Internet Marketing - Matt Bailey [146]
On the other side of low vision is no vision. This group uses screen readers, Braille displays, or a combination of the two. (Note that not all blind users know Braille.) For the interface to a website or system, the assistive technology devices are usually Braille keyboards and speech-to-text programs.
In between these two ends of the continuum are various factors that affect vision, such as color blindness and dyslexia. Color blindness will be the subject of Wednesday’s content. Even color blindness has different factors and levels of visibility.
Case Studies in Low Vision and Blindness
To better understand some of the issues that people face and the assistive technology that they use to browse and interact online, I interviewed a series of people with widely different experiences. When hearing their stories, I am amazed at the innovation in the digital industry, and I also understand better the things that I can do to make my website a better experience.
Lee: Low Vision
Lee has albinism, and one of the main factors is low vision. Lee is a long-time computer and Internet user and has had extremely low vision since birth. She says search engines, and the Internet in general, have been a boon to her:
Growing up, there were many things that I had difficulty reading (e.g., phone books). The Internet has opened up a whole new world for me, and search engines have helped me organize it.
She relies on Apple’s built-in magnification software in her daily browsing. She prefers to view yellow or white text on a black background for added contrast. She prefers to use the search engine Big.com, which is powered by Yahoo! Big.com is built specifically for low-vision users, enabling them to read the large-font results without eye strain.
Lee explains how she sees:
I have a difficulty seeing details at a distance. I also have problems reading small print and light and glare are issues as well. I have nystagmus (an uncontrollable and irregular motion of the eyes). The world doesn’t move, but my brain has to work harder to provide a stable image. Eye fatigue is an issue. Compared to most people with albinism, I have fairly good vision and am able to get by with minor modifications.
Google’s accessibility search is based on blind readers who rely on screen-reading software; Lee relies on high-contrast text to read. However, she also uses Google Search but not as much. “I’d love to see the ability to store interface preferences in a cookie. I want to go to Google and automatically have it show up as light text on a dark background. I can do it through the OS, but in many applications, it is a hindrance. So, if Google would let me do it, that would be great.”
Lee is very active in the albinism community. She thinks search engines respond to the accessibility community very slowly and that information passes slowly as a “trickle-down” effect.
Chris: Blindness
Chris is a JAWS power user; in fact, he had a major hand in its development. He is blind but is able to use the Internet and related technologies faster than most sighted persons. He has been online long before HTML was the protocol and used to use Emacs as an interface to a chat program.
Chris prefers Google and Ask, mainly for the clean interfaces they offer, but also likes using search pages designed for hackers, especially when searching for technical information. No matter which search engine he uses, he is able to use all of the tricks in JAWS to filter out the noise and find specific information.
Chris understands the frustration of users who don’t understand how to use JAWS:
Unfortunately, most users don’t know about or care to invest the time in learning how to access such things quickly, so [they] struggle with “accessibility.” I think, on search engines, the greatest accessibility problems are no longer issues that can be corrected with the WAI [Web Accessibility Initiative] or [Section] 508 guidelines but, rather, are design