A multimedia guide to spinal cord injury: empowerment through self instruction

The Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Project is developing a series of instructional modules on SCI that will be distributed via CD-ROM for patient and family education. The modules are based on an instructional program and patient manual distributed by the Paralyzed Veterans of America. The program includes topics ranging from the anatomy and physiology of spinal cord injuries to legal rights established under the Americans With Disabilities Act. The SCI project expands on the instructional manual by combining digital multimedia techniques with motivational features such as games and personal guides. The user selects a personal guide from among a selection of individuals with spinal cord injuries to guide them through tutorials that include accounts of personal experiences. The guides appear in small video windows at various points throughout the tutorials and give personal insight into the topic at hand. The user can also query the other guides to hear their views on a topic. The user interface incorporates 'seamless access' features, which enable persons with a wide range of disabilities to use the program. Innovative features of these modules are the use of personal instructional guides, motivational games and activities, incorporation of alternative input or access strategies, and the use of high quality, low cost, multimedia production strategies.