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Re: Accessibility Observations

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From: Holly Marie
Date: Feb 28, 2002 7:28AM

Another important item I left out of this list. Including motor
challenges the ability to use both hands does not exist... so
shortcut keys with a combination of two keys or more is not really very
viable. Yes I know there are sticky keys, however then the attn span and
frustration levels are a considerable issue.

Also the recall of such key combinations might be rather inconsistent.

I myself, working in so many software programs and browsers, cannot
recall all the keyboard shortcuts or many of them. So someone with some
comprehension or learning difficulties might be at a stronger
disadvantage.

Short cut keys do not work for everyone. Even if they are designed well.

holly





From: "Holly Marie>
> > > How people use screen readers is an interesting question. In user
> tests I
> > > have found surprisingly little typical behaviour, even amongst
> experienced
> > > screen reader users.
> >
> > I would like to get this discussion back to behaviour of people, and
> away
> > from behaviour of browsers (however interesting!). What strategies
> have
> > people observed here by people using disabled technologies to deal
> with the
> > web? Practical examples would be really useful, thanks.
>
> Cerebral palsy - motor coordination difficulties - literacy -
> communication difficulties
> understands spoken directions or commands and others speaking.
>
> tools
> [1] Intellitools keyboard
> [2] Audio prompts and cues, this person needs sound, voice,
interactive
> display of information
> [3] Graphics are important, simple graphics are even more important
> [4] While the keyboard has interchangeable templates for use, from
> alphabet to QWERTY layout, to simple arrow keys , to yes no commands,
or
> enter quit, etc.... This user also does not have the ability to use a
> mouse at all.
> [5] Touch Window Screen overlay by www.edmark.com or Touch Monitor -
> which makes drop downs and or dhtml style menus, near impossible for
> access. Though scrollbars on browsers are workable. Just time
consuming.
> So pages on one window view might be more accessible, with a button
> graphic link to advance to a next section or page.
>
> This type of user makes great use of multimedia technology that also
> fits the motor capabilities. This multimedia would include prompts and
> cues, as well as spoken directions, information, and content.
Multimedia
> demos of how to showing or modeling activity, instructions, or
> relationships of cause and effect would also be good on a delivery of
> information for this user. So visual enhancements along with audial
> enhancements of material are needed.
>
> Here is just one user, and now by reading this, you can definitely see
> the problems implementing some of the elements of design(function) and
> usability might encounter.
>
> Hearing impaired would need captions and text equivalents for all of
> these methods, and so will blind, which may need even more heightened
> descriptions on cause and effects and interaction or multimedia.
>
> We could try and make the argument this user is not in a majority of
> challenged users, but then you would be remiss at doing so. The
> challenged population is not one group with same problems or
> difficulties, and this is where it becomes very difficult to make any
> sort of generalizations on what is needed to be done.
>
> The list above is only some key items, I thought of, there are more
for
> this list I am sure. But it gives an idea of how some changes for one
> group can greatly affect the usability and accessibility of another
> group.
>
> holly
>
>
>
>
>
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