Market Growth
Part2: Types Of Disabilities
There is a growing realization of the business case for advancing accessibility to the digital realm for persons with disabilities. It is seen as an opportunity to reach into broader consumer segments in a crowded marketplace.Over the next 10 to 15 years, technology has the capacity to virtually eliminate barriers faced by people with disabilities.
Steve Ballmer the high-wattage former CEO of Microsoft 2000-2014
This global trend has, through global collaboration, established globally accepted web accessibility standards that are supported by government legislation compliance regulations around the world.
Human Limitations
Visual disabilities range from mild or moderate vision impairments in one or both eyes (low vision or partial sight), to substantial and uncorrectable loss of vision in both eyes (blindness).
It is estimated that about 2.3% of adult Canadians live with vision loss.
Some people have reduced or lack of sensitivity to certain colours (colour blindness), or increased sensitivity towards excessive brightness in colours. These variations in perception of colours and brightness can be independent of the visual acuity.
It is estimated that about 8 percent of the male population, and about 1 percent of females, experience colour blindness.
Vision Loss
It is estimated that about 2.3% of adult Canadians live with vision loss.
Some people have reduced or lack of sensitivity to certain colours (colour blindness), or increased sensitivity towards excessive brightness in colours. These variations in perception of colours and brightness can be independent of the visual acuity.
It is estimated that about 8 percent of the male population, and about 1 percent of females, experience colour blindness.
Vision Loss
Auditory disabilities range from mild or moderate hearing impairments in one or both ears (hard of hearing), to substantial and uncorrectable impairment of hearing in both ears (deafness).
Some people with auditory disabilities can hear sounds but sometimes not sufficiently to understand all speech, especially when there is background noise. This includes people using hearing aids or other approaches to improve the sound.
Hearing loss increases with aging. Auditory disabilities affect about 3.2% of Canadians. They rely on website owners to provide captions and transcripts of audio. They also benefit from high quality audio, where the foreground speech is louder and clearer than any background noise.
Video is an obvious challenge for people who are deaf and hard of hearing, who can not hear speech. To support people who cannot hear, videos should have Closed Captions, subtitles and/or transcripts.
Hearing Loss
Some people with auditory disabilities can hear sounds but sometimes not sufficiently to understand all speech, especially when there is background noise. This includes people using hearing aids or other approaches to improve the sound.
Hearing loss increases with aging. Auditory disabilities affect about 3.2% of Canadians. They rely on website owners to provide captions and transcripts of audio. They also benefit from high quality audio, where the foreground speech is louder and clearer than any background noise.
Video is an obvious challenge for people who are deaf and hard of hearing, who can not hear speech. To support people who cannot hear, videos should have Closed Captions, subtitles and/or transcripts.
Hearing Loss
Physical disabilities (sometimes called motor disabilities) include weakness, limitations of muscular control (such as involuntary movements including tremors, lack of coordination, or paralysis), limitations of sensation, joint problems (such as arthritis), pain that impedes movement, or missing limbs.
Many Canadian adults experience one of the disability types; 9.7% Pain, 7.6% Flexibility, 7.2% Mobility, and 3.5% Dexterity, which can be a result of traumatic injuries, Spinal cord injury, Loss or damage of limb, Diseases and Congenital Conditions, Cerebral palsy, Muscular dystrophy, Multiple sclerosis, Spina bifida, Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS), Arthritis, and Parkinson's disease. About 1% of people use a wheelchair or scooter as their primary mode of transportation.
People with physical disabilities need an alternative to the mouse for input. Website developers must ensure the site is operable with a keyboard. Some of these input devices may be hands free devices like a head pointer to make selections, puff and sip morse code, voice recognition, eye tracking with virtual keyboard, and mouthstick.
Motor Loss
Many Canadian adults experience one of the disability types; 9.7% Pain, 7.6% Flexibility, 7.2% Mobility, and 3.5% Dexterity, which can be a result of traumatic injuries, Spinal cord injury, Loss or damage of limb, Diseases and Congenital Conditions, Cerebral palsy, Muscular dystrophy, Multiple sclerosis, Spina bifida, Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS), Arthritis, and Parkinson's disease. About 1% of people use a wheelchair or scooter as their primary mode of transportation.
People with physical disabilities need an alternative to the mouse for input. Website developers must ensure the site is operable with a keyboard. Some of these input devices may be hands free devices like a head pointer to make selections, puff and sip morse code, voice recognition, eye tracking with virtual keyboard, and mouthstick.
Motor Loss
Cognitive and neurological disabilities involve disorders of any part of the nervous system, including the brain and the peripheral nervous system. This can impact how well people hear, move, see, speak, understand information, and inability to remember or focus on large amounts of information.
Cognitive and neurological disabilities do not necessarily affect the intelligence of a person. It is estimated that about 8.5% of adult Canadians have a cognitive or neurological disability (About 3.9% Mental/psychological, 2.3% Memory, and 2.3% Learning).
Cognitive Loss
Cognitive and neurological disabilities do not necessarily affect the intelligence of a person. It is estimated that about 8.5% of adult Canadians have a cognitive or neurological disability (About 3.9% Mental/psychological, 2.3% Memory, and 2.3% Learning).
Cognitive Loss
Age related or temporary disabilities will effect everyone at some point in their life. When driving you need hands free devices. When in a noisy environment you need text and images.
If you are not aging, or you can guarantee that you will never have an accident or some debilitating disease, or will never be in an environmental situation where you cannot see or hear, then you need not be concerned about accessibility.
In the next few decades we will see unparalleled growth in the number of people becoming elderly. As we age, we experience increasing impairments that affect how we interact with computers and websites. The next few decades will see an unparalleled growth in the number of people becoming elderly compared with any other period in human history. The United Nations estimate that by 2050 one out of every five people will be over 60 years of age, and in some countries the proportion will be much higher than that.
Designing products that are easier for older people to use is similar to designing for people with disabilities. That is, websites, applications, and tools that are accessible to people with disabilities are not just more accessible to older users, but to all users as well. Web Accessibility is essential For Some, but useful For All.
Aging, Invisible Disabilities, Medical, and Temporary
If you are not aging, or you can guarantee that you will never have an accident or some debilitating disease, or will never be in an environmental situation where you cannot see or hear, then you need not be concerned about accessibility.
In the next few decades we will see unparalleled growth in the number of people becoming elderly. As we age, we experience increasing impairments that affect how we interact with computers and websites. The next few decades will see an unparalleled growth in the number of people becoming elderly compared with any other period in human history. The United Nations estimate that by 2050 one out of every five people will be over 60 years of age, and in some countries the proportion will be much higher than that.
Designing products that are easier for older people to use is similar to designing for people with disabilities. That is, websites, applications, and tools that are accessible to people with disabilities are not just more accessible to older users, but to all users as well. Web Accessibility is essential For Some, but useful For All.
Aging, Invisible Disabilities, Medical, and Temporary