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| Accessible Design: Problems and Solutions A Literature Review to Support the ITTATC Needs Assessment |
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J: Requirements of the User Population Served by the Accessible Design Community
Introduction
Because of their limitations (e.g., vision, hearing, mobility), individuals with disabilities have particularly strong needs to access information that is "readily available," but not accessible because of technological and other limitations (Feurzeig, et al, n.d.). Kaye (1997, 2000) reminds us that people with disabilities continue to be discriminated against with respect to employment, education, housing, access to public accommodations, and social integration. Educational efforts need to be made to broadcast the benefits that assistive technologies can provide, and cost reduction strategies must be implemented to make these technologies affordable.
Since accessible design is expected to benefit everyone, the broad requirements of the user population served by the Accessible Design Community are the same as any other user population (Vanderheiden, 1997). That is, individuals with disabilities require the same access to information and employment as any individual without disabilities, and enjoy the same benefits of this access: feelings of personal empowerment and improved quality of life (Francik, 1996). However, accessible product design must meet special requirements in order to include the population with disabilities, particularly those in the population who use assistive technology (Wilson, 1996).
Up to this point, these special requirements have not been satisfactorily met or even completely identified, as is evident in the large gap between advantaged and disadvantaged populations (Feurzeig, et al., n.d.; Kaye, 1998, 2000; Tedeschi, 2001). Specifically, hearing impaired individuals require Interactive Voice Response interfaces (IVRs) that are compatible with TTY devices and hearing aids or have adjustable volume control (FCC, 2000; Francik, 1996). Visually impaired individuals require web sites whose code is translatable by screen reading technology (Tedeschi, 2001) or whose colors and font sizes can be adjusted. In addition to the products themselves, information about the products, training, and services must also meet accessibility requirements (Francik, 1996). These are just a few examples, and it is important to note that including such requirements early in the design process would improve the accessibility of commercial products for everyone.
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J-1. What are the information needs of users with disabilities?
The information needs of users with disabilities are the same as the information needs of any user, but access to information may be more difficult for users with disabilities.
Baker, L. (1999). Therapeutic riding and the visually impaired. [Printed in NARHA Strides, 5(1) and 5(2). Retrieved January 8, 2001 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.narha.org/features/tr_visimp.pdf
Feurzeig, Porter & Goldberg. (n.d.). Position papers on selected population groups regarding every-citizen interfaces in the nation's information infrastructure. Retrieved December 12, 2000, from the World Wide Web:
http://stills.nap.edu/html/screen/14.html
Francik, E. (1996). Telephone interfaces: Universal design filters. Retrieved January 18, 2001 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.trace.wisc.edu/docs/taacmtg_aug96/pbfilter.htm
Kaye, H. S. (1997). Disability watch: The status of people with disabilities in the United States. San Francisco: Disability Rights Advocates.
Kaye, H. S. (July, 2000). Disability and the digital divide (Disability Statistics Abstract 22). Washington DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.
Kaye, H. S. (March, 2000). Computer and internet use among people with disabilities (Disability Statistics Report 13). Washington DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.
Kaye, H. S. (May, 1998). Is the status of people with disabilities improving? (Disability Statistics Abstract Number 21). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.
King & Thomas. (n.d.). Position papers on key processes regarding every-citizen interfaces in the nation's information infrastructure. Retrieved December 12, 2000, from the World Wide Web:
http://stills.nap.edu/html/screen/15.html
Vanderheiden, G. C. (In print). Telecommunications - accessibility and future directions. In Abascal, J., & Nicolle, C. (Eds.), Inclusive guidelines for HCI.
Vanderheiden, G. C., Law, C. M., & Barnicle, K. (n.d.). Cross disability telecollaboration systems. Proceedings, Designing for the 21st Century II: An International Conference on Universal Design. Boston: Adaptive Environments Center.
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