ACCESSIBLE DESIGN OF CONSUMER PRODUCTS





GUIDELINES FOR THE DESIGN OF CONSUMER

PRODUCTS TO INCREASE THEIR ACCESSIBILITY

TO PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES OR WHO ARE AGING



Working Draft 1.7

1992







Compiled for

The AD HOC Industry-Consumer-Researcher Work Group

of the Consumer Product Design Guidelines Project

by

Gregg C. Vanderheiden

Katherine R. Vanderheiden







THIS DOCUMENT AVAILABLE

IN ELECTRONIC FORM







Support for the preparation and dissemination of this

document has been provided by the National Institute of

Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), US Dept. of

Education\ under grant  # G00850036 and by the Assistive

Devices Division, Consumer Electronics Group, Electronic

Industries Association.



     



     This document is being sent out specifically for

comment and suggested revisions from industry, consumers and

researchers.  Please feel free to mark up, comment, improve

or take exception to the document in any way you see fit and

send your comments to us.  All responses and comments can be

kept in strict confidence, allowing you to comment freely as

individuals or organizations with anonymity.  Your input is

important to this process. Send comments to CONSUMER

PRODUCTS GUIDELINES PROJECT; C/O Trace R & D Center, S-151

Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1500

Highland Ave., Madison, WI 53705  Attn: Gregg C.

Vanderheiden Ph.D.











(C)1991

Copyright Board of Regents

University of Wisconsin System

NOTE: To facilitate this document's review and use, you are

free to duplicate and disseminate it freely.  You may also

excerpt ideas and materials from it freely.  However, please

send us a copy of your work as well for our information and

interest.

Some of the charts and concepts in this document are taken

from other authors and publications.  These are so marked,

and separate permission must be sought directly from those

authors or publications before use (apart from copying this

whole document).













The opinions expressed in this document do not necessarily

reflect the opinions of NIDRR, the Assistive Devices

Division of EIA or the individuals listed as contributors.

Nor do all of the opinions necessarily represent the opinion

of the compilers, since this document represents a

compendium of input from many sources.













ABOUT THE PROJECT WORK GROUP



     The AD HOC Industry-Consumer-Researcher Work Group is

an open group composed of those individuals interested in

more accessible consumer product design and contributing to

the development and refinement of these guidelines.  The

work group is headquartered at the Trace R & D Center at the

University of Wisconsin - Madison.  Anyone can join by

reviewing, and submitting comments to correct, elaborate or

extend these guidelines.  Communications of the ad hoc work

group are carried out by mail to facilitate participation by

industry and consumer representatives who would not

otherwise be able to attend particular meetings or

conferences.  To participate in the work group, simply send

your comments, ideas, corrections or extensions to the

guidelines to the address on the cover of this report.







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CONSUMER PRODUCT DESIGN GUIDELINES 1.6 REGISTRATION FORM







This is a working document.  Please take a moment and fill

out this registration form (or a photocopy of it).  In that

manner we can keep you informed as newer versions of the

document are prepared.



Thank You





I would like to be kept informed when newer versions of this

or derivative documents are made available.



Name:     

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Where did you get your current copy? (remember that copying

this document is it OK and even encouraged)





Send to :

     Gregg C. Vanderheiden Ph.D.

     Trace R & D Center

     S-151 Waisman Ctr

     1500 Highland Ave

     Madison Wisconsin  53705

or FAX it:     608/262-8848

------------------------------------------------------------

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS



Many individuals contributed to the development of these

guidelines, both formally and informally, including students

who participated in an Industrial Engineering Department

Seminar on Design and Human Disability and Aging at the

University of Wisconsin - Madison.  Among the professionals,

consumers, industry representatives and students

contributing to these guidelines are:





Karen Athens

Keith Bednar

Jane Berliss

Lori Beth

Mary Ann Bird

Peter Borden

Eli Chu

Suruedee Chumroum

Raul Colon

Cynthia Cress

Joanne Deda

Thomas Findley

Jackie Finley

Clint Gibler

Bob Glass

Sue Gmeinder

Paul John Grayson

Mickey Greenberg

Jackie Greshik

Debra A. Griffith

Andy Hesselbach

Ken Jelinek

One-Jang Jeng

Jeff Jentz

Andrea Johnson

Tim Jones

Dennis Jones

Tracy Kidd

Kimberly Kline

Fritz Klode

Jeff Kolff

Yueh-Chuan Kung

Dennis La Buda

Chris LaPorte

Charles Lee

David J. Lee

Seongil Lee

Patti Lindstrom

Fred Lupton

Robert Lynch

Diane Meyers

James Mueller

Young Lae Park

Lawrence Scadden

Joseph Schauer

Debbie Schlais

Lisa Schroeder-Omar

Debbie Sherman

Paul Sura

Jeff Tackes

Sidney Tang

Christine Thompson

Mike Thompson

Michelle S. Vandall

John Ward

Dawn Wadzinski

Steven Wiker

Greg Wierman

Marcy Worzala

Chien-Ling Yang

Thomas Yen

Dave Zehel





A special thanks to Christine J. Thompson, who assisted in

the preparation of many of the graphics in this document.



ABOUT THE AUTHORS



     The authors of this document are too numerous and

diverse to easily identify and include the compilers, those

listed in the acknowledgements, those cited in the text and

an even greater number of individuals whose ideas have

filtered down through the grapevine and are captured here.

This document represents their ideas as compiled and

extended by Gregg C.Vanderheiden and Katherine R.

Vanderheiden.



     Gregg Vanderheiden is an associate professor in the

Industrial Engineering Department's Human Factors Program at

the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Director of the

Trace Research and Development Center at the University (a

Rehabilitation Engineering Center focusing on access to

communication, computer and electronic devices by people

with disabilities).  Dr. Vanderheiden has been active in the

field of technology and disability for over 20 years, has

published numerous papers, chapters and books and has been

principal investigator on over 40 grants and contracts in

the area.



     Katherine Vanderheiden is an independent business and

professional education consultant.  She is a CPA with 10

years experience in industry, including public accounting,

serving as a computer systems implementation coordinator for

a large hospital and developing training courses and

materials for internal and industry use in her capacity as

Manager in the Education Consulting Division of Arthur

Andersen & Co.







TABLE OF CONTENTS







PART I - Introduction

Background

Purpose of this Document

What is Accessible Design?

Four Ways to Make Products More Accessible

1.   Direct Accessibility

2.   Accessibility via Standard Options or Accessories

3.   Compatibility With Third Party Assistive Devices

4.   Facilitation of Custom Modifications

The Best Approach

PART II - Disabilities and Specific Barriers to

Accessibility

Visual Impairments

Hearing Impairments

Physical Impairments

Cognitive/Language Impairments

Seizure Disorders

Multiple Impairments

PART III - Guidelines for More Accessible Design

Structure and Organization of the Guidelines

Solomon's Trap

Resolving Conflicting Recommendations



SECTION 1 OUTPUT / DISPLAYS

SECTION 2 INPUT / CONTROLS

SECTION 3 MANIPULATIONS

SECTION 4 DOCUMENTATION

SECTION 5 SAFETY







GUIDELINES BY SECTION









SECTION 1 - OUTPUT / DISPLAYS



Maximize the number of people who can/will ...

O-1  ...hear auditory output clearly enough.

O-2  ...not miss important information if they can't hear.

O-3  ...have line of sight to visual output and can reach

printed output.

O-4  ...see visual output clearly enough.

O-5  ...not miss important information if they can't see.

O-6  ...understand the output (visual, auditory, other)..

O-7  ...view the output display without triggering a

seizure.







SECTION 2 -  INPUT / CONTROLS



Maximize the number of people who can ...

I-1  ...reach the controls.

I-2  ...find the individual controls/keys if they can't see

them.

I-3  ...read the labels on the controls/keys.

I-4  ...determine the status/setting of the controls if they

can't see them.

I-5  ...physically operate controls and other input

mechanisms.

I-6  ...understand how to operate controls and other input

mechanisms.

I-7  ...connect special alternative input devices.







SECTION 3 -  MANIPULATIONS



Maximize the number of people who can ...

M-1  ...physically insert and/or remove objects as required

for operation.

M-2  ...physically handle and/or open the product.

M-3  ...remove, replace, or reposition often-used detachable

parts.

M-4  ...understand how to carry out the manipulations

necessary.







SECTION 4 -  DOCUMENTATION



Maximize the number of people who can ...

D-1  ...access the documentation.

D-2  ...understand the documentation.







SECTION 5 -  SAFETY



Maximize the number of people who can ...

S-1  ...perceive hazard warnings.

S-2  ...use the product without injury due to unperceived

hazards.









PART I:  INTRODUCTION



Background

Beginning in 1984, joint government/industry efforts have

attempted to address the accessibility of standard computer

hardware and software by people with disabilities.  One of

the major results of these efforts was the development of

design guidelines for use by computer manufacturers and

software developers (1) .  These guidelines were prepared at

the request of the computer companies to assist them in

better understanding accessibility problems in computer

design and to identify commercially practical strategies for

making their products more accessible.  The guidelines were

developed using a cooperative industry-consumer-researcher-

government consortium in order to provide the best

information from all angles.  The resulting guidelines

(titled: Considerations in the Design of Computers and

Operating Systems to Increase Their Accessibility to People

with Disabilities) have been used by most major computer

manufacturers in their ongoing efforts to make their

products more accessible and usable by people with various

types and degrees of disability.  The Considerations

document is a working document, and as such is continually

evolving and improving (the current version is 4.2).



Purpose of This Document

This document represents a similar cooperative effort to

develop design guidelines for the design of "consumer

products."  For this document, consumer products are defined

as appliances and other electronic and mechanical devices

available to the mass market for use in the home, school,

office, or for use by the general public in the community.

The purpose of these guidelines is 1) to point out problems

encountered by people with various disabilities in using

standard consumer products, and 2) to propose design

alternatives which will result in increased usability of

standard products by people with disabilities.

As with the computer guidelines, this document is designed

to be purely informational in nature, and has been developed

at industry's request to facilitate product designers'

efforts to make their products more accessible.  It

represents the compilation of information from many sources

and, as a working document, is under continual revision.  To

that end, comments and suggested revisions are solicited

from all readers, particularly from product designers.



What is Accessible Design?

"Accessible Design" is the term used for the process of

extending mass market product design to include people who,

because of personal characteristics or environmental

conditions, find themselves on the low end of some dimension

of performance (e.g., seeing, hearing, reaching,

manipulating).  Accessible Design is not (or should not be)

separate from standard mass market design.  Rather it is an

extension or elaboration of general design principles to

cover a wider range of human abilities/limitations than has

traditionally been included in product design.

