Disabilities, Challenges, and Assistive Technologies (1.B & 1.C 40%) Flashcards
Models of Disability, Categories of Disabilities and Associated Barriers, Assistive Technologies and Adaptive Strategies, Disability Demographics and Statistics, and Disability Etiquette
What are the 9 major categories of disability?
- Visual
- Auditory
- Deaf-Blindness
- Speech & Language
- Mobility, Flexibility, & Body Structure
- Cognitive
- Seizure
- Psychological
- Multiple & Complex
What is the difference between assitive technologies and adaptive strategies?
- Assistive technologies are products, devices, systems used by disabled people.
- Adaptive strategies enhance or change ways of interacting with environment or tech.
Accessibility Definition
Designing products, services, and environments to ensure equal access for everybody, including people with disabilities.
Provider, producer, or owner of product, service, or environment is responsible for accessibility measures.
What Assistive Technologies (AT) are used for Blindness?
- Screen readers
- Refreshable braille devices
- Audio Descriptions
What Assistive Technologies (AT) are used for Low Vision?
- Screen magnifiers
- Screen readers
- Color customization (not really AT)
What Assistive Technologies (AT) are used for Color Deficiencies (Color Blindness)?
- Color enhancement overlays or glasses
What Assistive Technologies (AT) are used for Deafness?
- Captions
- Transcripts
What Assistive Technologies (AT) are used for Auditory Disabilities?
- Hearing aids (lip reading)
- Cochlear implants
- Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC), like sign language or communication boards
What Assistive Technologies (AT) are used for Deafblindness?
- Refreshable braille display in combination with a screen reader
What Assistive Technologies (AT) are used for Speech Disabilities?
- Producing speech: Text-to-speech or Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) devices
- Processing language: Screen readers
- Keyboards with speech generating functionalities
- Electronic comm boards w/ symbols or images
- Voice carryover
- Programs w/ writing templates, organization tools, word prediction, and spell checkers
- Speech-to-text programs
- Speech apps to allow practice with sounds, sentences, and phrases
What Assistive Technologies (AT) are used for Motor/Mobility Disabilities in the Physical Environment?
- Walkers, canes, crutches
- wheelchairs, motorized scooters
- stair lifts, elevators
- exoskeletons
- stepladders
- grab / rail / handlebars
- reachers
- touch/voice-operated light fixtures
What Assistive Technologies (AT) are used for Motor/Mobility Disabilities in ICT?
- Head wand
- Mouth stick
- Alternative keyboards
- Eye tracking
- Voice activation
What Assistive Technologies (AT) are used for Cognitive Disabilities?
- Screen readers
- Screen overlays
- Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) Aids
What is a screen reader?
Converts text and structural information of UIs and content to speech.
What are Visual Disabilities?
Sensory disabilities that include:
* some amount of vision loss
* loss of visual acuity (sharpness)
* increased or decreased sensitivity to specific or bright colors
* complete or uncorrectable loss of vision in either or both eyes
What are screen magnifiers?
Software that zooms in on a section of the screen at high resolution
Features optimize visual appearance:
* Enhanced font smoothing (higher than OS).
* Enhanced screen colors (invert brightness, yellow/black, black/white, high contrast).
* Enhanced mouse pointer, keyboard cursor, and focus while navigating.
What are the 3 types of Visual Disabilities
- Blindness
- Low Vision
- Color Vision Deficiency (colorblindness)
What is blindness?
A sensory disability involving some vision loss, nearly complete vision loss, and complete vision loss.
What is the U.S. definition of being “Legally Blind”?
- Visual acuity of 20/200 with corrective lenses.
- Field of vision of 20 degrees in best-seeing eye.
This definition determines eligibility/participation in various programs like school, disability benefits, AD programs, etc.
What are 6 causes of blindness?
- Diabetes
- Macular Degeneration
- Glaucoma
- Accident / traumatic eye injury
- Stroke
- Retinitis Pigmentosa
What are the leading causes of vision impairments?
Uncorrected refractive errors and cataracts
What is Color Vision Deficiency?
A sensory disability where a person may not be able to distinguish certain color combinations. (Colorblindness)
What is Low Vision?
Permanently reduced vision that cannot be corrected with regular glasses, contact lenses, meds, or surgery.
Low Vision Characteristics
- Typically need magnification to read or discern details.
- Some experience low contrast, so benefit from high-contrast text and graphics
- Some experience color deficiencies; may not be able to distinguish some colors from others
What are challenges Blind People face with ICT?
- Can’t see digital or electronic interfaces
- Can’t use screen readers on digital content & interfaces not designed accessibly
What are solutions to being unable to see digital/electronic interfaces?
- Screen Readers
- Self-Voicing Interfaces
- Refreshable braille output devices
What are solutions to being unable to use screen readers on inaccessible digital content & interfaces?
Interface designers and content authors edit/design markup to make it compatible with AT.
What are challenges blind people face with Architecture and Built Environment (physical environment)?
- Cannot see when walking
- Cannot see signs or text on buildings or other areas in Built Environment
What are solutions to being unable to see when walking?
- Canes
- Service animals
- GPS-based w/ audio interface
- Raised tiles/bumps on platforms, sidewalks, and stairs
- Eliminate low-hanging architecture
- Clear obstructions
What are solutions for being unable to see signs or text on buildings?
- Map/geolocation apps to announce location and description
- Braille labels
- Tactile models
What are challenges blind people face with consumer & industrial products?
- Can’t see/feel controls on flat surfaces
- Can’t read containers/packaging for consumer items
- Can’t read money to determine value
- Can’t read printed materials like books, mags, posters, mail
What are solutions to being unable to see or feel controls on flat interfaces (e.g., microwave)?
- Use alternative interfaces w/ knobs and tactile controls
- Audio interfaces
- Remote control through mobile apps
What are solutions to being unable to read consumer items’ containers and packaging?
- Braille (embossed or stickers)
- Mobile apps to scan and announce
What are solutions to being unable to read money?
- Mobile apps to photo money and read value
- Manufacture paper bills and coins in different sizes, shapes, or textures
- Non-cash systems using voice output or compatible with screen readers
What are solutions to being unable to read printed materials?
- Optical character recognition (OCR) software to convert print into digital text
- Make information digitally available
What are some types of low vision?
- Blur with low contrast
- Cataracts
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Glaucoma
- Hemianopia
- Macular Degeneration
- Retinal Detachment
What are challenges people with low vision face in general?
- Small text can be hard to read
- Low contrast can be hard to read
What are solutions to difficulty reading small text?
- Screen magnfiers
- Enhance contrast, change colors, or alter visual appearance
- Screen readers
- Self-voicing interfaces
- Alternative large print versions
- Alternative digital versions
What are challenges people with low vision face with ICT?
- Text, images, and page layouts cannot be resized or lose info when resized
- Websites, web browsers, and authoring tools don’t enable users to customize color combinations.
What are solutions to difficulty reading low-contrast text?
- Software or hardware can enhance contrast by changing colors
- Designers and creators can choose colors with high contrast
What are solutions to being unable to resize text, images, and page layouts?
- Ensure graphical interfaces allow magnification
What are solutions to being unable to set up custom color combinations for websites, web browsers, and authoring tools?
- Allow color combinations
What is Color Vision Deficiency
(Color-blindness) Inability to distinguish certain color combinations, esp. those of equal brightness or luminosity.
Most common: red-green.
What is color customization?
Software to customize color contrast, color filters, and color themes
Ex: Bright green on black can increase webpage readability for low vision users.
What are challenges people with color vision deficiency (color blindness) face in general?
- Certain color combinations - red/green in particular - can be difficult to distinguish.
What are solutions to having difficulty distinguishing color combinations?
- Materials don’t depend on color to convey information
What are challenges people with color vision deficiency (color blindness) face with ICT?
- Websites, web browsers, and authoring tools don’t enable users to customize color combinations.
What is deaf-blindness?
Sensory disability that includes both deafness and blindness. Most deaf-blind are not completely deaf nor completely blind.
What are challenges for deaf-blind people face with ICT?
- Digital text cannot be seen
- Audio cannot be heard
- Cannot see or hear visual or auditory alerts / feedback
What are solutions to being unable to see a digital text as a deaf-blind person?
- Screen reader can convert text to refreshable braille / printed braille
What are solutions to being unable to hear audio as a deaf-blind person?
- Screen reader can convert transcript to refreshable braille / printed braille
What are solutions to being unable to see or hear visual or auditory alerts or feedback as a deaf-blind person?
- Haptic (vibration) alerts / feedback
What are challenges deaf-blind people face in general?
- Cannot see/hear speakers
What are solutions to being unable to see or hear speakers as a deaf-blind person?
- Tactile sign language interpretation
What are 3 types of auditory disabilities?
- Deafness
- Hard of hearing
- Central auditory processing disorder (APD)
What are auditory disabilities?
Sensory disabilities that range from partial to total hearing loss; may have difficulty understanding speech & distinguishing foreground and background noise.
What is hard of hearing?
Mild to severe hearing loss in one or both ears. Most use hearing aids or cochlear implants. May use sign language and/or spoken language with or without amplification.
What is Central Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)?
Inability to interpret, organize, or analyze what’s heard even if no measurable hearing loss exists.
What are challenges people with auditory disabilities face with ICT?
- Audio portion of videos can’t be heard
- Audio content can’t be heard
What are solutions to being unable to hear the audio portion of videos?
- Synchronized captions
- Sign language interpretation
- Transcript
What are challenges people with auditory disabilities face in general?
- Cannot hear speeches and talks
What are solutions to being unable to hear talks, presentations, and performances?
- Sign language interpretation
- CART or STTR live captions on monitor
- Assistive listening systems in meetings and auditoriums
CART = real-time translation
STTR = speech-to-text reporter
What are challenges people with auditory disabilities face in architecture and the built environment?
- Unable to hear doorbells, alarms, and other alerts
What are solutions to being unable to hear doorbells, alarms, and other alerts?
- Provide alternative visual alerts, like lights that flash, pulse, dim, and turn on and off.
- Provide haptic (vibration) alerts / feedback.
deaf vs. Deaf
deaf = condition of deafness
Deaf = Deaf culture/community (beliefs, cultural norms, values, experiences shared between deaf people. References member of the community.
What is a speech disability?
The inability to produce or organize speech sounds and syllables correctly or with fluency.
What are speech sound disorders?
Umbrella term for sounds being difficult to produce, esp. consonants. Range from mild slurred speech to complete inability to move mouth.
May be able to read, write, and understand language without speaking.
What are organic speech sound disorders?
Disorders resulting from motor/neurological disorders
What is motor speech disorder?
When a person has trouble moving the muscles required for speech.
What are 4 types of organic speech sound disorders?
- Apraxia of speech
- Dysarthria
- Structural deficiencies (cleft lip)
- Sensory/perceptual disorders (hearing loss/directional)
What is Apraxia of speech?
Person knows what they want to say but the brain has difficulty planning the movements to speak.
What is Dysarthria?
Difficulty controlling muscles for speech from brain damage (slurred or slow speech, mumbling, or hoarse/breathy voice)
What are some characteristics of organic speech sound disorders?
- slurred or slow speech
- inconsistent speech errors
- distorting sounds
- errors in tone, stress, or rhythm
What are 2 categories of functional speech sound disorders?
- Articulation (clear & distinct sounds)
- Phonology (sound patterns)
Not acquired or developmental disorders; no known cause.
What are articulation disorders?
Difficulties producing specific speech sounds. Sounds may be substituted, omitted, distorted, or added.
(SODA!)
What are phonemic disorders?
Difficulty distinguishing speech sounds in languages. Few sounds can be used. “Call” and “tall” both pronounced as “tall.”
What is mutism?
Inability or unwillingness to speak. Neurogenic mutism (brain injury) is extreme form of other speech/language disorders.
What are the 3 types of psychogenic mutism?
