National accessibility portal and facebook: a case study

Abstract

The National Accessibility Portal is a web respository of information for South Africans living with disabilities. Information stored on the portal include copies of legislation applicable to people with disabilities, lists of schools for children with disabilities, lists of accessible tourist venues, mailing lists, discussion forums, book reviews, etc. In an effort to reach a wider (and possibly younger) group of potential users, a Facebook application was developed which could be installed in a Facebook profile. This made it easier for people to keep up-to-date with what is new on the National Accessibility Portal without leaving the popular Facebook portal. The Facebook application could be shared, posted in a profile, and invitations could be sent to Facebook friends. This paper discusses the technical issues, problems encountered, and lessons learned in creating a Facebook front end for a traditional web site.