Thus Accessible Design is a subset of what is termed

Universal Design.  Where Universal Design covers the design

of products for all people and encompasses all design

principles, Accessible Design focuses on principles that

extend the standard design process to those people with some

type of performance limitation ( the lower ability tail of

Universal Design).

Accessible Design is a balancing act.  To begin with, we

must acknowledge that it is not possible to design

everything so that it can be used by everyone.  There will

always be someone with a combination of severe physical,

sensory and cognitive impairments who will not be able to

use it.  However, it is equally unreasonable to rely on the

existence (or development) of special designs for each major

product to accommodate each one of the immense variety of

disabilities (2) (and combinations of disabilities).  This

makes it necessary to look toward a combination of

approaches for meeting the needs of people with

disabilities, ranging from the incorporation of features

into products that will make them directly usable ("from the

box") by more people with disabilities to the inclusion of

features that make them easier to modify for accessibility.



Four Ways to Make Products More Accessible

Four different approaches to making products more accessible

are discussed in this section and reflected in the

Guidelines.  In any one product, it may be necessary to use

one or a combination of these approaches to achieve the

desired level of accessibility.  These approaches, in order

of desirability, are:



     1.  Direct Accessibility

     2.  Accessibility via Standard Options or Accessories

(from the manufacturer)

     3.  Compatibility with Third Party Assistive Devices

     4.  Facilitation of Custom Modifications



.1. Direct Accessibility:

     - For most types or degrees of impairment, there are

simple and low cost (or no cost) adaptations to product

designs which can significantly increase their accessibility

and usefulness to individuals with functional impairments.

By incorporating these design modifications into the initial

product design, the standard product can be more accessible

directly "out of the box."

     - Inclusion of these design features or approaches in

the standard product can be of substantial benefit to

society as a whole to the extent it enables individuals with

disabilities to lead more independent and productive lives.

As an additional bonus, it has often been found that designs

which are accessible to people with more limited abilities

may benefit other users (without disabilities or

impairments) as well by reducing fatigue, increasing speed,

decreasing the number of errors made and decreasing learning

time.

     - Some examples.

          In the personal computer industry, particular

attention has been focused on Accessible Design in recent

years, and access features are beginning to show up as

direct components of standard computer products.  A

"MouseKeys" feature, for example, is now a standard part of

all Apple Macintosh (TM) computers shipped.  This feature,

which can be invoked directly from the keyboard, allows the

user to move the cursor across the screen via the numeric

keypad rather than the mouse.  Individuals who do not have

the motor control necessary to operate a mouse can use this

feature (which is built into all Macintoshes) to access the

Macintosh.  Because the feature is implemented as an

extension to the computer's operating system, it costs

nothing to include as part of the product.  Since

"MouseKeys" became available, many able-bodied users have

found it useful as well because of its capability for

precise one-pixel positioning, which was not previously

available.

          Other examples of direct accessibility include

MacDonald's, who embossed braille characters on the tops of

its soft drink cup covers along with the letters labelling

the pushdown buttons on the lid that indicate whether the

drink is diet, etc., and Proctor-Silex, who embossed braille

characters on the bottom of some of its bowls indicating the

size (quarts) of the bowl.



2. Accessibility via Standard Options or Accessories (from

the manufacturer):

     - Sometimes it is not possible to design the standard

product to make it directly accessible for some disability

populations.  Alternatives to standard design may be

identified, but offering all of them may not be practical

due to some alternatives being mutually exclusive, too

expensive, or awkward as a standard product.

     - When this occurs, it may be more effective to make

these adaptations or alternatives available as standard

options or accessories from the manufacturer.  These may be

extra-cost, special order items, or preferrably, items

available free on request.  These special features or

accessories should be listed and described in the standard

documentation that comes with the product.  They could also

be listed in advertising for the product.

     - An example.

          Microwave ovens are often made with smooth glass

control panels.  That is, there are no tactilely discernable

buttons.  This can present a problem for people with visual

impairments.  Ideally, the control panel should be designed

with ridges around each button and some type of tactile

identification of button function.  If this is not possible,

the manufacturer may make available either a raised letter

or braille overlay.  These could be available free upon

request.  (Information on how to order the optional

accessories should then be prominently presented in the

product installation and operating instructions).  The Sharp

Carousel II (TM) is one such microwave that offers a braille

overlay as an option.



3. Compatibility With Third Party Assistive Devices:

  3a. Compatibility with Special Interfaces or Accessories

     - Sometimes direct accessibility, or even the use of

standard options, is impractical for the mass market

producer to provide for all disability types and degrees.

This is particularly true for individuals with severe or

multiple impairments  (e.g., a person with a severe physical

disability may be unable to use a standard keyboard even

with accessibility features built in).  In these cases,

special interfaces or accessories may be available from

third party assistive device manufacturers.

     - Some examples.

     - The mass market manufacturer can facilitate the

efforts of third party manufacturers in a number of ways,

including using standard approaches, providing appropriate

connection points, providing advance access to new versions

of products, and providing technical assistance in

understanding and properly attaching accessories to the

product.  Consideration in the design of a keyboard, for

example, could make it easier for third parties to develop

keyguards and other keyboard accessories.

  3b. Compatibility with General Purpose Assistive Devices

     - In some cases, people with particular disabilities

may already have general purpose assistive devices which

they would like to be able to use in conjunction with a

product (e.g., a person with an eye gaze communication aid

would like to be able to use it in conjunction with home

electronic appliances; an individual with artificial hands

or a hook would like to be able to operate the handles on

appliance doors; a blind person with a dynamic braille

display would like to use it with home information systems).

Unfortunately, it is often difficult or impossible to

connect the assistive devices to standard products.

     - Cooperation between mass manufacturers and assistive

device manufacturers could result in standard or built-in

product connection points (connectors or infra-red links)

which facilitate the connection of special devices as well

as properly designed hardware to facilitate the use of

assistive manipulation devices.

     - An example.

          Many people with physical disabilities cannot use

standard computer keyboards.  Some of these people would

require more extensive modifications than would be possible

using the first two accessibility approaches discussed.

Currently, there are assistive device manufacturers who make

alternative input devices to fit people with a variety of

severe physical disabilities.  However, the manufacturers of

these assistive devices have always had problems ensuring

that the devices would work with standard, commercially

available computers.  As part of the effort by the computer

industry to cooperate with manufacturers of assistive

devices, both IBM & Microsoft Corporation now distribute an

extension to their operating systems (DOS & Windows) called

"SerialKeys."  This extension allows people to connect

alternative input devices to the serial port of the standard

personal computer in a way which makes input to the serial

port look like it is coming directly from the standard

keyboard and mouse.  In this fashion, the user with a

disability can completely access and control the computer

and all of its software from an alternate input system

without touching the standard keyboard or mouse.



4. Facilitation of Custom Modifications:

     - There may be some cases where all the other

approaches to Accessible Design prove to be impractical or

uneconomical, most likely for people with combinations or

severe disabilities.

     - In such cases, custom modifications of the product,

either by the product manufacturer or a third party, may be

the best solution.  Standard product manufacturers should

facilitate this as much as they can.  For example, leaving

room for special attachments or labels, documenting hooks or

places to patch into hardware or software, publishing

information on safe or effective ways to modify products, or

honoring warrantees for products which have been modified

for accessibility but where the modification did not result

in the problem.

     - An Example:

          After-market adaptation of automobiles

(particularly vans) for use by drivers with physical

impairments is being facilitated in this way.  As more

standards are developed through cooperative efforts by auto

manufacturers, adaptive specialists, and consumers,

possibilities for help from the auto manufacturers will

improve.  Currently, Chrysler pays the first $500 for after-

market adaptation of its vans for people with disabilities.

General Motors now pays up to $1,000 reimbursement of

adaptive equipment and installation costs on eligible

vehicles, and provides listings of driver assessment

facilities, mobility equipment dealers, and organizations

offering services in transportation, as well as a GM

wheelchair compatibility listing and resource video.



The Best Approach



Of the four approaches to Accessible Design, the first type,

direct accessibility "from the box," is the best where it is

possible.  It allows the greatest access to products by

persons with disabilities at the lowest cost.  It also

allows them to access products in public places where they

could not otherwise modify the products to meet their

particular needs.  It also removes the stigma of "special"

aids or modifications.  This is especially important for

older users who do not want to be labeled "disabled" even

though their abilities are weakening.



It should also be noted that most of us become temporarily

"disabled" in a number of ways throughout our lives.

Sometimes it is by accident, such as a broken arm or eye

injury.  Sometimes it is by circumstance, such as operating

things in the dark where we can't see well, in loud

environments (vacuuming or teenagers) where we can't hear

well, with things in our arms where we can't reach well,

when we're tired or on cold medication and can't think well,

etc.   Only those products which were designed to be more

easily used directly "from the box" (#1 above) will be of

use to us then.  As mentioned above, more accessible designs

are also usually easier to use by everyone all the time  +

but only if the ease of use is directly built in.







PART II - Disabilities and Specific Barriers to

Accessibility







Prior to reviewing the Guidelines presented in Part III, the

reader who is not familiar with the demographics, causes and

effects of major types of disabilities would benefit greatly

from reviewing this section.  The Guidelines assume a basic

familiarity with this information.  In addition, it is

likely that new advances in design are not anticipated by

the Guidelines.  In those cases, knowledge of the basic

characteristics of various disabilities will enable

manufacturers to anticipate the effect of major design

changes on their products' accessibility

A significant portion of our population (over thirty million

in the U.S.(3)) has impairments which reduce their ability

to effectively or safely use standard consumer products.

These impairments may be acquired at birth or through

accident or disease.  Note that many impairments which

result in disabilities are associated with aging.  This is

especially significant, as the population as a whole is

growing older.  Although there is a tremendous variety of

specific causes, as well as combinations and severity of

disabilities, we can most easily relate their basic impact

to the use of consumer products by looking at four major

categories of impairment.  The four categories are:

     Visual Impairments

     Hearing Impairments

     Physical Impairments

     Cognitive/Language Impairments

In addition, we will discuss the special case of seizure

disorders as well as some of the common situations of

multiple impairments.



Visual Impairments



Visual impairment represents a continuum, from people with

very poor vision, to people who can see light but no shapes,

to people who have no perception of light at all.  However,

for general discussion it is useful to think of this

population as representing two broad groups: those with low

vision and those who are legally blind.  There are an

estimated 8.6 million people with visual impairments (3.4%

of the U.S. population).(4)  In the elderly population the

percentage of persons with visual impairments is very high.

