Graphics and illustrations can be made accessible and often improve understandability, ease-of-use, and satisfaction with websites and applications for everyone. However, text-only content poses barriers for many people who have difficulty with written language. Other people need to perceive content through multiple senses, such as someone with dyslexia who may need to hear and see the text to understand it better.Ĭontent in textual form can be more easily converted into other forms and is therefore particularly useful.
For example, someone who is deaf-blind requires audio and visual content in a tactile form (such as Braille). Some people need to convert content from one form to another to perceive it. Visual - such as images, text, and video that can be seen.Tactile - such as dots, bars, and vibration that can be felt.Auditory - such as speech, music, and sound that can be heard.For example, some people are not seeing the screen or hearing the audio. People perceive content through different senses depending on their needs and preferences. Perception - hearing, feeling, and seeing
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In other cases, people are unaware of accessibility solutions or how to configure and use them. For example, tools may not be affordable, not installed or not compatible with the computer, not available in some languages, or not available for other reasons. Sometimes hardware and software with specific accessibility features, including web browsers, media players, or assistive technologies, may not be available to an individual.
Better Web Browsing: Tips for Customizing Your Computer provides information about customizing your computer to take advantage of such accessibility features and solutions.
Features that support accessibility are becoming increasingly available in standard computer hardware, mobile devices, operating systems, web browsers, and other tools. Adaptive strategies include techniques with standard software, with mainstream web browsers, and with assistive technologies.Īccessibility benefits people with and without disabilities. Adaptive Strategies – techniques that people with disabilities use to improve interaction with the Web, such as increasing text size, reducing mouse speed, and turning on captions.These include screen readers that read aloud web pages for people who cannot read the text, screen magnifiers for people with some types of low vision, and voice recognition software and selection switches for people who cannot use a keyboard or mouse. Assistive Technologies – software and hardware that people with disabilities use to improve interaction with the web.Some common approaches for interacting with the Web include: