Computer Science Lecture 3 Accessibility
Definition: Accessibility is a measure of how easy a service or product is to use, notably for
people with disabilities
Accessibility also encompasses ensuring equal opportunity regardless of:
- Physical disability
- Cognitive
- Econo Background: some region not have full accessibility remote internet access ,
issue high cost ( registration fees )
- Language: language can be a barrier
- Race/ Ethnicity
- Gender /Sexuality: different accessibility issues ( sexual history )
POUR
● Perceivable - Content is comprehensible
● Operable - Interaction with design should be possible
● Understandable - Design is easy to follow
● Robust - Design should not fail with repeated use
Accessibility is a Human Right and is protected …
Universal Design
‘’ Universal is the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed,
understood and used to the greatest…’’
Universal Design Principles link on PPT
All individuals should have as close to the same experience
One universal service instead of many accessible ones
ex: Class 2 doors one in the back one in the front ( how is this related to computers? )
Display – Visual Disabilities
Content should be perceivable for ALL users
Color Blindness: Users might have difficulty to see specific text, as it may be perceived as
the same color as it’s background
, Vision Impairment: Small text or text which is low contrast might be hard to read ( how
different two colors , hard to differentiate text color and background )
Blindness: Some users might require screen readers…
Ensuring Accessibility – Visual Disabilities
Contrast Checkers: There are tools online to check if the contrast between your background
and text colours is a high enough contrast to be easy to perceive.
Colour Correction Software: Colour Filters change the colours of the screen to make it
easier for you to see. Different filters have different purposes.
Screen Readers/ Alt Text: Screen Readers read the text on screen to a computer user. They
can only read text! If you have a picture or graph, make sure to add Alt-Text!
Alt-text is a text description for images that won’t show on screen. (Only read by Screen
Readers)
Audio – Hearing Disabilities
Content should be perceivable for all users
Deafness: If content is audio based in any way, then a transcript or closed captions should be
provided.
Ensuring Accessibility – Hearing Disabilities
Automatic Captioning: Many video conferencing softwares ( such as Microsoft Teams) allow
for auto captioning
Transcripts: ex: ytb has captions/ subtitles
Content – Cognitive D.
Content should be understandable for all users
Ease of Language: Complex language can be hard to understand and present a gateway for
many users.
Definition: Accessibility is a measure of how easy a service or product is to use, notably for
people with disabilities
Accessibility also encompasses ensuring equal opportunity regardless of:
- Physical disability
- Cognitive
- Econo Background: some region not have full accessibility remote internet access ,
issue high cost ( registration fees )
- Language: language can be a barrier
- Race/ Ethnicity
- Gender /Sexuality: different accessibility issues ( sexual history )
POUR
● Perceivable - Content is comprehensible
● Operable - Interaction with design should be possible
● Understandable - Design is easy to follow
● Robust - Design should not fail with repeated use
Accessibility is a Human Right and is protected …
Universal Design
‘’ Universal is the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed,
understood and used to the greatest…’’
Universal Design Principles link on PPT
All individuals should have as close to the same experience
One universal service instead of many accessible ones
ex: Class 2 doors one in the back one in the front ( how is this related to computers? )
Display – Visual Disabilities
Content should be perceivable for ALL users
Color Blindness: Users might have difficulty to see specific text, as it may be perceived as
the same color as it’s background
, Vision Impairment: Small text or text which is low contrast might be hard to read ( how
different two colors , hard to differentiate text color and background )
Blindness: Some users might require screen readers…
Ensuring Accessibility – Visual Disabilities
Contrast Checkers: There are tools online to check if the contrast between your background
and text colours is a high enough contrast to be easy to perceive.
Colour Correction Software: Colour Filters change the colours of the screen to make it
easier for you to see. Different filters have different purposes.
Screen Readers/ Alt Text: Screen Readers read the text on screen to a computer user. They
can only read text! If you have a picture or graph, make sure to add Alt-Text!
Alt-text is a text description for images that won’t show on screen. (Only read by Screen
Readers)
Audio – Hearing Disabilities
Content should be perceivable for all users
Deafness: If content is audio based in any way, then a transcript or closed captions should be
provided.
Ensuring Accessibility – Hearing Disabilities
Automatic Captioning: Many video conferencing softwares ( such as Microsoft Teams) allow
for auto captioning
Transcripts: ex: ytb has captions/ subtitles
Content – Cognitive D.
Content should be understandable for all users
Ease of Language: Complex language can be hard to understand and present a gateway for
many users.