A person is termed legally blind when their visual acuity

(sharpness of vision) is 20/200 or worse after correction,

or when their field of vision is less than 20 degrees in the

best eye after correction.5   There are approximately

580,000 people in the U.S. who are legally blind.(6)

Low vision includes problems (after correction) such as

dimness of vision, haziness, film over the eye, foggy

vision, extreme near- or farsightedness, distortion of

vision, spots before the eyes, color distortions, visual

field defects, tunnel vision, no peripheral vision, abnormal

sensitivity to light or glare, and night blindness.  There

are approximately 1.8 million people in the U.S. with severe

visual impairments who are not legally blind.(7)

Many diseases causing severe visual impairments are common

in those who are aging (glaucoma, cataracts, macular

degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy).  With current

demographic trends toward a larger proportion of elderly,

the incidence of visual impairments will certainly increase.



Functional Limitations Caused by Visual Impairments

Those who are legally blind may still retain some perception

of shape and contrast or of light vs. dark (the ability to

locate a light source), or they may be totally blind (having

no awareness of environmental light).

Those with visual impairments have the most difficulty with

visual displays and other visual output (e.g., hazard

warnings).  In addition, there are problems in utilizing

controls where labelling or actual operation is dependent on

vision (e.g., where eye-hand coordination is required, as

with a computer "mouse").  Written operating instructions

and other documentation may be unusable, and there can be

difficulties in manipulation (e.g., insertion/placement,

assembly).

Because many people with visual impairments still have some

visual capability, many of them can read with the assistance

of magnifiers, bright lighting and glare reducers.  Many

such people with low vision are helped immensely by use of

larger lettering, sans-serif typefaces, and high contrast

coloring.

Those with color blindness may have difficulty

differentiating between certain color pairs.  This generally

doesn't pose much of a problem except in those instances

when information is color coded or where color pairs are

chosen which result in poor figure ground contrast.

Key coping strategies for people with more severe visual

impairments include the use of braille and large raised

lettering.  Note, however, that braille is preferred by only

10% of blind people (normally those blind from early in

life).  Raised lettering must be large and is therefore

better for indicating simple labels than for extensive text.



Hearing Impairments



Hearing impairment is one of the most prevalent chronic

disabilities in the U.S.  Approximately 22 million people in

the U.S. (8.2%) have hearing impairments.  Of those, 2.4

million have severe to profound impairments.(8)

Hearing impairment means any degree and type of auditory

disorder, while deafness means an extreme inability to

discriminate conversational speech through the ear.  Deaf

people, then, are those who cannot use their hearing for

communication.  People with a lesser degree of hearing

impairment are called hard of hearing.(9)   Usually, a

person is considered deaf when sound must reach at least 90

decibels (5 to 10 times louder than normal speech) to be

heard, and even amplified speech cannot be understood.

Hearing impairments can be found in all age groups, but loss

of hearing acuity is part of the natural aging process.  23%

of those aged 65 to 74 have hearing impairments, while

almost 40% over age 75 have hearing impairments.(10)   The

number of individuals with hearing impairments will increase

with the increasing age of the population and the increase

in the severity of noise exposure.

Hearing impairment may be sensorineural or conductive.

Sensorineural hearing loss involves damage to the auditory

pathways within the central nervous system, beginning with

the cochlea and auditory nerve, and including the brain stem

and cerebral cortex (this prevents or disrupts

interpretation of the auditory signal).  Conductive hearing

loss is damage to the outer or middle ear which interferes

with sound waves reaching the cochlea.  Causes include

heredity, infections, tumors, accidents and aging

(presbycusis, or "old hearing").(11)



Functional Limitations Caused by Hearing Impairments

The primary difficulty for individuals with hearing

impairment in using standard products is receiving auditory

information.  This problem can be compensated for by

presenting auditory information redundantly in visual and/or

tactile form.  If this is not feasible, an alternative

solution to this problem would be to provide a mechanism,

such as a jack, which would allow the user to connect

alternative output devices.  Increasing the volume range and

lowering the frequency of products with high pitched

auditory output would be helpful to some less severely

impaired individuals.  (Progressive hearing loss usually

occurs in higher frequencies first.)

Although not prevalent yet, there is much talk of using

voice input on commercial products in the future.  This,

too, will present a problem for many deaf individuals.

While many have some residual speech, which they work to

maintain, those who are deaf from birth or a very early age

often are also nonspeaking or have speech that cannot be

recognized using current voice input technology.  Thus,

alternatives to voice input will be necessary to these

individuals to access products with voice input.

Familiar coping strategies for hearing impaired people

include the use of hearing aids, sign language, lipreading

and TDD's (telecommunication devices for the deaf).  Some

hearing aids are equipped with a "T-coil" as well, which

provides direct inductive coupling with a second coil (such

as in a telephone receiver) in order to reduce ambient

noise.  Some other commercial products could make use of

this capability.

ASL (American Sign Language) is commonly used by people who

are deaf.  It should be noted, however, that this is a

completely different language from English.  Thus, deaf

people who primarily use ASL may understand English only as

a second language, and may therefore not be as proficient

with English as native speakers.

Finally, telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD's) are

becoming more common in households and businesses as a means

for deaf and hard of hearing people to communicate over the

phone.  TDD's have always used the Baudot code, but newer

ones receive both Baudot and ASCII.



Physical Impairments



Functional Limitations Caused by Physical Impairments

Problems faced by individuals with physical impairments

include poor muscle control, weakness and fatigue,

difficulty walking, talking, seeing, speaking, sensing or

grasping (due to pain or weakness), difficulty reaching

things, and difficulty doing complex or compound

manipulations (push and turn).  Individuals with spinal cord

injuries may be unable to use their limbs and may use

"mouthsticks" for most manipulations.  Twisting motions may

be difficult or impossible for people with many types of

physical disabilities (including cerebral palsy, spinal cord

injury, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy,

etc.).

Some individuals with severe physical disabilities may not

be able to operate even well-designed products directly.

These individuals usually must rely on assistive devices

which take advantage of their specific abilities and on

their ability to use these assistive devices with standard

products.  Commonly used assistive devices include mobility

aids (e.g., crutches, wheelchairs), manipulation aids (e.g.,

prosthetics, orthotics, reachers) communication aids (e.g.,

single switch-based artificial voice), and computer/device

interface aids (e.g., eyegaze-operated keyboard) .



Nature and Causes of Physical Impairments

Neuromuscular impairments include:

      - paralysis (total lack of muscular control in part or

most of the body),

      - weakness (paresis; lack of muscle strength, nerve

enervation, or pain), and

      - interference with control, via spasticity (where

muscles are tense and contracted), ataxia (problems in

accuracy of motor programming and coordination), and

athetosis (extra, involuntary, uncontrolled and purposeless

motion).

Skeletal impairments include joint movement limitations

(either mechanical or due to pain), small limbs,missing

limbs, or abnormal trunk size.

Some major causes of these impairments are:

Arthritis.  Arthritis is defined as pain in joints, usually

reducing range of motion and causing weakness.  Rheumatoid

arthritis is a chronic syndrome.  Osteoarthritis is a

degenerative joint disease.  31.6 million people in the U.S.

suffer from rheumatic disease.  The incidence of all forms

of arthritis is now estimated at 900,000 new cases per

year.(12)

Cerebral Palsy (CP).   Cerebral palsy is defined as damage

to the motor areas of the brain prior to brain maturity

(most cases of CP occur before, during or shortly following

birth).  There are more than 750,000 in the U.S. with CP

(children and adults), and 15,000 infants are born each year

with CP.(13)   CP is a type of injury, not a disease

(although it can be caused by a disease), and does not get

worse over time; it is also not "curable."  Some causes of

cerebral palsy are high temperature, lack of oxygen, and

injury to the head.  The most common types are:  (1)

spastic, where the individual moves stiffly and with

difficulty, (2) ataxic, characterized by a disturbed sense

of balance and depth perception, and (3) athetoid,

characterized by involuntary, uncontrolled motion.  Most

cases are combinations of the three types.

Spinal Cord Injury.  Spinal cord injury can result in

paralysis or paresis (weakening).  The extent of

paralysis/paresis and the parts of the body effected are

determined by how high or low on the spine the damage occurs

and the type of damage to the cord.  Quadriplegia involves

all four limbs and is caused by injury to the cervical

(upper) region of the spine; paraplegia involves only the

lower extremities and occurs where injury was below the

level of the first thoracic vertebra (mid-lower back).

There are 150,000 to 175,000 people with spinal cord

injuries in the U.S., with projected annual increases of

7,000 - 8,000.  47% of spinal cord injuries result in

paraplegia; 53% in quadriplegia.  Car accidents are the most

frequent cause (38%), followed by falls and jumps (16%) and

gunshot wounds (13%).(14)

Head Injury (cerebral trauma).  The term "head injury" is

used to describe a wide array of injuries, including

concussion, brain stem injury, closed head injury, cerebral

hemorrhage, depressed skull fracture, foreign object (e.g.,

bullet), anoxia, and post-operative infections.  Like spinal

cord injuries, head injury and also stroke often results in

paralysis and paresis, but there can be a variety of other

effects as well.  Currently about one million Americans (1

in 250) suffer from effects of head injuries, and 400,000 -

600,000 people sustain a head injury each year.  However,

many of these are not permanently or severely disabled.

Stroke (cerebral vascular accident; CVA).  The three main

causes of stroke are:  thrombosis (blood clot in a blood

vessel blocks blood flow past that point), hemorrhage

(resulting in bleeding into the brain tissue; associated

with high blood pressure or rupture of an aneurism), and

embolism (a large clot breaks off and blocks an artery).

