This video from the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative
introduces some of the tools and techniques that people with disabilities use to interact with the web.
Some use specialized software or hardware, called assistive technology.
Others adapt standard software or hardware to better meet their needs.
Perception - hearing, feeling and seeing.
When content is accessible,
people can perceive it through different senses,
depending on their needs and preferences.
For example,
some people who can't see a screen
or hear audio,
rely on websites and apps
that can present the information
in different ways.
People who are blind may
use assistive technology
on computers and mobile phones
called screen readers.
These software tools
read the information on the screen out loud,
or they can present it in braille.
Bird.
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates
constituting the class Aves,
(/’eIvi:z/)
characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of
Screen readers process websites and apps
with correctly coded headings,
lists, links, buttons, and other structures much better.
People who are blind rely on hearing or touch,
rather than sight.
For video,
content creators need to ensure
that visual information is provided
in auditory form as well.
Often these descriptions
of visual information can be placed
in existing pauses in the audio,
or the script can be created
from the start with sufficient description
of the scenes, characters,
and other important visual information.
People who are deaf-blind
also use screen readers to present the information
using a device called a
Refreshable Braille display.
Braille characters are a combination
of raised or lowered dots,
which people read by scanning over them
with their fingertips.
Similarly to people who are blind and deaf-blind,
people who are Deaf or hard of hearing
may use haptic feedback too;
for example, through vibration alerts on a mobile phone
instead of auditory notifications.
People who are Deaf or hard of hearing
often rely on seeing instead of hearing.
For example, while watching a video
they may use captions or sign language
as an alternative to the audio.
You can help
make technology
accessible
to me.
Accessibility: It's about people.
Presentation: distinguishing
and understanding.
When content is accessible,
people can adjust its presentation to make it easier
to distinguish and understand.
This could include adjusting
screen size and color
to see better,
adjusting audio volume
to hear better, or adjusting
how text is presented to read it better.
Some people with low vision
increased the text size
to make it easier to read.
They might adjust properties
in the web browser or operating system,
such as increasing
the default text size,
font type, and line
spacing to better see the text.
Websites and apps that are programmed
and designed to adapt to these properties,
allow people to use the content
without the text overlapping,
getting cropped,
or requiring them to scroll
both vertically and horizontally.
Other people with low vision
increase everything on the screen,
not only text.
They might use screen magnification software
as a digital magnifying glass.
Some might also change the text
and background colors
to better read the text
and text-to-speech
to hear the text while they're reading.
This means that websites and apps
need to be programmed and designed
to allow people to change the colors
rather than forcing them
to appear in a certain way.
Presentation is not only visual.
People with auditory disabilities, for example,
might need to increase
the volume of online meetings
and multimedia like videos,
podcasts and music,
without increasing the volume of other
system sounds like notification alerts.
Adjusting the bass,
treble and balance of the sound
can make the audio easier to hear,
so operating systems and media players
need to provide these settings.
Also, these settings work
better with high quality audio
that does not have background noise.
Presentation adjustments
can also make content easier
to focus on,
particularly for people
with different types of cognitive
and learning disabilities.
This includes “reading modes”
that hide less relevant parts of the content,
such as sidebars and front matter;
pop up and animation blockers
that help avoid distraction
and interruption;
and digital reading rules
that help readers
focus on one line at a time.
Some reading assistants,
for example, those that
some people with dyslexia might use
adjust how the text is presented
to make it easier to read.
This includes changing the font type,
text size, colors
and the spacing between letters,
sentences and paragraphs.
Some people read better with serif-type fonts
and others with sensory fonts.
Adjusting these properties are individual
from one person to another,
which is why flexible
design is so important.
Other reading assistants
support comprehension.
Some can process a text
to simplify words and phrases,
and sometimes also simplify
complex sentences.
These tools rely on proper
programming and design to work.
You can help make technology accessible to me.
Accessibility: It’s about people.
Input - Typing, Writing and Clicking
When content is accessible, people can use a variety of hardware and software
to enter text and activate commands.
Some people do not use keyboards
and use only pointing devices instead.
This could include a specialised mouse,
joystick, trackball,
or touch screen to click links and buttons and to type on on-screen keyboards.
However, even when using these tools,
people might have difficulty
selecting small targets,
such as small links, buttons and controls.
Websites and apps with large clickable areas around checkboxes,
radio buttons, and other controls,
are easier to use for people
with limited mobility
and reduced dexterity.
Websites and apps also need to provide support
for people who use the keyboard only.
This includes providing ways to skip over repeated content,
such as headers and navigation bars, as well as not breaking the default
functionality in browsers and operating systems.
For example,
using the Tab key to move around
clickable items in the content,
using the Enter key for selecting items,
and making the currently active item visible
by showing a rectangular box around it.
Websites and apps that provide word prediction and accelerators,
for example for search terms,
reduce the amount of typing,
and make them more efficient
for keyboard users.
Additionally, not everyone using only the keyboard can see the screen;
for example, people who are blind.
So, in addition to ensuring keyboard support,
websites and apps also need to provide clear instructions,
labels for form controls, error messages, and status notifications,
so that people know what is happening on the screen.
Websites and apps need to help people find and correct mistakes in their input;
for example, by showing a summary of the entered data before submitting it.
They also need to provide sufficient time to complete tasks,
or avoid timing limitations altogether.
Many people with disabilities require more time to navigate
and orient themselves in the content, and to click and type.
In particular, people with cognitive and learning disabilities.
Finally, websites and apps also need to consider people who do not use
keyboard or pointing devices at all, and use speech input instead.
For example, websites and apps need to be programmed and designed
so that the name of a button
in the software code matches the name displayed to the user.
Click send email.
You can help make technology accessible to me.
Accessibility: it's about people.
Interaction - navigation and finding
When content is accessible,
people can navigate and find information
using different strategies and approaches
depending on their preferences,
skills and abilities.
Many people with cognitive
and learning disabilities
rely on clear layout and design
to find information on websites and apps.
This includes different ways
of navigating the content,
such as using hierarchical menus
as well as search functionality;
with visual orientation cues,
such as using background colors
to indicate different parts
of the content,
using unique headings,
and placing relevant information
in prominent areas.
It's also important to use
a consistent and predictable design.
While many of these are typically usability
aspects that affect people with
and without disabilities,
these situations often
affect people with disabilities to a greater extent.
For example,
people with low vision
who use screen magnification
also rely on visual orientation cues
to orient themselves and find information
on websites and apps.
And consistency predictability helps everyone.
For example,
people who are blind use screen readers
to scan the content structures,
such as headings,
links, and navigational menus
to get an overview and orient themselves.
Websites and apps with clear
and consistent headings,
labels and structures
make the content
more predictable and easier to navigate.
In addition,
people who are blind rely on mechanisms
to skip over blocks of content,
such as headings,
navigation bars,
or menus,
repeated within websites and apps.
They also rely on websites and apps to provide
clear instructions
and help users identify
and correct mistakes,
such as incorrect dates,
numbers and other input.
In addition,
people with physical disabilities
rely on consistent labels which allow browsers
to optionally remember previous entries.
This speeds up typing
because people can select previous entries,
for example, names and addresses.
You can help make technology accessible to me.
Accessibility: it's about people.
For more information
from the Web Accessibility Initiative
on How People With Disabilities
Use Digital Technology
visit w3.org/WAI/people