Assistive technology

Increasing your knowledge of assistive technology is invaluable for creating accessible communications

There are a range of digital technologies that can improve access to email, internet and digital software for disabled people. The main types are:

Quick reference for assistive technology

Technology	Assists	Method	Controls	Best practice
Screen readers	Visual impairments, dyslexia	Text is spoken	Keyboard navigation only	Keep information clear, concise and well formatted
Braille display	Visual impairments	Screen content produced in Braille	User reads Braille by touch	Keep information clear, concise and well formatted
Screen magnifiers	Visual impairments	Text is magnified	-	Keep information clear, concise and well formatted
Speech recognition	Visual impairments	Commands are spoken	Voice controlled	Keep information clear, concise and well formatted
Adaptive devices	Manual dexterity problems	Specialised devices	-	Keep information clear, concise and well formatted
Speech enablement	Dyslexia, learning disabilities English as a second language.	Audio web browsing and speech enablement channels	-	Keep information clear, concise and well formatted
Signing avatars	Visual impairments	Computer animation signs text	-	Keep information clear, concise and well formatted

Screen readers

Screen readers work by reading a web page one line at a time, horizontally across the screen. Text is spoken using a speech synthesiser. They:

enable people who are not able to see the display screen or mouse cursor use a computer.
include JAWS and WindowEyes
work with applications such as Microsoft Word, Outlook and Excel.

Screen reader user experience

Using a computer by speech is a slower process than by looking at the screen as screen readers cannot speak more than one item at a time.

Screen reader users hear text at the cursor position spoken aloud and also hear information about dialogue boxes, menus, icons and cursors. They navigate the screen using the keyboard only, moving between lines of text, windows, menu items and controls with the arrow and tab keys.

Making information accessible for screen readers

Use accessible formatting when producing web content, emails, presentations, PDFs, spreadsheets and tables. Screen reader programmes often cannot convert all the text on the screen into speech because of inaccessible formatting.

Points to note:

Full stops after headings make the screen reader voice pause and drop in tone.
Semi-colons, commas or full stops after bullet points separate each point.
Numbered menu items aid navigation.
Words written in capital letters mid-line may be read as single letters.
Signs and symbols, for example asterisks or slashes will be spoken.
Abbreviations and acronyms which use full stops will make the voice pause - the user may lose the meaning of the sentence.
Screen readers may have difficulty with tables - they read down each cell, going across the page from left to right.

Braille displays

Braille displays produce a Braille version of the display screen using a matrix of small mechanical pins. They:

do not take up much space and can fit in front of a keyboard.

Braille user experience

A live Braille version of what is on the screen will come up on the Braille display. The user touches the pins on the display in the same way as reading Braille from a page. The pins move, changing the Braille changes instantly as new text appears on the screen.

Braille displays do not show the full screen at once. They show a single line of Braille, which corresponds to the line of text showing at the cursor position.

Screen magnifiers

Magnifiers or enlargers increase the size of the screen display, making text and graphics larger on screen. They:

can be used by people who read Large print
include Zoomtext and SuperNova
work with applications such as Microsoft Word, Outlook and Excel.

Screen magnifier user experience

Users move around their enlarged view using the mouse. It is similar to looking through a magnifying lens and moving the page underneath it. Navigation can be a problem, as they can see less of the screen at one time.

Keeping web information short and to the point makes it a lot easier for someone who uses screen magnification to navigate.

Speech recognition

A microphone input device that operates by voice commands.

Speech recognition user experience

The user gives commands and enters data by speaking into a microphone. The software has built-in a vocabulary but the user needs to train the software to recognise their particular voice.

Adaptive hardware and input devices

These are ergonomic or specialised devices such as alternative keyboards, on-screen keyboard emulators, specialised mice, switches and pointing devices.

Speech enablement

There are two different categories:

applications that enable browsing of web content in audio
speech enablement as a channel, either client-based or server-based

Audio web browsing

Combining text-to-speech technology, these devices are generally limited to web browsing. This technology cannot cope with multimedia or graphical content and relies on the provision of appropriate text and alternative texts.

Speech enablement channel

This can be either client-based or server-based. It also converts text to speech.

Signing avatars

These are computer animations that can translate web page content into sign language. Lip speaking avatars are also available. Avatars can also be used as virtual personalities, which users may find easier to relate than written content.

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Page last reviewed: 04 November 2010