The response of brain tissue to injury is similar whether

the injury results from direct trauma (as above) or from

stroke.  In either case, function in the area of the brain

affected either stops altogether or is impaired.(15)

Loss of Limbs or Digits (Amputation or Congenital).  This

may be due to trauma (e.g., explosions, mangling in a

machine, severance, burns) or surgery (due to cancer,

peripheral arterial disease, diabetes).  Usually prosthetics

are worn, although these do not result in full return of

function.  The National Center for Health Statistics of the

U.S. Public Health Service estimated a prevalence of 311,000

amputees in 1970.  An incidence of approximately 43,000 new

amputations per year is estimated, of which 77% occur in

males, and 90% involve the legs.  40% of amputations are

above the knee, 50% are below the knee, and 10% are at the

hip.(16)

Parkinson's  Disease.  This is a progressive disease of

older adults characterized by muscle rigidity, slowness of

movements, and a unique type of tremor.  There is no actual

paralysis.  The usual age of onset is 50 to 70, and the

disease is relatively common - 187 cases per 100,000.(17)

Multiple Sclerosis (MS).  Multiple sclerosis is defined as a

progressive disease of the central nervous system

characterized by the destruction of the insulating material

covering nerve fibers.  The problems these individuals

experience include poor muscle control, weakness and

fatigue, difficulty walking, talking, seeing, sensing or

grasping objects, and intolerance of heat.  Onset is between

the ages of 10 and 40.  This is one of the most common

neurological diseases, affecting as many as 500,000 people

in the U.S. alone.(18)

ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease).  ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral

Sclerosis) is a fatal degenerative disease of the central

nervous system characterized by slowly progressive paralysis

of the voluntary muscles.  The major symptom is progressive

muscle weakness involving the limbs, trunk, breathing

muscles, throat and tongue, leading to partial paralysis and

severe speech difficulties.  This is not a rare disease (5

cases per 100,000).  It strikes mostly those between age 30

and 60, and men three times as often as women.  Duration

from onset to death is about 1 to 10 years (average 4

years).(19)

Muscular Dystrophy (MD).  Muscular dystrophy is a group of

hereditary diseases causing progressive muscular weakness,

loss of muscular control, contractions and difficulty in

walking, breathing, reaching, and use of hands involving

strength.  About 4 cases in 100,000 are reported.(20)



Cognitive/Language Impairments



Functional Limitations Caused by Cognitive/Language

Impairments

The type of cognitive impairment can vary widely, from

severe retardation to inability to remember, to the absence

or impairment of specific cognitive functions (most

particularly, language).  Therefore, the types of functional

limitations which can result also vary widely.

Cognitive impairments are varied, but may be categorized as

memory, perception, problem-solving, and conceptualizing

disabilities.  Memory problems include difficulty getting

information from short-term storage, long term and remote

memory.  This includes difficulty recognizing and retrieving

information.  Perception problems include difficulty taking

in, attending to, and discriminating sensory information.

Difficulties in problem solving include recognizing the

problem, identifying, choosing and implementing solutions,

and evaluation of outcome. Conceptual difficulties can

include problems in sequencing, generalizing previously

learned information, categorizing, cause and effect,

abstract concepts, comprehension and skill development.

Language impairments can cause difficulty in comprehension

and/or expression of written and/or spoken language.

There are very few assistive devices for people with

cognitive impairments.  Simple cuing aids or memory aids are

sometimes used.  As a rule, these individuals benefit from

use of simple displays, low language loading, use of

patterns, simple, obvious sequences and cued sequences.



Types and Causes of Cognitive/Language Impairments

Mental Retardation.  A person is considered mentally

retarded if they have an IQ below 70 (average IQ is 100) and

if they have difficulty functioning independently.  An

estimated 3% of Americans are mentally retarded.  For most,

the cause is unknown, although infections, Down Syndrome,

premature birth, birth trauma, or lack of oxygen may all

cause retardation.  Those considered mildly retarded (80-

85%) have an IQ between 55 and 69 and are considered

educable, achieving 4th to 7th grade levels.  They usually

function well in the community and hold down semi-skilled

and unskilled jobs.  People with moderate retardation (10%)

have an IQ between 40 and 54 and are trainable in

educational skills and independence.  They can learn to

recognize symbols and simple words, achieving approximately

a 2nd grade level.  They often live in group homes and work

in sheltered workshops.  People with severe or profound

retardation represent just 5-10% of this population.(21)

Language and Learning Disabilities.  Aphasia, an impairment

in the ability to interpret or formulate language symbols as

a result of brain damage, is frequently caused by left

cerebral vascular accident (stroke) or head injury.

Specific learning disabilities are chronic conditions of

presumed neurological origin which selectively interfere

with the development, integration, and/or demonstration of

verbal and/or non-verbal abilities.(22)  Many people with

learning disabilities are highly intelligent aside from

their specific learning disability.  1-8% of school-aged

children and youth have specific learning disabilities.(23)

Age-Related Disease.  Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative

disease that leads to progressive intellectual decline,

confusion and disorientation.  Dementia is a brain disease

that results in the progressive loss of mental functions,

often beginning with memory, learning, attention and

judgment deficits.  The underlying cause is obstruction of

blood flow to the brain.  Some kinds of dementia are

curable, while others are not.



Seizure Disorders



A number of injuries or conditions can result in seizure

disorders.  Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder.  It

is reported that approximately 1 person in 15 has a seizure

of some sort during his life, and between .5% and 1.5% of

the general population have chronic, recurring seizures.  A

seizure consists of an explosive discharge of nervous

tissue, which often starts in one area of the brain and

spreads through the circuits of the brain like an electrical

storm.  The seizure discharge activates the circuits in

which it is involved and the function of these circuits will

determine the clinical pattern of the seizure.  Except at

those times when this electrical storm is sweeping through

it, the brain is working perfectly well in the person with

epilepsy.  Seizures can vary from momentary loss of

attention to grand mal seizures which result in the severe

loss of motor control and awareness.  Seizures can be

triggered in people with photosensitive epilepsy by rapidly

flashing lights, particularly in the 10 to 25 Hz range.(24)





Multiple Impairments



It is common to find that whatever caused a single type of

impairment also caused others.  This is particularly true

where disease or trauma is severe, or in the case of

impairments caused by aging.

Deaf-blindness is one commonly identified combination.  Most

of these individuals are neither profoundly deaf nor legally

blind, but are both visual and hearing impaired to the

extent that strategies for deafness or blindness alone won't

work.  People with developmental disabilities may have a

combination of mental and physical impairments that result

in substantial functional limitations in three or more areas

of major life activity.  Diabetes, which can cause

blindness, also often causes loss of sensation in the

fingers.  This makes braille or raised lettering impossible

to read.  Cerebral palsy is often accompanied by visual

impairments, by hearing and language disorders, or by

cognitive impairments.







PART III - Guidelines for More Accessible Design







Structure and Organization of the Guidelines

In order to facilitate use by product design teams, this

section is organized functionally rather than by disability

area.  Functional categories are as follows:



Output/Displays     includes all means of presenting

information to the user

Input/Controls includes keyboards and all other means of

communicating to the product

Manipulations  includes all actions that must be directly

performed by a person in concert with the product or for

routine maintenance; e.g., inserting disk, loading tape,

changing ink cartridge

Documentation  primarily operating instructions

Safety    includes alarms and protection from harm



Each guideline is phrased as an objective, followed by a

statement of the problem(s) faced by people with

disabilities.  The problem statement is accompanied by more

specific examples.  Next, "design options and ideas" are

presented to provide some suggestions as to how the

objective could be achieved.  Readers are encouraged to

think of other ideas.  Finally, additional data and specific

information, along with illustrations, are presented at the

end of each guideline.

The guidelines are stated as generically as possible.

Therefore, all, some or none of the design options and ideas

presented may apply in the case of any specific product.

The recommended approach is to implement those options which

together go the longest way toward achieving the objective

of the guideline for your product.  It is understood that

this is not an ideal world, so it may currently be too

expensive to implement all those ideas which would best

achieve the objective.  It is also anticipated that there

will be other ways of meeting accessibility objectives than

those discussed here, and such discoveries are encouraged.

We would like to hear of them so that they can be included

in future releases of these Guidelines.



Designer's Dilemma:  Availability and Meaningfulness of

Numbers

In trying to make products more accessible, the question of

numbers quickly arises. How large should lettering be?  What

size button is large enough? How much pressure is too much,

or not enough?  In trying to make designs more accessible

there are two tough principles that one has to come to grips

with early.

1)  You cannot make a product absolutely accessible.   You

can make it more accessible but,there will always be people

who cannot use it.

2)  Therefore... There are no magic numbers.   There are no

numbers to tell you that you have gone far enough and

nothing more will help anyone.

At first this is hard to accept.  Everyone wants a number to

design to.  Occasionally minimal numbers  for minimal

required accessibility are set, but ...

-  They only can be set for a particular type of device (a

phone, an elevator button, etc.).

Such numbers are not possible for a set of general

guidelines, such as these which relate to all products and

all disabilities.  What should be specified as the "ideal

knob size" in a set of guidelines that covers wristwatches,

kitchen stoves, and Walkman (TM) stereos?

- They only specify a minimum accessibility threshold

(usually required by law or regulation).

They always leave someone out that should be accommodated if

possible in a particular product design.



The Problem with Diversity of Types and Degrees of

Impairment

This latter point is the most important. A key problem in

picking or setting a number is deciding who to leave out.

The reason for discussing accessible design in the first

place is that the standard design process currently only

targets "most" of the people, and then stops.  Some target

number is established that is "good enough" to cover 80%,

90% or 95% of the people, and then developers end up

designing to that number and stopping + even if they could

just have easily gone a bit further.  And it is that last

phrase that is important.  Since no product can be made

completely accessible, a designer can't ever win completely.

Tough to accept or deal with, but a fact of life.  The

secret, then, is to go as far as one can in making the

design accessible.  Setting a number as "good enough" for

"most people with disabilities" and then designing to it

just repeats the mistake that was made in the standard

design process.

For example, to specify exactly how large lettering should

be in order to be visible, you must first ask "visible to

whom?"  For any number you cite, there will be people who

could see it if it were just a little bigger and others who

would be unable to read it if you made it any smaller.

There would also be some who could not see it no matter how

large you made it.  Thus, there is no number that will allow

all people to read it.  You always end up leaving some

people off.  The question then isn't "How large must

lettering be to be accessible?"  The proper question is "How

large can this lettering be and still work for this

product?"  The decision to make it as large as practical

will make the product accessible to a greater number of

people.  However, the decision as to the exact amount of

enlargement that can be effectively used on the lettering

for any given product is a decision that must be made as a

part of the design process for that specific product.



Numbers Do Have their Place

This is not to say that numbers are not useful.  They are

essential to any design process.  The numbers needed,

however, are not "target" numbers or "this is now

accessible" numbers, but rather numbers that a designer can

use as milestones to see how changes in a design will affect

users.  Whenever data of this type exist or are identified

they will be either included or cited in these Guidelines.

An example of this is Figure O-7-a on the sensitivity of

people with photosensitive epilepsy to different flicker

frequencies.  The chart does not give a magic frequency that

would be safe (wouldn't trigger a seizure in anyone) under

all conditions.  It does, however, clearly indicate that

avoiding 20 hz flicker by as much as practical will clearly

be to the benefit of those with photosensitive epilepsy.

