Improving Web Access for Individuals who Rely on Augmentative and Alternative Communication

Abstract

People with significant speech and motor disabilities often face obstacles attempting to navigate the World Wide Web. This is especially true for the millions of children and adults worldwide who rely on or could benefit from augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). This study was designed to test the usability of WebAACcess™, an accessibility enhancement tool designed to bypass some of the barriers to navigating the web. Using a repeated-measures research design, whereby subjects were their own controls, each of the 12 participants (7 with motor disabilities who used AAC and 5 peers without disabilities) navigated equivalent web pages using Internet Explorer alone and Internet Explorer with WebAACcess. Results consistently demonstrated that navigating using WebAACess with Internet Explorer was more efficient, easier, and equally effective for all of the participants than navigating with Internet Explorer alone.

Keywords:

• World Wide Web
• Internet accessibility
• AAC
• Computers
• Universal Design

Acknowledgements

The authors are deeply indebted to the late Dr Leonard Kasday, who worked with the first author to begin to address this area of web access and who helped design WebAACcess. This work is funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research of the U.S. Department of Education under grant number H133E030018.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.