Types of Disabilities Flashcards
What are the common causes of blindness?
Diabetes
Macular Degeneration
Glaucoma
Accidents or traumatic injuries to the eye
Stroke
Retinitis Pigmentosa
What is the legal definition of blindness?
In the U.S., a person is considered legally blind if, with corrective lenses, their visual acuity is 20/200 or worse in their better eye, or if their field of vision is 20 degrees or less in their best-seeing eye.
What is a screen reader?
Screen readers convert the text on the web page into spoken words.
Challenge: What are solutions for individuals who cannot see digital or electronic interfaces (such as computers, automated teller machines (ATMs), mobile devices, airport kiosks, etc)?
Solutions:
Screen Readers: Convert digital text into synthesized speech, but only for accessible content. They do not announce font, color, size, bold, or italic text styles.
Self-Voicing Interfaces: Provide built-in speech output without a screen reader but are mainly used for broadcasting information rather than interactive navigation.
Refreshable Braille Displays: Use screen readers to convert text to Braille. They are costly, and only a minority of blind individuals read Braille.
Challenge: What alternatives exist for individuals who cannot use screen readers on inaccessible digital content and interfaces?
Solution: Interface designers and content creators can modify the markup to ensure compatibility with assistive technologies used by blind individuals.
Challenge: What are solutions for individuals who cannot see when walking?
Solutions:
Canes & Service Animals: Aid navigation by detecting surroundings.
GPS & Audio Navigation: Provides real-time walking directions.
Tactile Indicators: Raised tiles mark paths, edges, and stairs.
Remove hazards like low-hanging structures
Ensure clear pathways.
Challenge: What alternatives exist for individuals who cannot see signs or text on buildings and other structures in the built environment?
Solutions:
Mobile Navigation Apps: Provide audio announcements of building names, descriptions, and location details.
Braille Labels: Mark entrances, rooms, bathrooms, and points of interest, aiding navigation for those who read Braille—if labels are accessible and easy to locate.
Tactile Models: Offer 3D representations of building exteriors or floor plans, helping blind individuals form a mental map of their surroundings.
Challenge: What are solutions for individuals who cannot see or feel the controls on flat interfaces on consumer devices such as microwaves, ovens, dishwashers, etc.
Solutions:
Alternative interfaces with knobs or other tactile controls.
Audio interfaces.
Remote control through applications on mobile devices.
Challenge: What solutions help individuals who cannot read text on packaging for consumer items like medicine, personal care products, and food?
Solution: Embossed Braille (or Braille stickers) on packaging and product containers help consumers identify items
Challenge: What are solutions for individuals who cannot read money to determine its value?
Solutions:
Mobile Apps: Use cameras to identify and announce the value of paper money.
Tactile Currency: Bills and coins with distinct sizes, shapes, or textures enable identification by touch.
Digital Payments: Screen readers and self-voicing systems allow accessible financial transactions via computers, mobile devices, or payment terminals.
Challenge: What solutions are available for individuals who cannot read printed materials such as books, magazines, posters, or mail?
Solutions:
Optical Character Recognition (OCR): Converts scanned text into digital text for screen readers, with accuracy depending on document quality, font, spacing, and software capabilities.
Providing information online or in accessible digital formats enables blind individuals to use their own assistive technologies.
What is low vision?
Low vision is a visual impairment that cannot be fully corrected with glasses, contacts, medication, or surgery. Individuals with low vision can see but experience significant challenges with tasks like reading, recognizing faces, or driving.
What are the common characteristics of blur or blur with low contrast in low-vision individuals?
Blurred Vision: People with low vision see faces and objects as blurry, making it difficult to distinguish details.
Low Contrast Blur: In addition to blurriness, some may struggle with low contrast, where differences between light and dark areas are minimal.
What are the common characteristics of cataracts in low-vision individuals?
Cataracts: Some individuals have blind spots in their vision, causing them to miss visual information that falls within those areas.
What are common characteristics of diabetic retinopathy in low vision individuals?
Diabetic Retinopathy is an eye disease caused by diabetes, leading to vision loss, blurriness, and floating dark spots due to damaged retinal blood vessels.
What are the common characteristics of glaucoma in low-vision individuals?
Glaucoma: Some people can see only a small area, and have no peripheral vision. The edges are heavily darkened or vignetted.
What are the common characteristics of hemianopia in low-vision individuals?
Hemianopia (or Hemianopsia) is a vision condition where a person loses sight on either the right or left side of both eyes, reducing their field of vision.
What are the common characteristics of macular degeneration in low-vision individuals?
Macular Degeneration is an eye disease that causes central vision loss due to deterioration of the macula. While peripheral vision remains intact, the condition can lead to blurry vision or blind spots in the center of the visual field.
What are common characteristics of retinal detachment in low vision individuals?
Retinal Detachment can affect vision in various ways, including flashes of light, floating dark spots (floaters), or a shadowy curtain effect over part of the visual field.
What is screen magnification?
Reading small text is challenging for users with low vision. They often rely on screen magnifiers like ZoomText or MAGic, which enlarge a portion of the screen for better visibility.
What are some of the challenges of screen magnifiers?
While magnification helps users with low vision, challenges remain. Large images may require excessive scrolling, and pop-ups or alerts outside the magnified view may go unnoticed. To improve accessibility, place alerts and messages near the user’s visual focus.
What are the benefits of color customization for individuals with low vision?
People with low contrast or low color vision may struggle to distinguish colors and read text that lacks contrast with the background.
Bright lights and high-luminance areas can cause discomfort, especially in all-white backgrounds.
Users often adjust color settings in their operating system or web browser to improve visibility.
What are solutions for individuals who find small text hard to read?
Screen magnifiers enlarge content for easier reading.
Contrast and color adjustment tools enhance legibility.
Screen readers provide speech output but require accessible digital content.
Self-voicing interfaces (ATMs, kiosks, transit systems) broadcast information but lack interactive capabilities.
Large print materials improve the readability of printed text.
Digital versions of print materials allow users to read with assistive technologies.
What are solutions for individuals who find low-contrast text can be hard to read?
Digital tools can enhance digital text contrast.
Designers and content creators should use high-contrast color combinations for readability.