Occasionally, recommended "minimum" or "maximum" values do

exist.  Sometimes they are created as part of regulations or

standards which set a baseline that everyone must comply

with for some product or market.  In other cases, "rule of

thumb" values exist which are known or believed to cover the

majority of people or situations.  As the new accessibility

standards for ADA compliance are finalized, for example,

those that might apply to consumer products will be included

in these Guidelines for reference.  In all cases, however,

these values should be used as milestones and not as

absolute or "good enough" design targets.  If it is possible

to go beyond the value and create a more accessible design,

then that should be considered.



The Role of  These Guidelines

The role of these Guidelines, then, is more to raise the

awareness and understanding of designers and to help them

ask the right questions than to provide specific answers or

numbers.  Notwithstanding, wherever specific design ideas or

"recommendable" values do exist, they are provided.  When

they do not, general recommendations or design ideas are

provided to help designers identify areas where attention

can increase accessibility.  In addition, data are provided

when available  to help designers measure the impact of

various design decisions or tradeoffs.



The Role of the Designer

In all cases, however, the exact values to use for a given

product design will have to be determined by balancing the

various design factors and constraints for that particular

product. They cannot be dictated a priori without picking a

number which will be too restrictive for some designs and

unnecessarily loose for others.



Solomon's Trap (25)

Often, initial attempts at accessible design are done

piecemeal.  Accessible features are added where they are

obvious rather than as a result of looking at the product's

overall accessibility.  The result can be a design which has

accessible parts, but is not as a whole accessible or

usable.  Access to half a product when the rest is

inaccessible is of little practical use.

In some cases, inspired by a desire to address the needs of

people with different disabilities, it is even possible to

design some parts of a device (such as the controls) to be

more accessible to one population and design another part of

the product with another disability in mind.  Unless the

whole product is accessible to at least one of these

populations no-one is served.(26)

In most cases it is possible with careful design to create

products which are simultaneously accessible to people with

different impairments.  However, where this is not possible,

care should be taken to be sure that the entire product is

accessible to those disability populations that you are able

to address.  Giving half a product to one disability group

and the other half of the product to another is not helpful

to or desired by any of the disability groups.



Resolving Conflicting Recommendations

Sometimes a solution to a problem for one type of disability

may cause a new problem for a person with another type of

disability.  For example, those with visual impairments may

be helped by replacing a visual readout with auditory

output, but this would in turn cause a problem for those

with hearing impairments.  As such situations arise, the

Guidelines will attempt to highlight them and suggest ways

to avoid or minimize any potential conflicts.

At the end of most sections, a summary of the

recommendations, along with examples of balanced solutions,

is presented.  These are not the only, and perhaps not the

best, solutions.  They do, however, show how multiple

recommendations can be addressed even when they seem to be

contradictory.  They also illustrate that it is usually

impossible to follow all of the recommendations

simultaneously.







NOTE:  The ADA guidelines are currently under development

and the ANSI standards for accessibility are currently under

revision.  When these activities are completed,

specifications for minimum levels of accessibility for some

types of structures and products will be spelled out.  As

these minimum values are defined they will be added to these

guidelines in the sections to which they apply.  To avoid

confusion existing and proposed standards are not included

in this draft.









SECTION 1:  OUTPUT / DISPLAYS

  Includes all means of presenting information to the user



Maximize the number of people who can/will ...

     O-1        hear auditory output clearly enough.

     O-2        not miss important information if they can't

hear.

     O-3        have line of sight to visual output and

reach printed output.

     O-4        see visual output clearly enough.

     O-5        not miss important information if they can't

see.

     O-6        understand the output (visual, auditory,

other).

     O-7        view the output display without triggering a

seizure.







     O-1.  Maximize the number of people who can ...  hear

auditory output clearly enough.



Problem:  Information presented auditorially (e.g.,

synthesized speech, cuing and warning beeps, buzzers, tones,

machine noises) may not be effectively heard.

Examples:

- Individuals who have mildly to moderately impaired hearing

may not be able to discern sounds that are too low in

volume.

- Individuals who have mild hearing impairments may be

unable to turn the volume up sufficiently in some

environments (e.g., libraries, where others would be

disturbed, or in noisy environments, where even the highest

volume is insufficient).

- People with moderate hearing impairments are often unable

to hear sounds in higher frequencies (above 2000 Hz).

- People with hearing aids may have difficulty separating

background noise from from the desired auditory information.

- People with cognitive impairments may be easily distracted

by too much background noise.

- Auditory information which is short or not repeated or

repeatable (e.g., a short beep or voice message) may be

missed or not understood.

NOTE:  Severely hearing impaired (and deaf) people cannot

use audio output at all.  See O-2 for guideline to address

this problem.



Design Options and Ideas to Consider:

*  Providing a volume adjustment, preferably using a visual

volume indicator.  Sound should be intelligible

(undistorted) throughout the volume range.

*  Making audio output (or volume range if adjustable) as

loud as practical.

*  Using sounds which have strong mid-low frequency

components (500 - 3000 Hz).

*  Providing a headphone jack to enable a person with

impaired hearing to listen at high volume without disturbing

others, to enable such a person to effectively isolate

themselves from background noise, and to facilitate use of

neck loops and special amplifiers (see additional

information below).

*  Providing a separate volume control for the headphone

jack so that people without hearing impairments can listen

as well (at standard listening levels).

*  When a headphone jack is not possible:

   - placing the sound source on the front of the device and

away from loud mechanisms would facilitate hearing.

  - locating the speaker on the front of the device would

also facilitate use of a small microphone and amplifier to

pick up and present the information (via speaker, neckloop

or vibrator).

*  Facilitating the direct use of the telecoil in hearing

aids by incorporating a built-in inductive loop in your

product (e.g., in telephone receiver's earpiece).

*  Reducing the amount of unmeaningful sound produced by the

product (i.e., background noise).

*  Presenting auditory information continuously or

periodically until the desired message is confirmed or acted

upon.  Spoken messages could automatically repeat or have a

mechanism for the user to ask for them to be repeated.



Additional Information:

- An adjustable and fairly loud volume is particularly

helpful to aging individuals and others with mild hearing

impairments who do not normally carry or use hearing aids or

other sound amplification devices.  (Note that many such

people do not wish to acknowledge their hearing loss by

wearing aids.)

- Visual indication of the volume setting is important, as

individuals with hearing impairments often do not know or

realize the volume level is set painfully high for others.

Simple strategies include a painted and/or tactile dot or

arrow on a control dial, a sliding bar volume control,

numbers or graphics (on a thumbwheel dial), or an on-screen

bar graph volume indicator (see examples below).

- Loss of hearing associated with age generally begins with

the inability to hear high frequencies.  Thus use of lower

frequencies will be particularly helpful to older people.

- For alerting devices the use of two or more spectral

components in the 500 - 4500 Hz range is recommended based

on ringer studies(27 28).  Others suggest limiting the upper

frequency to 3000 Hz to better accommodate people with mid-

high frequency loss.

- When using voice output, male voices are usually

preferable to female voices because of their lower pitch.

Consonants which are particularly easy to hear in the male

speech patterns are "m" and "n."

- The use of sufficient volume and low frequency are

particularly critical for alarms.

(See S-1 for guideline to specifically address this

problem.)

- For some products it may be feasible to have adjustable

frequency of auditory output.

- A (front mounted) headphone jack allows individuals with

hearing impairments to carry a pair of headphones or

headphones equipped with a small, battery-operated amplifier

to provide the necessary sound levels.

- Headphone jacks come in two sizes.  The commonly used ones

are 1/4" and 1/8 ".  Because both are so commonly used, most

headphones come with an adaptor which allows them to work

with both jack sizes.  As a result, either size is generally

acceptable. The larger size jack is slightly easier to

handle and more rugged but the smaller size is becoming the

more common size due to miniaturization of equipment.

- The headphone jack can be used to connect an inductive

neckloop (loop which is worn around the neck and provides

direct inductive coupling with the t-coil in a hearing aid).

- Headphone jacks are also appreciated by non-hearing-

impaired people and people with certain types of learning

disabilities where use of a headphone is desirable for

privacy or in both noisy and quiet environments (e.g.,

factory, office, or library).  A separate volume control for

the headphones is also useful when others would like to

listen to the same output (via speakers) at a lower volume.

----------

Figure O-1-a:  A neck ring or ear loop can be plugged into a

headphone jack on an audio source and provide direct

inductive coupling between the audio source and a special

induction coil on a person's hearing aid.  This cuts out

background noise that would be picked up by the hearing

aid's microphone and provides clearer reception of the audio

signal.

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  This

figure is a simple line drawing of a neck ring with a

headphone, a hearing aid, and part of the front surface of a

device (such as a stereo) with a headphone jack shown  in it

as a round dark circle.  The plug on the neck ring is next

to the headphone jack to show where the neck ring couples

with the device.  The hearing aid is represented by a

silhouette of a behind the ear model, floating in space

between the neck ring and the stereo, to illustrate that it

is physically separate, and does not directly connect to

either the neck ring or the stereo.  Three parallel curved

lines between the neck ring and the hearing aid, concave

toward the neck ring and convex toward the hearing aid,

represent the magnetic waves emanating from the neck ring

and picked up by the T-coil built into the hearing aid.

This is the end of this figure's description.

----------





----------

Figure O-1-b:   A headphone jack permits the connection of

headphones, neck/ear loops, amplifiers or sound indication

lights.

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  This

figure is a simple line drawing of four different types of

devices that could make use of a headphone jack if provided

on the consumer product.  In addition, the front surface of

a device, such as a stereo, is shown with a headphone jack

as a round dark circle.  The first device, shown on the far

left, that would plug into the headphone jack on the stereo

is a pair of headphones.  The next device to the right is a

neck ring.  The third is a small, portable speaker with its

own volume adjustment on it.  The fourth device on the far

right is a small cylinder with a light bulb that would glow

any time an audio signal were sent through the headphone

jack.  This is the end of this figure's description.

----------





----------

Figure O-1-c:  Speaker near edge and away from unwanted

noise sources allows use of microphone to pick up sounds and

relay on to an amplifier and speaker or neckloop.  (Not as

good as headphone jack.)

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  This

figure is a simple line drawing of a thin rectangular box

that represents the housing of a computer CPU.  On the right

front panel of the box is a representation of a floppy disk

drive labeled verbally as a source of noise.  Pictured on

the left, in front of the box and far away from the noise

source, is a small portable microphone with a plug to

connect to a listening device.  Presumably, this is where

the speaker for auditory output from the computer is

located.  The emphasis here is that some distance must be

maintained between potential sources of unwanted noise

created by the device and the speaker on the device, in this

case a computer, so that the user's microphone will not pick

up excessive noise interfering with the intended audio

output.  This is the end of this figure's description.

