores y profesionales del turismo comprende los retos actuales y exploran las oportunidades de poner en práctica acciones tangibles para un entorno laboral inclusivo para todos.

La investigación es novedosa e innovadora, ya que examina en profundidad el personal con discapacidad en el sector turístico bajo un enfoque de la teoría institucional. El limitado énfasis de las políticas gubernamentales del personal con discapacidad puede hacer que se pierdan oportunidades de fomentar una participación laboral significativa de las PcD en las organizaciones turísticas. En consecuencia, esta investigación aporta un modelo tripartito de recomendaciones políticas que articula explícitamente los mecanismos de cambio adaptados a los trabajadores del sector turístico y aboga por la participación de la comunidad de PcD en el proceso de formulación de políticas.

The main purpose of this paper is to discuss findings from original research conducted on barriers in work-related settings for PwID and how to detach those challenges from medical diagnoses.

Data on impairments, barriers and possible solutions was collected through semi-structured interviews with PwID using an interview guide based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. The data collected was analysed using qualitative content analysis.

Videocall programs, passwords, lack of social contacts or possibilities to regenerate and insufficient usability or digital skills are among the biggest barriers identified. Possible solutions include creating social opportunities, offering external structure and creating opportunities for participation.

Due to the small number of participants the results should be seen as explorative and need to be verified further.

The results made apparent, that those challenges identified can also affect people without disabilities and the offered solutions may not only help develop a more inclusive workplace but also create a healthier working environment for all kinds of people.

The approach appears to be a good way to separate impairments from medical diagnoses and related stigma. The impairments that were described by the interviewees do not appear disability-exclusive. It is apparent that those challenges can also affect people without disabilities and the offered solutions may not only help develop a more inclusive workplace but also create a healthier working environment for all kinds of people.

We examined the role of technology in employment and work for people with disabilities (PWD). We intended to identify publication trends, key terms, research areas and potential gaps in the topic.

We scrutinized relevant articles from two major databases through bibliometric and systematic review analyses. The bibliometric data involved 256 articles analysed through the VOSviewer software to produce publication trends and network maps. We then scanned article abstracts and selected 114 articles for thematic analysis using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline.

The findings revealed a dominance of authors from Western and European countries, particularly the United States of America. Three themes emerged as the crucial factors shaping technology utilization for PWD employment and workplace inclusion. These were identified as individual, environmental and societal, which shed light on the multifaceted influences surrounding PWD’s technology empowerment.

The hybrid review approach enables a thorough examination of the published work. Our study proposes a conceptual model for PWD employment and workplace inclusion. Founded on the theories of Work Adjustment, Human–Computer Interaction and the Social Model of Disability. The model provides a clear visualization to guide further research and relevant initiatives in this area.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the reasons behind the persistent preference for printed content among Arabic-speaking library patrons in Jordan. Specifically, this study highlights the availability of reading materials in print, electronic and audible formats in Arabic as an intervening factor shaping reading behavior. More broadly, it aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of how language preference can impact reading format preferences.

This study’s research design revolves around understanding reading format preferences among registered members of Jordan’s largest and oldest private library. This approach involved the examination of secondary library user survey data collected from N = 313 of its patrons in 2022. To gain a greater understanding of the preference for printed materials, this study conducted semistructured interviews over the phone with n = 31 participants of the library’s survey.

The findings of this study indicate a strong preference for print books among Arabic-speaking library patrons in Jordan. However, the availability of content in electronic and audible formats in Arabic, their preferred reading language, emerged as a potentially significant factor in the persistent preference for printed reading materials.

This study offers new insights into the specific role that the availability of content in Arabic, and possibly languages other than English, may play in shaping reading format preferences. By shedding light on this aspect of reading behavior, this research offers valuable information for libraries and publishers seeking to cater to the needs and preferences of Arabic readers.