Adina Mulliken, Associate Professor, Librarian
Overview- How People with Disabilities Use Digital Content
Some people with disabilities use adaptive technology to access computers. Digital accessibility standards provide guidance to allow adaptive technology to function with web and mobile sites and to allow people with disabilities to have more equal access to information.
| Group* | Examples of web accessibility affecting some members of this group | Example of adaptive technologies sometimes used |
|---|---|---|
| Motor |
Individuals who do not always use their hand to use a mouse may rely on various other input devices, such as the keyboard. This can include people with hand tremors, carpal tunnel, and many other disabilities. Keyboard accessibility: allows people to reach everything on the page with the keyboard. A quick, rough test for people who are sighted: Open a webpage and see if you can reach all the parts of a page using the Tab key. The browser should show an outline around the active part of the page. |
Speech to text software, such as Dragon. Alternate input devices instead of a traditional mouse, such as a keyboard, head stylus or a mouth stick |
| Cognitive |
Some people with learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, attention disabilities, chronic fatigue and more learn better by hearing content aloud. PDF accessibility: If a pdf is accurately ocr'ed (optical character recognition), the Kurzweil 3000 adaptive software can read the pdf aloud. |
Kurzweil 3000. Reads articles and text aloud. |
| Hearing |
Captioning: Allows access for Deaf and hard of hearing users, as well as improved access for language learners and others. |
|
| Vision |
People who are blind generally use screen readers to read the computer screen aloud. Screen readers are made to use with a keyboard, not a mouse. Keyboard accessibility: allows people to reach everything on the page with the keyboard. PDF accessibility: If a pdf is accurately ocr'ed (optical character recognition), the screen reader adaptive software can read the pdf aloud. Audio description: brief, audible description of visual content of videos. |
Screen readers: Jaws, Voiceover on Macs. Reads a computer screen aloud. Used with a keyboard, not a mouse. |
*These groups were taken from WebAIM's Introduction to Web Accessibility. These are not comprehensive, nor are they official categories or diagnoses; rather, they are ways to understand how some people are affected by digital accessibility. As WebAIM explains, "Though estimates vary, most studies find that about one fifth (20%) of the population has some kind of disability. Not all of these people have disabilities that make it difficult for them to access the internet, but it is still a significant portion of the population. ... Most of the time, these adaptations benefit nearly everyone, not just people with disabilities. Almost everyone benefits from helpful illustrations, properly-organized content, and clear navigation. Similarly, while captions are a necessity for deaf users, they can be helpful to others, including anyone who views a video without audio. "