Accessibility

The term accessibility describes something that can be accessed, entered, or reached with little or no obstacles. With computers, accessibility features allow those with disabilities to use the computer through assistive technologies.

Developers may design computer software, websites, and other technologies to be more accessible to benefit all users. For example, a developer may think about those with poor eyesight when deciding on a font size, and choose a size that helps all users read the text.

Examples of accessibility issues

The following list is an example of common disabilities that may prevent something from being accessible.

Visual

Examples include a person who is blind, has poor vision, or has color blindness. Visual accessibility can also occur when viewing something on a smaller screen. For example, viewing a website on a smartphone that's not designed for smaller screens.

Auditory

Anyone who is deaf, hard of hearing, or is in an environment that prevents them from hearing audible cues. For example, someone with their sound muted may not hear a notification sound.

Mobility

A user may have motor or mobility difficulties that make it difficult to use a computer mouse, keyboard, touch screen, or other devices. For example, a person who trembles may have difficulty clicking the correct hyperlink if it's too close to another link.

Learning

Not everyone learns the same way, and many have disabilities like ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and dyslexia that can prevent them from understanding what they're reading.

Seizures

Flashing colors and animation can cause seizures, especially those with photosensitive epilepsy. By limiting or removing flashing colors, seizures can be reduced.

Examples of accessibility features

• Cursor trails
• Ease of Access
• Filter Keys
• Gesture recognition
• Hands-free
• High contrast
• Mouse Keys
• Narrator
• On-screen keyboard
• Sticky Keys
• TDD (telecommunications device for the deaf)
• Text-to-speech
• Toggle Keys
• Touch screen
• Voice recognition

Accessibility vs. usability

Although similar, "accessibility" and "usability" are different ways to evaluate software and technology design. When considering accessibility, the focus is on making everything accessible to users with disabilities. Usability focuses on how effective a design is and if a user would understand the design. For example, a designer may create a new menu for a website. The usability expert uses their knowledge to ensure that the menu works for different devices and does user testing to make sure a new user understands the menu. The accessibility expert would make sure the menu is accessible to all disabled users and works with accessibility devices, like a screen reader.

Although they are distinct, both accessibility and usability contribute to the overall user experience (UX) of a software or technology product, and both are important design considerations.

Internet and web accessibility

With the Internet, web accessibility or eAccessibility is making sure a website and web services are accessible by all users using any device.

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Accessibility keyboard shortcuts

The following list are some keyboard shortcuts that can access accessibility features.

• Alt+Shift+A - Open the accessibility menu in Google Docs and Google Sheets.
• Windows key+Ctrl+Enter - Open the Microsoft Windows Narrator.
• Windows key++ - Open the Windows Magnifier and increases the size of everything on the screen.
• Windows key+Ctrl+O - Open the Microsoft Windows on-screen keyboard.

CamelCase, Ease of Access, User-friendly, UX, Web design terms