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Accessibility Support and Assistive Technology

Jason Carroll Updated by Jason Carroll

Disabled Users Are Not All Alike

There are several broad categories of disabilities that users may be experiencing, and different assistive technologies may be appropriate for each of them. This article will address how users with five major disabilities experience our content: 

  • Blindness
  • Low vision/legal blindness
  • Deaf or hard of hearing
  • Mobility impairment, and
  • Cognitive impairment, including neurodiversity. 

How Do Blind Students Access Content?

A screen reader is software that helps people who are blind or who cannot see well to access content on computers, phones, and tablets. A screen reader reads out loud what is on the screen of a computer, tablet or smartphone. Screen readers are controlled by voice, touch, or keyboard. Users can customize their experience by changing the language and the reading speed, and some screen readers can be used with a Braille display. Users must learn shortcuts to interface with their screen reader software, but once they do, navigating via screen reader can be quite quick. 

There are several different screen readers available, and as such it can be hard to know exactly how content we develop will be accessed by a blind user. This is why it is so important to use best practices for accessibility when building content. See below for examples of some of the different screen readers that are available. Note that this is not a comprehensive list.

Name of software

Format

Free/Paid

JAWS

Windows

Paid

NVDA

Windows

Free

Narrator

Windows

Free; comes with Windows

VoiceOver

Apple

Free; comes with all Apple devices

TalkBack

Android phones and tablets

Free

How Do Low Vision or Legally Blind Students Access Content?

Many students with low vision, limited vision, or who are legally blind may choose to use a screen reader or they may not; it is a choice that varies on the individual. The following considerations should also be made during development:

  • Correct color contrast is important for those with low vision.
  • Alt text and long descriptions can be especially helpful.
  • Audio descriptions of significant actions can be helpful to visually impaired learners.

How Do Deaf or Hard of Hearing Students Access Content?

When a student who is hard of hearing or deaf takes our classes, they will access our audio content via synchronized video captions and course transcripts. Therefore, the content needs to have accurate captions or subtitles for any audio content. Audio descriptions can be included for important content, i.e., applause, audience responses, etc.

How Do Mobility Impaired Students Access Content?

When people are mobility-impaired, meaning their gross motor skills are limited, their ability to navigate the technological world is impacted. According to the University of Washington, mobility impairment examples include amputation, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and spinal cord injury, to name a few. If elements in our courses depend on the user having a steady hand to make precise movements, this could alienate a person who doesn’t have complete control over their mobility. Consider avoiding radio buttons, as they’re hard to click on accurately. Buttons that are large enough for someone to click accurately — even someone with tremors — are also helpful to mobility impaired students. Again, content needs to have a clear semantic structure, and labels on form fields are important elements that ensure students can tab through the course or document accurately using a keyboard. 

When a student with mobility impairment takes our classes, they may need to access our content without using a mouse or traditional keyboard. Other methods of accessing content may include: 

  • Blow-and-sip tools
  • Feet to select content
  • Alternative keyboards, such as mini or expanded keyboards
  • Virtual keyboards, which allow the individual to make selections with one or more switches, activated by movement of the head, finger, foot, breath, etc.
  • A mouth- or headstick or some other pointing device, which can be used by folks who have use of one finger, can control the computer by pressing keys with the pointing device.
  • Morse code inputs, where users create dots and dashes that are later translated into keyboard characters or commands
  • Speech recognition systems, which allow users to control computers by speaking words and letters
  • Special software, such as macros and predictive text, can reduce input demands

For more information, check out this article, How can people with mobility impairments operate computers?

How Do Students With Cognitive Impairment Access Content?

When a student with a cognitive impairment, neurodiversity, or poor memory takes our classes, they will need a range of accommodations that vary depending on their specific cognitive function. It can be hard to predict the many ways in which a student’s brain may function differently than the norm, and so keeping Universal Design standards in mind can be helpful. You may also want to consider the following questions to best serve these learners:

  • Is the document easy to navigate?
  • Can we minimize distractions on the page?
  • Does any of this content create unnecessary cognitive processing?
  • Is there a better way to structure the document that could imply its use or flow? 

How did we do?

Accessibility Considerations

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