----------





----------

Figure O-1-d:  Provision of a visual indicator of volume

level is useful so that people with hearing impairments can

better judge the impact of volume on others in the

environment.

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  Three

examples are shown of how we might visually display volume

levels.  From left to right, the first is a bar graph with

vertical bars, the middle is a circular knob, and the one on

the right is a horizontal slide control.  In the vertical

bar graph, the bars are closely spaced and begin very small

at the left and steadily increase in height going towards

the right.  The effect is a triangular wedge that, at a

glance, indicates the volume level and can change to

indicate an increase in volume, with taller bars added to

the right side, or to indicate a reduction in volume, as the

longest bar on the thicker right side of the wedge is

removed or disappears.  The result is a wedge that doesn't

move but grows or shrinks at its thickest end according to

whether the sound is turned up or down.  The middle of the

three example displays is simply a circular knob with a

large visual and tactile dot near the perimeter in the upper

left of the circle.  The dot indicates the current setting

of the volume according to its location on a fixed scale

that would surround the adjustable knob.  The  dot should

also be raised so that the same display could provide both

visual and tactile information about the volume level.  The

final example display is of a horizontal slide control.  The

lowest volume setting, zero, is on the left and the maximum,

ten, is on the right.  The sliding control is a rectangular

knob that sticks out from the channel in which it slides.

Like the size of the wedge and the location of the dot, the

location of the rectangular knob contrasts with the hue of

the background surface on the device, providing a quick

visual indication of the current volume setting.  This is

the end of this figure's description.

----------





----------

Figure O-1-e

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  This

figure shows a simple bar graph of hearing loss as a

function of age in percent of the population in each of five

age categories.  The vertical or y axis represents the

percentage of the population and begins at the origin with

zero and goes up to 50 percent.  The horizontal or x axis is

divided into the five discrete age brackets.  The under 17

group is  closest to the origin, the height of its bar

reaches approximately 2 percent.  The 17 to 44 age group is

next on the right, the height of its bar is approximately 3

percent.  Next is the 45 to 64 age group, the height of its

bar is approximately 11 percent.  The fourth age group is 65

to 74, its bar height reaches to approximately 24 percent of

that group's population.  Finally, the age group on the far

right of the horizontal axis is the 75 and up group, the

height of its bar indicates that just over 40 percent of

this group has some degree of hearing loss.  This is the end

of this figure's description.

----------





----------

Figure O-1-g

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  This

figure is a graphic representation of the recommended sound

frequency range for alerting devices.  Across the bottom of

the frequency chart representing the range is a logarithmic

scale starting at 100 on the left, graduating by one

hundreds until one thousand, where the scale begins

incrementing by one thousands and ends on the right end with

10000.  The graphic has gray tones filling the area between

the 500 hertz vertical line and the 4500 hertz vertical line

to help show the recommended range according to this scaled

representation.  Two or more spectral components in the 500

to 4500 hertz range with a minimum intensity level of 77

decibels should be used.  This is the end of this figure's

description.

----------





     O-2.  Maximize the number of people who will ...  not

miss important information if they can't hear.



Problem:  Audio output (e.g., synthesized speech, cuing and

warning beeps, buzzers, tones) may not be heard at all or

may be insufficient for effectively communicating

information.

Examples:

- Individuals who are severely hearing-impaired or deaf may

not hear audio output, even at high volume and low

frequencies.

- Individuals with language or cognitive impairments may not

be able to respond to information given only in auditory

form.  (This may also be true if the language used is not

the primary language of the individual.)

- Individuals who are deaf-blind may not hear audio output.

- Individuals with standard hearing must sometimes use

products in environments where the sound must be turned off

(libraries) or where the environment is too noisy to hear

any sound output reliably.

Design Options and Ideas to Consider:

*  Providing all important auditory information in visual

form as well (or having it available).  This includes any

speech output as well as auditory cues and warnings.

*  Providing a tactile indication of auditory information.

*  Facilitating the connection or use of tactile aids.

*  Providing an optional remote audio/visual or tactile

indicator.

Additional Information:

- It is understood that those products designed solely for

the purpose of providing audio output (e.g., radios,

stereos, CD and casette players) will not generally be

useful to severely hearing-impaired/deaf people without

special external adaptations.  Therefore, it is not intended

that this guideline should apply to such products.

- Some methods for accompanying auditory cues and warnings

with a visual indication would be to blink all or part of

the display screen or any existing light(s) on the product.

(Avoid high frequency flicker + over 2-3 Hz;  see O-7.)

- If it is not possible to provide a redundant visual cue

for the auditory information, a headphone jack would allow

the user to plug in a small LED or light that would provide

a visual flicker whenever sound was emitted from the

product's speaker.  (For deaf-blind users a small vibrator

could be used.)  This would be sufficient only to indicate

that a sound had occurred, not the character (and therefore

possibly the meaning) of the sound if frequency or timbre

were used to convey information.

- When a headphone jack is not provided, the placement of

the sound source near a quiet location and with the speakers

facing the user facilitates the use of a small microphone

and amplifier with a small LED or tactile stimulator (as

well as a speaker or neckloop + see O-1).

- Use of a remote audio/visual or tactile indicator (e.g.,

to indicate that the washer or dryer in the basement is

done) is useful to all.  For example, a small unit might

come with an appliance (like a stove or dryer) which could

be carried around with a person (who will not be in earshot

of the appliance)  and beep, buzz, or vibrate when the

appliance is "done."  Alternately, the remote indicator

could be a small device which plugs into the wall and is

triggered by signals sent over the house wiring by the

appliance (e.g. dryer) to indicate that it is done.

- Any voice output from computers, TV's and other products

which is not also available as printed text on the screen or

product should be available (optionally) through captions on

the display screen.  External captioning devices can be

connected after the fact to some devices, but they are

expensive and require that the user carry the devices with

them to connect to the products as they encounter them.

They are also practical + or even possible with public-use

products.  Built in captioning facilities are usually very

inexpensive and effective.  NOTE: After July 26, 1993 all

televisions will be required to include built-in caption

decoding circuitry.





----------

Figure O-2-a:  LED next to speaker gives redundant visual

indication of all auditory information.

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  This is

a simple line drawing of three sides of a partial rectangle

lying on the horizontal with the boxed end at the left.  The

rectangular shape represents the surface of a device having

a speaker for auditory output.  The speaker is represented

as a circle filled with a mesh pattern on its surface.

Close to the "speaker," above and left from it, is a small

black dot representing the light emitting diode (LED) that

would shine when the speaker was putting out sound.  The

purpose of this graphic is not to show exactly where to

place the visual indicator of auditory output, but rather to

demonstrate that such redundant visual output should be

located very near the source of the audio output, in this

case the speaker.  This is the end of this figure's

description.

----------





----------

Figure O-2-b:  A baby monitor from Fisher-Price provides a

visual indication of the loudness of the sounds from the

baby's room.  [It is advertised as being useful "even if

you're surrounded by other noises, the TV, the phone, the

vacuum, the dishwasher..." ]

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  This is

a simple line drawing of a Fisher-Price baby monitor.  The

product is shown face-on.  The product is a small walkie-

talkie-like device; the front surface is a rectangle with

rounded corners and is shown positioned in vertical

orientation.  There is a short fixed antenna protruding from

the left top of the device.  The speaker  is in the lower

half of this front surface, and an array of light emitting

diodes (LED's) is located near the upper edge of this

surface.  This LED array lights up whenever sound is coming

out of the speaker.  This is the end of this figure's

description.

----------





----------

Figure O-2-c:  A headphone jack permits the connection of

visual and tactile indicators.  It would also allow the

connection of remote alerting devices which could be carried

or positioned in other places in the house.

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  This

shows a front surface of a generic device that produces

auditory output.  It is a rectangle lying on the horizontal;

represented in this rectangle is a volume control on the

right half and a headphone jack on the left lower corner.

Above this rectangular representation of a generic front

surface are simple line drawings of three devices that plug

into the headphone jack and provide visual and/or vibratory

output using the auditory signal sent through the headphone

jack.  The plug-in device on the left is a light, the one in

the middle is a vibrator that might be attached to a bed,

for instance, and the device on the right is a transmitter

that would take the signal from the headphone jack and

transmit this signal as a radio signal or  through the house

wiring to sound indicators located remotely from the sound

producing device.  This is the end of this figure's

description.

----------





----------

Figure O-2-d:  A visual indication of computer hard disk

activity provides the same information to a person who is

deaf that the disk noise provides to those who can hear.

This feature is also useful to hearing users when the disk

drive is silent or there is background noise.

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  The

figure is a simple line drawing representing the right upper

corner of a computer display screen.  In the corner of the

screen is a rectangular icon  representing the computer's

hard drive.  Short lines are coming out of the rectangle in

the vertical, horizontal, and diagonal planes, representing

some sort of visual flashing or contrast change in the

appearance of the hard drive icon to indicate when the

computer is accessing the drive.  This is the end of this

figure's description.

----------





     O-3.  Maximize the number of people who will ...  have

line of sight to visual output and can reach printed output.



Problem:  Visual displays or printouts may be unreadable due

to their placement.

Examples:

- Individuals who are in a wheelchair or who are extremely

short may be unable to read displayed information due to the

physical placement or angle of the display screen.

- Individuals in wheelchairs, with missing or paralyzed

arms, or with ability to move limited by cerebral palsy or

disease (e.g., severe arthritis, MS, ALS, muscular

dystrophy) may be unable to reach printed output (e.g.,

receipts produced by an Automatic Teller Machine) due to

printer placement.

Design Options and Ideas to Consider:

*  Locating display screens so they are readable from

varying heights, including a wheelchair (see I-1 for

specific anthropomorphic data; see O-4 regarding image

height).

*  Locating printed output within easy reach of those who

are in wheelchairs.

*  Facilitating manipulation of printouts by "reaching and

grasping" aids.

*  Providing redundant audio output in addition to visual

display if the visual display cannot be made physically

accessible to an individual in a wheelchair.  (See O-5.)

Additional Information:

- "Reaching and grasping" aids include:  reachers,

artificial hands or hooks, and special mouthsticks with

clasps attached. See figure M-1-f

- For reach and eye level anthropometrics see figures I-1-a.







     O-4. Maximize the number of people who can ...  see

visual output clearly enough.



Problem:  Visual output (e.g., information presented on

screens, paper printouts, cuing and warning lights or dials)

may not be effectively seen.

Examples:

- Individuals who are visually impaired may not be able to

see output that is too small.

- Those who are visually impaired may have difficulty

discerning complex typefaces or graphics.

- Individuals who are color blind may not be able to

differentiate between certain color pairs.