- Elective mutism
- Selective mutism
- Total mutism
(Speech loss has psychological cause)
What is elective mutism?
A person chooses not to speak.
What is selective mutism?
A person wants to speak but can’t in certain situations due to anxiety.
Somewhat rare
What is total mutism?
A person doesn’t speak at all.
What is aphasia?
An impairment of language affecting production or comprehension of speech and the ability to read or write, always due to brain injury and most commonly a stroke.
Brain injuries may also arise from head trauma, brain tumors, or infections.
What are aphasia characteristics?
Multiple types. A person may not recognize words or understand what’s said, be unable to speak or have difficulty saying what they mean, difficulty forming sentences and omitting words.
What is Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC)?
Communication types outside oral speech people w/ speech disabilities can use to express themselves.
To supplement or replace speech.
What is the difference between unaided and aided AAC?
- Unaided AAC systems don’t rely on external tools, but on nonverbal comm like body language, facial expressions, gestures, and sign language.
- Aided AAC systems rely on electronic or non-electronic tools and the person’s body. Tools range from books/boards, pen & paper to e-devices that produce computer-generated voices. (Low-tech: doesn’t require electricity; High-tech: requires electricity)
What are challenges people with speech disabilities face with ICT?
- May be unable to use voice-based tech tools like virtual meetings
- May have another disability: hearing loss, difficulty w/ fine motor movements, processing info, or visual impairment
What are solutions to being unable to speak in virtual meetings?
- Provide text-based alternatives like chat, email, and forms
What are solutions to being unable to speak with others?
- Low-tech AAC like comm boards or gestures to supplement speech
- High-tech AAC like computer-generated voices to replace speech
- Give people time to communicate. Ask for clarification, if necessary.
What are 4 types of mobility, flexibility, and body structure disabilities?
- Manual dexterity / fine motor control
- Ambulation
- Muscle fatigue
- Body size or shape
What is manual dexterity / fine motor control?
Intricate hand and wrist movements needed to manipulate, control, and use objects.
Coordinated effort of brain and muscles.
What condition often presents with manual dexterity / fine motor control disabilities?
ADHD
What is ambulation?
Ability to walk from place to place independently with or without an assistive device
What are some causes of ambulation disorders?
- cerebral palsy
- neuromuscular disorders
- amputation
- arthritis
- back injuries
What is muscle fatigue?
Overwhelming sense of tiredness, lack of energy, and feeling of exhaustion causing difficulty in performing voluntary tasks.
What are 8 associated symptoms of muscle fatigue?
- Muscle weakness
- Soreness
- Localized pain
- Shortness of breath
- Muscle twitching
- Trembling
- Weak grip
- Muscle cramps
What 5 factors can cause muscle fatigue?
- Illness
- Age
- Medication and treatments
- Inactivity
- Depression
What are body size or shape disabilities?
Disabilities caused by a variety of disorders that affect a person’s stature, proportions, or shape.
What are 4 examples of body size or shape disabilities?
- Acromegaly
- Dwarfism
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Obesity
What are challenges people with motor disabilities face with ICT?
- Unable to use mouse
- May need more time to interact with digital content from slower movements
- May have trouble with digital interfaces with small or tightly grouped touch targets
What are solutions to being unable to use a mouse?
- Alternative keyboards, mouth sticks, single switch devices, speech recognition software, and eye tracking tech
- Developers & designers ensure digital content is accessible via keyboard devices
What are solutions to needing more time to interact with digital content and interfaces?
- Alert users to session timeouts and provide way to adjust the time, extend it, or turn off the time limit.
What are solutions to having trouble with digital interfaces with small or tightly grouped touch targets?
- Touch targets large enough to hit easily, not too close to each other
What are challenges people with motor disabilities face in architecture and built environment?
- Wheelchair users can’t use steps
- Wheelchairs can’t fit in tight spaces
- May have difficulty using hands or arms to open doors
- Seating/shelves/counters/appliances may be too small or at wrong height
What are solutions to being unable to use stairs?
- Accessible ramps & parking for entrance.
