Most common needs of people with disabilities

People with residual hearing may use auditory devices such as hearing aids and cochlear implants. However, they don’t work for everyone, and people may not always wear them.

Therefore, it is important that alternatives to sound information are available for them. Some of these alternatives can be the following:

• Captioning/Subtitles there are two types of captioning, one for people unfamiliar with a foreing language and another for people with hearing disabilities. The difference between both is that the latter includes descriptions of sounds such as when a phone rings or the doorbell goes.
• Sign language interpretation
• Hearing loop this is a special sound system for people who wear hearing aids.

There is a popular belief that providing solutions for people with hearing disability can be expensive, when in reality some of these services are actually affordable.

There are several applications and online platforms that allow adding automatic captioning to videos. Also, a few videoconferencing apps include an option to activate the captioning. Some of these apps and platforms are:

• YouTube
• ZOOM
• Microsoft Teams
• Google Meets

The most widespread image of the physical disability is that of a person who uses a wheelchair because they are unable to walk. However, this disability also affects other parts of the body such as the upper limbs, head, speech and so forth. Some people have a moderate degree of mobility, while others have very little or no mobility at all.

Persons with moderate mobility may be able to carry out some fine motor skills activities such as writing by hand or turning a doorknob, albeit with significant difficulties. But those with severe mobility issues may not be able to do so on their own and need assistance. Examples of people with severe mobility issues are those with amputations, deformities, severe muscle weakness or total paralysis in the upper limbs.

Regarding the use of technology, the following are examples of activities that may be difficult for these people to perform:

• Making gestures on a touch screen, for example, to unlock a phone or answer a phone call (pinching, swiping, double or triple tapping).
• Using a virtual keyboard or a mouse
• Pressing buttons or keys
• Pressing two buttons at the same time to make a screen shot, for example
• Holding a phone with one hand to dial with the other or hold it to the ear during a phone call
• Picking up and carrying a device
• Plugging and unplugging a device

People with motor disability rely, to a great extent, on assistive technologies to get access and interact with other technologies. An assistive technology (AT) is a product that increase, maintain or improve functional capabilities. It helps people with disability to perform a task. An AT can be software or hardware. People with motor disability may use any of the following ATs:

• Voice recognition systems or personal assistants: allow people to carry out various basic tasks using voice commands, such as making phone calls.
• Switch control: some technologies allow users with reduced mobility to pair or connect an external button to interact with touch screens. They offer alternatives to making gestures such as swiping with one or two fingers.
• Sip and puff systems: allow people to interact with a touch screen or a computer. They work similarly to a joystick.
• Mouth sticks or head wands: People with severe dexterity difficulties can use a mouth stick or a head wand to interact with a keyboard or touch screen.
• Eye tracking systems: allow people with severe dexterity impairments to control a computer with their eyes, similarly to a mouse.

Limited comprehension is not a disability as such but rather a consequence of other conditions, situations or disabilities. For instance, people with intellectual disabilities, cognitive impairments, low schooling, little technical knowledge or that are unfamiliar with a foreign language, among others. Those with communication and learning issues, such as people with hearing disabilities, also fall in this category.

People with limited comprehension skills can have trouble understanding a text or recalling what they read, following instructions or using a product or service due to lack of cognitive accessibility. In fact, much of the technology being developed nowadays does not include the features necessary to make it easily understandable.

They can also have trouble recognizing words out of context, understanding complex words, distinguishing significant information from minor details, connecting ideas or concentrating.

While many developers and manufacturers are increasingly taking cognitive accessibility into consideration and adding it into their products and services, it is absent in many technologies available in the market. Part of the reason is that there is a general lack of knowledge on how these people use technology.
People with limited comprehension skills generally need:

• Standard icons and symbols that are easy to recognize.
• Texts written in simple language without technical jargon or that follow Easy Read methodology.
• Examples and illustrative images.
• Minimal photosensitive triggers
• Interfaces including menus with a simple structure and that are easy to understand and navigate.
• Screen readers can also be helpful for this community, so it is important to comply with the requirements to make content compatible with screen readers.