- People with poor vision have more difficulty seeing

letters/pictures against a background of similar hue or

intensity (low contrast).

- Individuals with visual impairments may be much more

sensitive to glare.

- Those who have visual impairments may not be able to see

detail in low lighting.

- Some people with severe lack of head control (e.g.,

cerebral palsy) may not be able to maintain continuous eye

contact with a display, and therefore these individuals may

miss portions of dynamic (i.e., moving, changing) displays.

NOTE:     - See O-5 for guidelines for people who cannot use

visual output at all.

- See O-6 for problems in understanding displayed output.

Design Options and Ideas to Consider:

*  Making letters and symbols on visual output as large as

possible/practical.

*  Using upper and lowercase type to maximize readability

*  Making sure that...

          + leading (space between the letters of a word)

          + the space between lines

          + the distance between messages

is sufficient that the letters and messages to stand out

distinctly from each other.

*  Providing adjustable display image size.

*  Providing a video jack for attaching larger-image

displays or utilizing special assistive devices (e.g.,

electronic magnifiers; see additional information below).

*  Using high contrast between text or graphics and

background.

*  Keeping letters and symbols on visual output as simple as

possible; using sans serif typefaces for non text lettering

(e.g., labels, dials, displays)  (see D-1)

*  Using only black and white or using colors that vary in

intensity so that the color itself carries no information.

*  Providing adjustable color selection (hue and/or

intensity).

*  Replacing or supplementing color coding with different

shape or relative position coding.

*  Providing contrast and/or brightness adjustment.

*  Minimizing glare (e.g., by employing filtering devices on

display screens and/or avoiding shiny surfaces and

finishes).

*  Providing the best possible lighting for displays or

areas containing instrumentation.   (good even illumination

without hot spots and brighter than background illumination)

*  Providing adjustable speed for dynamic displays (so they

can be slowed down for those who lack motor control).

*  Avoiding use of the color blue to convey important

information. (see below)

*  Increasing contrast on LCD displays by allowing user to

adjust viewing angle.

Additional Information:

- Contrast controls are important even on monochrome

monitors.

- Colors that are of sufficiently different intensity (e.g.,

light yellow vs. dark red) can be distinguishable as

different shades even to a color blind individual.

- The use of glass, chrome and smooth plastics increase the

chance for creating glare.

- The Illuminating Engineering Society recommends very

strong task light to aid in seeing for performance of visual

tasks of low contrast or very small size (e.g., placing a

needle on a record, sewing).  If the products are too heavy

or cumbersome to bring to a bright light, easily attachable

lights positioned so they do not produce glare should be

used.

- Reduce reflectivity of display screen (quarter-wave

coatings or etched green surfaces preferred to micromesh,

polarized or tinted filters).(29)

- Yellowing of the cornea as we age interferes with the

passage of blue light and can cause confusions between some

shades of blue, green, and violet.





----------

Figure O-4-a  Ability to tolerate glare decreases sharply as

a function of age as shown above.  Data are based on a 1

degree glare source size and a background luminance of 1.6

fl.  (Source: Bennett, 1977a, fig. 1.)

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  A chart

is shown that illustrates the decreasing tolerance for glare

as we age.  On the horizontal or X axis is age in years

starting with zero at the origin and going to 65.  On the

vertical or Y axis is the intensity of glare as measured

luminance in foot-lamberts and these go from 200 at the

origin up to 3000.  An inverse curve stretches across the

chart.  For instance, the curve begins at age 10 where

tolerance is measured at approximately 2500 foot-lamberts.

It quickly falls off to a steep decline so that at age 20

tolerance is shown to have dropped to approximately 1300

foot-lamberts of luminance.  Then the curve begins to reduce

its decline so that if we jump to age 50 tolerance has

dropped to a little over 500 foot-lamberts and just under

500 for age 60.  This is the end of this figure's

description.

----------





----------

Figure O-4-b  By avoiding lines of confusion in the

chromatic chart above one can circumvent problems with the

major types of color blindness.    For maximum visibility

there should also be a high contrast between the figure

(text) and background.

----------





O-5. Maximize the number of people who will ...  not miss

important information if they can't see.



Problem:  Visual output (e.g., information presented on

screens, paper printouts, cuing and warning lights, and

dials) may not be seen at all by some users.

Examples:

- Individuals who are severely visually impaired or blind

may not be able to see visual output, even when magnified

and clarified (as recommended in O-4).

- Individuals who cannot read may be unable to use visually

presented text.

- Individuals who are deaf and blind may only be able to

perceive tactile output.

- Individuals who do not have any visual impairment may miss

warnings, cues, or other information if it is presented only

in visual form while their attention is diverted.

Design Options and Ideas to Consider:

*  Providing all important visual information (redundantly)

in audio and/or tactile form.

*  Accompanying visual cues and warnings by a sound, one

component of which is of a mid-low frequency (500-3000 Hz).

(See O-1.)

*  Making information which is visually displayed (both text

and graphics) also available electronically at an external

connection point (standard or special port) to facilitate

the use of special assistive devices (e.g., voice

synthesizers, braille printers). Preferably the information

would be available in an industry or company standard

format.

Additional Information:

- It is understood that those products designed solely for

the purpose of providing visual output (e.g., slide

projectors, cameras) will not generally be useful to

severely visually-impaired/blind people without special

external adaptations.  Therefore, it is not intended that

this guideline should necessarily be applied to such

products.  It is, however, very useful for people who are

blind to be able to use a copy machine or word processor.

- Note that audio signals which are redundant with visual

cues can also benefit the general user, especially for

products which may be in use some distance from the user

(e.g., in the next room) or where the user's attention may

be diverted.

- Some (but not all) people with learning disabilities could

benefit from simultaneously seeing and hearing information.

- All visually displayed information could be provided via

voice synthesizer. The cost for voice output is dropping

rapidly.  A small button could be used to turn the voice on

or off.  (This can be useful to people who are blind, have

low vision, or have difficulty reading the display. It could

also provide cuing or instructions which would be more than

could conveniently be displayed on a control panel or small

display.)

- The external connector could be a standard parallel,

serial, or other I/O port.  The data rate of the port should

be appropriate for the amount of data that needs to be

transmitted. Products with small amounts of displayed

information could use a low bandwidth port.

-    Serial RS-232 provides a very common, low cost,

standard connection format.  Serial data can also be sent

via infra-red link. (see next)

- An inexpensive and unobtrusive approach would be to

provide a small infra-red LED which would transmit the

displayed information via a pulse train of infra-red light.

Information could be sent in ASCII which could be picked up

by a device which would translate the information into voice

or braille.  This approach allow individuals to receive

information from the product without the user having to

actually connect a special aid to the product.  (which is

physically difficult for individuals with physical

limitations and requires people with blindness to locate the

proper connection point on the product).  This approach can

be very inexpensive to implement but would require that the

user have and carry a receiving device.  This would be

reasonable if the technique were used in a widespread

manner.  Direct accessibility of the products without an

external device would, however, be superior. (See also I-7

for infra-red coupling in opposite direction)

- Text information could be provided in ASCII.  Graphics

information could be provided via a word description, a

character listing (for character-based screen displays), or

a bit image.  (See D-1.)

-    When providing information via text to an auxiliary

port there are at least two different strategies that could

be used.   One would be to provide the exact information

that is on the display screen and let the user maneuver

about on it (the screen text image) using their access

device.    The second approach would be to send out

different (from that displayed on the screen) but equivalent

ASCII text that would provide the same information as

presented on the screen but in a format which was more

conducive to audio presentation.   This would allow the use

of fuller English sentences and the presentation of

information in a way that would be more conducive to

auditory memory.  It would also allow for the use of a very

simple device that would convert IR to text to speech (or

Braille).

- Visual cues and warnings might be accompanied by a

distinct vibration for deaf users who may not be looking at

the display and would miss the cuing beep as well as for

deaf-blind users.  See S-1.





----------

Figure O-5-a:  As the cost for voice synthesis continues to

drop, a "Read Display" button could be included in

appliances that have visual displays to allow them to be

more easily and accurately read by people with visual

impairments (low vision or blindness).  For displays that

are set (timers, etc.) the button should be pushable (for a

quick read) or lockable (so that it would read out

continually as it was adjusted).

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  The

generic front of a device such as a digital alarm

clock/radio is shown as a rectangular surface lying

lengthwise right to left.  Across the lower half of the

rectangle are black dots representing various controls for

the functions of setting the time, alarm, etc.  Centered in

the upper half of the rectangle is the numeric time display

(shown at 12:35).  To the right of the time display and in

the right upper corner of the rectangle is a small

rectangular switch that represents the dual operation push

or slide switch that allows the user to have the device's

internal speech synthesizer speak just what is being

displayed or, after locking the switch in speak mode, have

the device continually speak the settings as the user steps

through the commands to adjust such functions as the alarm,

etc.  This is the end of this figure's description.

----------





----------

Figure O-5-b:  If direct accessibility cannot be built in

for some reason, an external connector would allow

individuals with special interface devices to connect them.

A relatively low cost and vandal resistant connector could

be provided via an infra-red bidirectional link.

Individuals who are blind or unable to read the displayed

information could then use an assistive device and have

information presented in auditory or tactile (braille) form.

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  This is

a simple illustration of a person facing a large electronic

device that has a screen display and a control panel where

we might find a keyboard and/or a number pad depending on

the type of self-service offered by the device.  The figure

includes a list of possible services that might be provided

by the representative devices as they are found in public

places.  These include a public information terminal, a

restaurant and hotel guide at an airport, an automated

teller machine, an electronic building directory, a point of

sales terminal such as travel insurance at the airport, and

other information or sales kiosks that might be placed in an

airport, mall, or other public place where such services

could provide a convenience to the general public.  When

direct accessibility is not built in to these electronic

terminals, an effective method for users of alternative

access devices is for the manufacturer of the terminal to

provide an infrared, bi-directional link.  The figure

illustrates this technique with a dotted line arrow coming

from an infrared display on the top front of the terminal

and pointing to the alternative access infrared receiving

device in the hand of the person facing the terminal.  This

is the end of this figure's description.

----------





     O-6. Maximize the number of people who can ...

understand the output (visual, auditory, other).



Problem:  Visual and/or auditory output may be confusing or

hard to understand.

Examples:

- Some people with specific learning disabilities or with

reduced or impaired cognitive abilities:

- are easily confused by complex screen layouts  (e.g.,

multiple "windows" of information).

- have difficulty understanding complex or sophisticated

verbal (printed or spoken) output.

- have a short attention span, and are easily distracted

when reviewing a screen display.

- For many individuals who are deaf, as well as many other

U.S. citizens, English is a second language and not well

understood.