- Elevators inside building
- Accessible routes inside and out are labeled and clearly defined.
What are solutions to being unable to navigate through tight spaces?
- Doors, halls, rooms, and restrooms wide enough for everyone
- All halls and routes unobstructed.
What are solutions to having difficulty using hands or arms to open doors?
- Automatic doors or those that open using a large button
- Equip doors with lever handles
What are solutions to seating/shelves/counters/appliances that are too small or at the wrong height?
- Ensure seating can accommodate a variety of body sizes
- Ensure reachable for use regardless of user’s body size, posture, or mobility.
What are challenges people with motor disabilities may face with consumer and industrial products?
- May be unable to turn pages of printed materials
What are solutions for being unable to turn pages of printed materials?
- Provide materials in digital format to use AT
- Touch screen interfaces
What are challenges people with motor disabilities face in general?
- May have trouble with tasks that require fine motor skills, accuracy, or strength.
What are solutions to having trouble with tasks that require fine motor skills, accuracy, or strength?
- If possible, provide alternatives to such tasks (replace manual door with automatic one)
What are 6 types of cognitive disabilities?
- Intellectual Disabilities
- Reading & Dyslexia
- Math & Computation
- ADHD
- Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
- Non-Verbal Learning Disability
What are Intellectual Disabilities?
Significant limitations in intellectual functioning (reasoning, learning, problem solving) and in adaptive behaviors for a range of everyday conceptual, social, and practical skills.
Also called learning disabilities.
Definitions vary by country.
What are the 3 main criteria for diagnosing intellectual disability?
In the DSM-V
- IQ below 70-75
- 1+ adaptive behavior impairments (conceptual, social, and practical skills)
- Manifests in childhood (before age 22)
https://www.aaidd.org/intellectual-disability/definition
What are the 7 mental functions in cognitive processes?
- Attention functions
- Memory functions
- Psychomotor functions
- Emotional functions
- Perceptual (directional) functions
- Thought functions
- Calculation functions
What do cognitive and intellectual disabilities mean for people using the web?
5 things
- Limited Comprehension
- Cognitive Overload
- Limited Problem-Solving Skills
- Short-Term Memory Loss
- Attention Deficit (hard to focus)
What affects cognitive processes?
- Internal factors
- External factors
What is ADHD?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is characterized by inattention, distractability, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
What internal factors that can affect mental functioning?
Impairments in 1 or more mental functions.
(Attention, memory, psychomotor, emotional, perceptual (directional), thought, calculations)
What is ASD?
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) refers to a diverse range of conditions characterized by some degree of impairment in social interaction, communication and language, and a narrow range of interests and activities unique to the individual and carried out repetitively.
Level of function is highly variable.
What are 2 main criteria for diagnosing ASD in the DSM-V?
- Restrictions in social communication and social interaction. Seen in different contexts, like home and school/work. (Difficulty talking with others and making friends.)
- Repetitive behaviors like strict routines or making repetitive movements.
Symptoms present since childhood. Presents with and without intellectual disasbility. Diagnostic has 3 levels of severity depend on deficits in social interaction and level of restricted/repetitive behaviors.
What are 3 characteristics of ASD?
- Sensory issues. (sound, smell, light sensitivities)
- Verbal & non-verbal communication difficulties. Issues reading or using facial expressions, gestures, and language.
- Social interaction challenges. Issues recognizing others’ emotions, intentions, and expressing own emotions. May feel overwhelmed in social situations.
What is NLD?
Non-Verbal Learning Disability is similar to Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) with difficulty in social interactions, sensory input, and making transitions. Is thought to be the same disorder but with AS having more severe symptoms.
What are 9 signs of NLD?
- Great vocab and verbal expression
- Excellent Memory
- Attention to detail, miss big picture
- Poor abstract reasoning
- Concrete (B&W) thinking
- Physical awkwardness, poor coordination
- Poor social skills
- Trouble adjusting to changes
- Anxiety, depression, low self-esteem
What are challenges people with cognitive disabilities face with ICT?
