Accessibility of graphics in technical documentation for the cognitive and visually impaired

ABSTRACT

With the U.S. government's new requirement for accessibility, companies such as IBM, are revising their method of selling products and solutions to ensure compliance. The delivery mechanism for information must be accessible to all users, including users with vision, hearing, motor, or cognitive disabilities.Users consume information from many different sources. An increasingly popular method of distributing information is using computers and the Internet. The Web houses volumes of documents and graphics available to anyone at any time. Paired with assistive technology such as Home Page Reader, the Internet makes information that would otherwise be restrictive accessible.However, as approachable as the Internet may be with its sheer volume of information, it does have limitations. The old saying about a chain, that it is only as good as its weakest link, aptly describes the Internet. Beside problems with retrievability and searchability, many other issues plague this vehicle of information. No matter how sophisticated HTML, DHTML, XHTML, and XML present information, the graphics within the body text are the weakest link, from the viewpoint of users with visual or cognitive impairments.This presentation is divided into two sections and explores how a method of creating and exporting graphics can improve the experiences of users with visual or cognitive impairments when viewing technical documentation:

• Clear, concise, and well-structured diagrams enable better comprehension for the cognitively impaired suffering from dyslexia and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD).
• The Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) solution addresses many challenges for visually impaired people.

REFERENCES

• 1: The Disorder Named AD/HD - CHADD Fact Sheet #1, Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder July 2001, www.chadd.org
• 2: What is dyslexia?, International Dyslexia Association 1996-2002, www.interdys.org.
• 3: Sign of Dyslexia, British Dyslexia Association, www.bda-dyslexia.org.uk
• 4: Vision Problem in the U.S., Prevent Blindness America 2002, www.agingeye.net
• 5: Promoting Literacy for the Blind in the 21st Century, International Braille Research Center 1997, http://www.braille.org/#WHY
• 6: About SCG, Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) January 2003, www.w3.org/tr/SVG/intro.html

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.0 GENERAL

General Terms:
Design, Documentation, Human Factors

Keywords:
accessibility, cognitive impairment, diagramming techniques, diagrams, scalable vector graphics (SVG), screen captures, visual impairment