December 18, 2024
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Increase Your Accessibility by Integrating Assistive Technology

Increase Your Accessibility by Integrating Assistive Technology

Most people don’t see accessibility as a hugely important topic, but it is for many disabled people. 

It’s something that should be a top priority to look at when creating or modifying a website or app because it can make a huge difference in the lives of those who use assistive technology.

The number of disabled users in the US is growing, and it’s essential to make websites more accessible so blind and deaf users can enjoy using them just like everyone else does. Here at https://afrohistorama.info/ has some more information to increase your accessibility by integrating assistive technology.

If you’re an entrepreneur, content creator, or author, having greater accessibility can greatly increase your chances of success. 

As the number of people who need assistive technology to use computers continues to rise in the United States alone, it’s important that businesses be prepared for individuals with all types of different abilities. 

In this post, you’ll learn about the main areas of accessibility that assistive technology can improve across web design and development from planning to implementation.

Assistive Technology at your library - Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

What is Accessibility in the World of Web Design?

Accessibility is a set of practices, guidelines and requirements that help people with disabilities use a website or app in the same way as everyone else. 

The rest of this post focuses specifically on blind users, but it’s also helpful to make websites accessible to individuals who are deaf, have learning disabilities or other impairments.

Designing for accessibility means choosing content and navigation elements that work well when users make changes to their browser settings. It also means making sure your code can be read by screen readers when designing for visually impaired people.

Assistive technology refers to a wide range of software and hardware products used by people with disabilities. It includes screen readers and braille displays, as well as software such as voice recognition tools, alternative keyboards and head-pointer devices.

The Benefits of Accessible Websites for Blind Users

Creating an accessible website can make it easier for users who are blind to navigate around the site. That’s because they usually use a keyboard to read the text on a screen or braille display to feel their way through a website. 

Most people don’t realize how heavily keyboard navigation is used by users who are blind day-to-day.

If you have a website, you should think about providing it in accessible formats so that users with visual impairments can access the content. That makes the site easier to navigate for everyone.

An accessibility feature that’s often overlooked is the assistive technology. While the idea of assistive technology sounds daunting to some, it can actually enhance your website or app by providing additional features for disabled users.

Getting started

In order to integrate assistive technology into your site or application, you will need to know what they are and how they can be implemented, which is why it’s important to learn all you can about the various technologies.

Articles like this one will give you an idea of some of the different types of assistive technology that are available for users who require them.

  • What’s the assistive technology?

It’s worth noting that there are two types of assistive technologies. The first set of technologies allow disabled people to access information through alternative means. For example, devices like Braille readers allow blind people to read printed text.

Other types of assistive technology are for people who have difficulty using a mouse or keyboard. One example is the screen reader, which reads text aloud to users.

Let’s look at some of these technologies in more detail.

1.Screen readers.

The most common type of assistive technology is the screen reader, which brings text to life by reading it aloud to the user. These are useful for people who are visually impaired, but they’re also helpful for users with other disabilities that make it difficult to read small amounts of text.

2.Screen magnifiers.

A screen magnifier works by enlarging part or all of your web content, making it easier to view. This kind of technology is particularly beneficial for users who have difficulty reading small text.

3.Text-to-speech software.

This type of software works a bit like a screen reader, but isn’t only used to read text aloud. Instead, it’s used to read emails, messages or other types of messages aloud. 

This is because it can be difficult for people who have a hearing impairment to understand what’s being said in an email or instant message without being able to hear it in real time.

4.Speech recognition software.

Speech recognition technology is similar to screen readers other than the fact that this type of assistive technology doesn’t need speakers or other hardware to function. 

This software can be useful for people with a wide range of disabilities, but they’re most commonly used for those who have difficulty typing.

 

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Cormaci Devid

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