- May find complex designs and tasks in digital format overwhelming (forms, finding information, managing passwords)
- May have difficulty solving technical problems or fixing errors
What are solutions to complex designs and tasks in digital format being overwhelming?
- Simple, predictable, organized designs with simple UI components (distraction-free interface).
- Highlight important information.
- Enable personalized settings (for layout, time management, content)
What are solutions to being unable to solve technical problems or fix errors?
- Alert users to errors.
- Provide clear instructions and enough time to fix them.
- Highlight important information.
- Minimize background noise to support concentration (in environment and in ICT)
What are challenges people with cognitive disabilities face in general?
- May have difficulty processing complex, text-based information.
What are solutions to being unable to process complex, text-based information?
- Supplement text with images and other visuals to reinforce understanding. Can also use audio.
- Use simple, easy-to-understand (plain) language when presenting text-based information.
What Assistive Technologies (AT) are used for attention and focusing?
- Computer-based prompting apps to stay on task.
- Productivity apps to organize tasks
- To-do lists
- Time Management apps
- Task Management apps for breaking tasks down into steps.
- Shields or color codes on unneeded controls.
- Partitions for work area.
- Earphones/headphones to mask/block sounds.
What Assitive Technologies (AT) are used for memory?
- Audio prompting devices
- Auto-complete for forms
- Password managers
- Audio note-takers and reminders
- Apps/tech provide actions cues.
What Assistive Technology (AT) is used for perceptual (directional) functions?
- Direction-finding (GPS) apps
What Assistive Technologies (AT) are used for emotional functions?
- Mindfulness and stress-reduction apps
- Anxiety management and coping strategy apps
What Assistive Technologies (AT) are used for reading and writing functions?
- Audio books and reading SW
- Speech synthesizers / screen readers
- Word prediction / lookup
- Visual / audio alternatives to text in signage, messages, instructions
- Speech-recognition software
What Assistive Technologies (AT) are used for communication functions?
- Augmentative & Alternative Communication AAC) devices
- Synchronized speech and highlighting
- Computerized voice output communication aids
- Computer-assisted instructions for word recognition, math, spelling, and social skills for education.
What are reading disabilities and dyslexia?
Inability to perceive text or process the meaning of words, phrases, and ideas.
Dyslexia may include difficulty with phonological processing (sounds manipulation), spelling, and/or rapid visual verbal responding. Often learning disabilities are accompanied by a reading disabilities.
What are typical causes of adult-onset dyslexia?
- brain injury or dementia
What are challenges people with dyslexia and reading disabilities face with ICT?
- Perceive words as floating, not in a line
- Perceive words differently than others, seeing p b d q as the same letter.
- Require additional time to read & process content
- Often burdened with deciphering content the way it’s presented
- May have difficulty solving CAPTCHAs.
- May have difficulty processing content visually.
- May have a hard time spelling words
What are solutions to perceiving words as floating and not in a line?
- Special fonts - weighs letters down & makes similar figures appear different.
- Additional time to complete tasks.
What are solutions to perceiving words and letters differently?
- Changing font, adding contrast or underline
- Additional time to complete tasks
What are solutions to requiring extra time to read and process content?
- Extend time-outs and return to same location on page
- Voice-output technology and screen readers with text highlighting to assist with tracking
- Enhanced visible focus indicators
- Special programs or dictionaries which provide images with text
- Additional time to complete tasks
What are solutions to struggling to decipher content the way it is presented on a webpage?
- Apply custom style sheet (CSS) - change text, size, contrast, color, background, and
- Augment speech with screen readers.
What are solutions to struggling to solve security challenges like CAPTCHA?
- Support the ability to change the type of problem presented.
What are solutions to having difficulty processing content visually?
- Screen readers to reinforce reading with audible content.
- Additional time to complete tasks.
What are solutions to having difficulties spelling?
- Spelling and grammar checker
- Dictation
What are math and computation disabilities?
Impairs a person’s ability to learn and communicate math
What is dyscalculia?
Inability to understand arithmetic and how to calculate
What is dysgraphia?
Inability to draw or copy figures and graphs
What are 7 common signs of dyscalculia?
