Thread Subject: Re: Accessible utility keys

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From: David Poehlman
Date: Thu, Mar 01 2007 12:35 PM

Hi randy and all,

Al of the examples you site can be accomplishable via the keyboard
even if the device is turned off. On and off for instancee can be a
key instead of a switch or small button. computers have had warm
reset for quite a while and often, this is all that is needed. Some
apple keyboards have a power button which turnss the system on as
well as off. Iin other words,, I agree with thee importance of this
though the design is less invasive than it might seem.

On Mar 1, 2007, at 1:36 PM, Randy Marsden (Home) wrote:

I wanted to open a discussion item that we haven’t addressed yet, but
that
is important to people with physical and mobility impairments. It
relates
to the use of “utility keys” on hardware – things like the on/off
button,
reset button, volume keys, display brightness keys, and so on – with a
special emphasis on the Reset key and ON/Off keys. These are
controls that
can’t be accessed via software.

On/Off Button: Many people with mobility impairments can’t access these
keys, yet they become a critical part of the operation of the
device. AT
can’t really help in the traditional sense, because the device may be
hung
(requiring reset) or simply turned off. In the old days, when the On/
Off
control was a toggle switch, special AT devices were developed that
turned
on and off the AC power to the computer (like a power bar), thus
effectively
turning the computer on and off. But now, with laptops and the
momentary
On/Off key, these solutions are no longer effective. Some AT
manufacturers
have gone to the extent of kludging solenoid actuators over the On/
Off key
and provided alternative access to that. But it is far from ideal.

Reset Key: these are becoming more and more prevalent (and
necessary) on
portable devices, such as PDA’s and Smartphones. It’s a reality of
many of
these devices that sooner or later it will lock up and you’ll need to
press
the reset button. These are usually recessed and require actuation by a
stylus, paper-clip, or something else small. I believe most
manufacturers
view this as a necessary evil (or they wouldn’t put a user-controlled
reset
switch there in the first place). You know, “if all else fails,
press the
reset button”. I know I have to press the one on my smartphone at
least 2
or 3 times a week. But how do people with mobility impairments do this?
Many can’t.

These are not simple problems to solve. One suggestion is that if
there is
an expansion connector or slot provided on an IT device, that extra
pins be
assigned to perform the same function as the On/Off and Reset
buttons. In
this way, AT can connect to the device via the expansion connector and
provide alternative ways of “pressing” the keys. Since most ports
now are
industry standard (USB, PC Card, etc), we may be talking about making
recommendations to those standards groups (outside of the TEITAC’s
mandate,
I know, but could possibly be included as non-normative comments).
In any
case, I think it should be added as a “should” item in 508. (I know it
can’t be a “shall” item right now, since most existing IT products don’t
presently have this capability).


-Randy
------------------------------------------------
Randy Marsden
President & CEO, Madentec Limited
ATIA Global Policy Chair

780-450-8926 ext. 223
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