Chapter 10Chapter image

Suggested Features for Different Types of Disabilities

The following sections suggest features that can benefit users with certain types of disabilities. The list of features for each type of disability is not complete, because the needs and preferences of individuals vary and some people have a combination of disabilities or varying abilities.

To learn more about these features or to find procedures that explain how to configure a specific setting, see "Using Keyboard Navigation," "Customizing Fonts, Colors, and Styles," and "Configuring Advanced Internet Accessibility Options" later in this chapter.

Features for Users Who Are Blind

Many users who are blind depend on screen readers, which provide spoken or Braille descriptions of windows, controls, menus, images, text, and other information that is typically displayed visually on a screen. Internet Explorer 5 provides improved functionality for screen readers and offers a range of other features that can be helpful to individuals who are blind.

Users who are blind can benefit from these features:

Features for Users Who Have Low Vision

Common forms of low vision are color blindness, difficulty in changing focus, and impaired contrast sensitivity. Users with color blindness might have difficulty reading colored text on a colored background. Users who have difficulty changing focus or who experience eye strain with normal use of a video display might have difficulty reading small text, discriminating between different font sizes, or using small on-screen items as targets for the cursor or pointer. Users with impaired contrast sensitivity might have difficulty reading black text on a gray background.

Users who have low vision can benefit from these features:

Features for Users Who Are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing

Sound cues in programs are not useful to users with hearing impairments or users working in a noisy environment. Users who are deaf might have sign language as their primary language and English as their secondary language. As a result, they might have difficulty reading pages that use custom fonts, depart from typographical convention (that is, the standardized use of uppercase and lowercase letters), or use animated text displays.

Note Users who are deaf might also be interested in the features recommended for users with cognitive or language impairments.

Users who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can benefit from these features:

Features for Users with Physical Impairments

Users with physical impairments might perform certain manual tasks with difficulty, such as manipulating a mouse or typing two keys at the same time. They might also hit multiple keys or "bounce" fingers off keys, making typing difficult. These users could benefit from adapting keyboards and mouse functions to meet their requirements.

Users who have physical impairments can benefit from these features:

Features for Users with Seizure Disorders

Users with seizure disorders, such as epilepsy, might be sensitive to screen refresh rates, blinking or flashing images, or specific sounds.

Users who have seizure disorders can benefit from these features:

Note Even if users turn off sounds in Internet Explorer, sounds might still play if RealAudio is installed or if a movie is playing.

Features for Users with Cognitive and Language Impairments

Cognitive impairments take many forms, including short-term and long-term memory loss, perceptual differences, and developmental disabilities. Dyslexia and illiteracy are also common types of language impairments. People who are learning the language used by their computer software as a second language might also be considered to have a form of language impairment.

Users who have cognitive or language impairments can benefit from these features:



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