- Trouble grasping meanings of quantities or concepts like biggest vs. smallest
- Understanding 5 = five, and they both mean 5 items
- Remembering math facts like multiplication tables
- Counting money or making change
- Estimating time
- Judging speed or distance
- Understanding logic behind math or holding numbers in head while solving problems.
What are challenges people with math disabilities face with ICT?
- Inability to distinguish left from right in graphics
- Inability to copy graphs, figures, and diagrams
- Inability to perform calculations
What are solutions to being unable to distinguish left from right in graphics?
- Data table or alt text description
- Additional time to complete tasks
What are solutions to being unable to copy graphs, figures, and diagrams?
- Speech-to-text to verbalize instructions & text-to-speech to access content
- Additional time to complete tasks
What are solutions to being unable to perform calculations?
- Reference sheet w/ common equations accommodation
- On-screen calculator accommodation
- Additional time to complete tasks
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What is a seizure?
A sudden, uncontrolled electrical brain disturbance. Can cause changes in behavior, movements, feelings, and levels of consciousness.
What are 2 types of seizure disabilities?
- General
- Photosensitive
What is epilepsy?
When a person has 2 or more seizures or tends to have recurrent seizures
What is photosensitive epilepsy?
Condition in which people have seizures triggered by flashing or flickering lights or patterns.
What are the 2 groups of people who have photosensitive epilepsy?
- Those with pure photosensitivity that’s only triggered by flashing/flickering lights.
- Those that also experience seizures at other times.
What flash or flicker rates trigger seizures?
Most common between 16 and 25x per second, but as low as 3 or as high as 60.
What patterns are most likely to trigger seizures?
High contrast patterns
What are challenges people who experience seizures face with ICT & in general?
- Sensitivity to flashing lights, blinking, and flickering stimuli; browsers and media players that don’t allow stopping video or animations.
What are solutions to being sensitive to flashing lights, blinking and flickering stimuli?
- Avoid animations, videos, and other graphics wish flashing or strobe-like effects whenever possible.
- If flashing content must be used, flashing shouldn’t occur > 3x per second.
- Allow videos and animations to be stopped manually. Don’t start them automatically.
- Helpful tools: flicker-free monitors, monitor glare guards, non-glare glasses
- Smart watches that detect seizures and send alerts; wearable alert button to call for help.
- Service animals
What are psychological or psychiatric disabilities?
Vast range of emotional and mental conditions. Affect a person’s perceptions, thoughts, feelings, mood, and behavior.
Can be occasional or long-lasting; unpredictable patterns.
Diagnosed as “mental illness”
What are 3 types of psychological disabilities?
- Anxiety disorders
- Mood disorders
- Psychotic disorders
What is an anxiety disorder?
Persistent fear about situations or objects. People tend to avoid the situations/objects that provoke severe anxious reactions.
Anxiety doesn’t go away and can worsen over time. Interferes w/ daily activities, such as job performance, schoolwork, and relationships.
What are 6 common anxiety disorders?
- Panic Disorder
- Phobias
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Social Anxiety Disorder
What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?
Persistent anxiety/dread for months or possibly years.
What are 5 characteristics of General Anxiety Disorder?
According to the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- Feel restless, wound-up, on-edge
- Difficulty concentrating
- Easily fatigued
- Sleep problems (falling or staying asleep) = irritability
- Headaches, muscle aches, stomachaches, or unexplained pain
What is panic disorder?
Frequent unexpected panic attacks (terror/impending doom). May resemble heart attack.
What are 7 characteristics of having a panic attack?
- Heart pounding or racing
- Sweating
- Trembling or tingling
- Chest pain
- Feel impending doom
- Feel out of control
- Hyperventilating
(Feels like a heart attack)
What is social anxiety disorder?
**Intense, persistent fear of being watched and judged in social or performance situations. **
Manifests in work/school as avoidance.
Panic attacks are a common reaction to anticipated or forced social interaction.
What are 4 characteristics of social anxiety disorder?
- Self-conscious, embarrassed, awkward in front of others.
- Blushing, sweating, trembling, rapid heart rate, mind goes blank
- Feel nauseous, stomachache
- Rigid body posture, little eye contact, or speaking in overly soft voice
What are phobias?
Intense, excessive fear of-or aversion to-specific objects or situations.
May experience 1 or combo of panic symptoms like a strong need to run away, rapid heart rate, or hyperventilating.
What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
Anxiety disorder that may occur after exposed to a terrifying or taumatic event.
Causes: Acts of violence, war, natural disasters, & other life-threatening events.
What are characteristics of PTSD?
- Nightmares, flashbacks of event
- Feel they’re experiencing it again
- Feel worry, anger, sadness, or guilt
Can appear immediately after event or much later.
What is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?
Anxiety disorder where one has perpetually upsetting, distressing thoughts (obsessions).
To alleviate obsessions, they perform repeated, intentional acts (compulsions).
(Ex: fear of germs, they’ll repeatedly wash their hands/clean room)
What are mood disorders?
Erratic changes to person’s mood/emotional state. Can cause fluctuations ranging from happy and sad, or lengthy periods of sadness.
Also called affective disorders or depressive disorders
What is depression?
Brain disorder; may experience prolonged sadness, loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities, worthless feelings, or suicidal thoughts.
Causes: genetic, biological, environmental, & psychological
What is bipolar disorder?
Extreme mood swings. Episodes of depression and low energy and episodes of mania, where they feel high and overactive. Each episode may last weeks.
May involve delusions, hallucinations, and disturbed or illogical thinking (psychotic symptoms).
What are symptoms of depression?
According to Mental Health America
- Lack energy
- Feel sad, hopeless, or irritable
- Difficulty concentrating & remembering
- Difficulty sleeping
What are symptoms of mania?
- Full of energy, with great new ideas and important plans
- Very happy or overjoyed
- Easily distracted or agitated
- Making decisions or saying things out of character that others see as risky or harmful
What are psychotic disorders?
According to the US National Library of Medicine
Mental disorders that affect a person’s thinking and perceptions; people lose touch with reality.
Ex: schizophrenia
What are 2 main symptoms of psychosis?
- Delusions (believing untrue things. Ex: TV is sending you a message)
- Hallucinations (perceiving (hearing, seeing, feeling) things that are not there).
What is schizophrenia?
Mental disorder that affects a person’s thinking and perceptions. May experience: delusions & hallucinations (“positive” schizophrenia), and cognitive impairments, such as trouble using information, making decisions, and paying attention (“negative schizophrenia”).
May appear to have lost touch with reality.
What is the difference between positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia?
- Positive symptoms are disturbances “added” to the personality (delusions, hallucinations, dosordered thinking and speech, and disorganized behavior).
- Negative symptoms are capabilities “lost” from the personality (social withdrawal, extreme apathy, lack of drive/initiative, and emotional flatness).
What are challenges people with psychological disorders have with ICT and in general?
- Managing emotions or stress
- Displaying appropriate behavior
- Difficulty w/ mental functions & cognition
What are solutions for being unable to manage emotions or stress?
- Apps to manage mood, stress, and anxiety
- Guided meditation
What are solutions for being unable to display appropriate behavior?
- Behavior chart
- Point sheets
- Goal tracking
- Positive reinforcement/rewards
Children with multiple or complex disabilities often show deficits in what 5 developmental areas?
- Intellectual functioning
- Adaptive skills
- Motor skills
- Sensory functioning
- Communication skills
What are 5 etiquette guidelines?
- Speak to person directly, not the person accompanying them
- Don’t make assumptions about what a person can or cannot do
- Provide assistance only if requested or given permission
- Respect their ability to make decisions and judgments on their own behalf
- Respect their personal space and privacy. Don’t touch equipment w/o permission.
What is inclusive language?
- “People first” language: “person with [a disability]” - emphasis on the person, not the disability
- Identity first language: Some prefer identity first; emphasis on disability is a key part of the person’s identity. Used by self-advocates w/n disability communities.
- Ask what people prefer!