Design Options and Ideas to Consider:

*  Using simple screen layouts, or providing the user with

the option to look at one thing at a time.

*  Shortening menus.

*  Hiding (or layering) seldom used commands or information.

*  Keeping language as simple as possible.

*  Accompanying words with pictures or icons.  (Note,

however, that the use of graphics may present more

difficulty for people who are blind.  See O-5.)

*  Using Arabic rather than Roman numerals (e.g. use 1, 2, 3

instead of  I, II, III).

*  Using attention-attracting (e.g.  underlining,

boldfacing) and grouping techniques  (e.g., putting a box

around things or color blocking).

*  Highlighting key information.

*  Putting most important information at the beginning of

written text (but not spoken).

*  Providing an attention-getting sound or words before

audio presentation.

*  Keeping auditory presentations short.

*  Having auto-repeat or a means to repeat auditory

messages.

*  Presenting information in as many (redundant) forms as

possible/practical (i.e., visual, audio and tactile) or

providing as many display options as possible.

*  Providing digital readouts for product generated numbers

where the numeric or precise value is important.   Providing

dials or bar graphs where qualitative information is more

important (e.g. half full, full etc).  (See I-4 and I-6 for

Input/Controls.)

Additional Information:

- To simplify language, try to have each sentence contain

only one clause.  Look for an easier way to phrase sentences

with more than one verb.  Favor active and affirmative

statements over passive or negative statements (e.g., "The

red button controls the volume" is more direct than "The

volume is controlled by the red button").  Avoid

abbreviations (e.g., use stop, exit, or escape rather than

esc).

- Another easy way of simplifying screen layout is to break

up large amounts of text by using double spacing, lots of

blank space, or breaking text into smaller units

(paragraphs).  If feasible, allow each section to be called

up individually, letting the user control the reading rate.





----------

Figure O-6-a:  Displays that use shorter sentences with

careful use of white space, grouping of items, and a logical

layout are easier to understand or interpret than displays

that have too much text that is laid out in one font and

block format.

----------







     O-7. Maximize the number of people who can ...  view

the output display without triggering a seizure.



Problem:  Individuals with seizure sensitivities (e.g.,

epilepsy) may be affected by screen cursor or display update

frequencies, increasing the chance of a seizure while

working on or near a display screen.

Design Options and Ideas to Consider:

*  Avoiding screen refresh or update flicker or flashing

frequencies which are most likely to trigger seizure

activity (see chart below).

Additional Information:

- Somewhere between 1 in 25,000 and 1 in 10,000 are affected

by photosensitive epilepsy (i.e., 25,000 - 100,000

people).(30).

- The flash rates most likely to induce convulsions have

been found to be between 10 and 25 hertz, with a peak around

15-20 hertz.(31)  (See chart below for example of the

relative sensitivity of individuals to different

frequencies.)

- Sensitivity to flicker increases with the intensity of the

light and the portion of the person's visual field which is

affected (e.g., a flickering or flashing screen is much

worse than a small line cursor).  Focusing attention on a

flashing object would also increase its effect.

- To avoid screen flicker use 80-100 Hz refresh rate with

decay time approx. 10 ms to 10% luminance level.(32)





----------

Figure O-7-a:  Percent of photosensitive patients in whom a

photoconvulsive response was elicited by a 2 second train of

flashes with eyes open and closed.  As can be seen, the

greatest sensitivity  is at 20 Hz with a steep drop off at

higher and lower frequencies.   (Jeavons, P.M., and Harding,

G.F.A. 1975)

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  This is

a line graph showing the percent of responses by

photosensitive patients tested to the flash frequency rate

or Hertz with their eyes open and closed.  The vertical or Y

axis represents the percentages and is divided into 10

percent gradations starting with zero at the origin and

going up to 100 percent.  The horizontal or X axis

represents the flash frequencies starting with zero at the

origin and going up to 70 Hertz in 5 hertz gradations.  Two

lines are graphed, each connecting a set of points spaced

horizontally at each 5 hertz mark for the flash frequencies

from 5 up to 60 hertz.  In other words, patients were tested

at 5, 10, 15, all the way up to 60 hertz of flash frequency.

The vertical height of each 5 hertz point is determined by

the percentage of patients who responded to that particular

flash frequency.  The two crocked lines represent the two

test conditions of patients having their eyes open for the

line that runs above and eyes closed for the line that runs

below.  The eyes closed or lower line shows that no one

responded to the flash rate at 5 hertz.  It jumps up to 20

percent response for the next highest flash rate of 10

Hertz.  The eyes closed line continues to increase in

percent of patients who responded and peaks at a flash rate

of 20 Hertz.  From there it steadily declines in percent of

patients who responded for the given flash rate until zero

patients are shown to have responded at 50 Hertz and higher.

The eyes open line runs above and almost exactly parallel to

the eyes closed line.  However, at the lowest flash rate

tested (5 Hertz), 20 percent of the patients responded.  The

eyes open line continues to rise and also peaks at 20 Hertz

showing a full 90 percent of the patients responding to this

flash frequency.  From there it steadily declines falling to

just above 20 percent of patients responding to the highest

flash rate tested of 60 Hertz.  Thus this graph illustrates

that to avoid inducing a photo convulsive response in users

who are photosensitive, designers should avoid using or

creating flash rates at or near either side of 20 Hertz.

This is the end of this figure's description.

----------







SECTION 2:  INPUT / CONTROLS

  Includes keyboards and all other means

 of communicating to the device





Maximize the number of people who can ...

     I-1   reach the controls.

     I-2   find the individual controls/keys if they can't

see them.

     I-3   read the labels on the controls/keys.

     I-4   determine the status or setting of the controls

if they can't see them.

     I-5   physically operate controls and other input

mechanisms.

     I-6   understand how to operate controls and other

input mechanisms.

     I-7   connect special alternative input devices.





     I-1. Maximize the number of people who can ...  reach

the controls.



Problem:  Controls, keyboards, etc. may be unreachable or

unusable.

Examples:

- Individuals who use a wheelchair, who are very weak or who

are extremely short may be unable to reach some controls,

keypads, etc., well enough to use them.

- Individuals with poor motor control may be able to reach

the controls, but may find them too small or close together

to accurately operate the proper knobs, buttons, etc.

- Individuals with severe weakness may be able to reach the

controls, but may find the act of reaching or holding

position in order to manipulate the controls too tiring.

Design Options and Ideas to Consider:

*  Locating controls, keyboards, etc. so they are within

easy reach of those who are in wheelchairs or have limited

reach.

*  Locating controls so that the user can reach and use them

with the least change in body position.

*  Locating controls which must be constantly used in the

closest positions possible and where there is wrist or arm

support.

*  Providing a (redundant) speech recognition input option.

*  Offering remote controls (wired, wireless or bus

operated).

Additional Information:

- Accessibility to a control becomes less critical if the

control is for an adjustment that is only occasionally used

or used only at setup time.

- Avoid placement that requires the user to lean around the

side or back of the device to see or operate the controls.

- Voice controls (i.e., controls employing speech

recognition) may be inaccessible for those with speech

impairments.  Therefore, if voice control is the only means

provided, alternative control/input methods will need to be

available for these people.  (See I-7.)

- Locate controls 36-48" above floor.

- Controls that are located too far apart may require that

users reposition themselves or their wheelchairs each time

they move between controls.





----------

Figure I-1-a:    Eye level anthropometrics.

(Jones M.L. 1978)

Note: These are for an "average" woman in a wheelchair.

Children and people with dwarfism would not have this reach

or height.  Also people with weakness caused by ALS, MS, MD

and other impairments would have more limited reach.

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  This

figure takes up the whole page and is divided into two

parts.  Both show the anthropometric and reach measurements

for a woman seated in a wheel chair.  The woman's figure is

a simple line drawing of a side or profile view.  Both parts

of this figure are very detailed with measurement and reach

demarcations.  For instance, the top figure shows the eye

level height and forward reach of this average woman while

the bottom figure shows the knuckle height with the arms

hanging loose at the sides as well as showing the vertical

reach range above the head for this average woman.  This is

the end of this figure's description.

----------





----------

Figure I-1-b:  Normal placement of stove controls poses

serious reach and safety problems for individuals who are

very short or in a wheelchair.

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  This

figure shows the cook or chef using a wheel chair in front

of a stove and turned so that the stove is to the right of

the cook or chef.  The stove's controls are at the back side

of the stove so that the figure shows the chef reaching over

the hot burners to get to the controls.  This simple drawing

is presented with the chef facing us and reaching over the

stove which we are viewing from the side or in profile.

Thus this simple illustration shows how inconvenient and

even dangerous some standard designs can be.  This is the

end of this figure's description.

----------





     I-2. Maximize the number of people who can ...  find

the individual controls/keys if they can't see them.



Problem:  People with visual impairments may be unable to

find controls.

Examples:

- Individuals who are severely visually impaired may be

unable to locate controls tactilely because they are on a

flat membrane or glass panel (e.g., calculators, microwave

ovens) or because they are placed too close together or in a

complicated arrangement.

- Individuals who have diabetes may have both visual

impairments and failing sensation in fingertips, making it

hard to locate controls that have only subtle tactile cues.

Design Options and Ideas to Consider:

*  Varying the size of controls (also texture or shape) with

the most important being larger to facilitate their location

and identification.

*  Providing controls whose shapes are associated with their

functions.

*  Providing sufficient space between controls for easy

tactile location and identification as well as easier

labeling (large print or braille).

*  Locating controls adjacent to what they control.

*  Making layout of controls logical and easy to understand,

to facilitate tactile identification (e.g., stove burner

controls in corresponding locations to actual burners).

*  Providing a raised lip or ridge around flat (membrane or

glass) panel buttons .

*  Providing a (redundant) speech recognition input option.

Additional Information:

- Diameter changes of at least 3/8" and thickness changes of

at least 1/32" are more readily detectable by people who are

blind.(33)

- Vertically arranged controls may be easier for people who

are blind to locate than horizontally arranged controls.(34)

- Voice controls (i.e., controls employing speech

recognition) may be inaccessible for those with speech

impairments.  Therefore, if voice control is the only means

provided, alternative control/input methods will need to be

available for these people.  (See I-7.)





----------

Figure I-2-a: The shape of a key or button can have a

significant effect on people's ability to accurately locate

(and operate) it.

A flat membrane or glass keypad provides no tactile

indication as to where the keys are, even if you memorize

the arrangement.

Providing a slight raised lip around the keys allows their

location to be discerned easily by touch.  The ridge around

the key also helps prevent slipping off of the key when

using a mouthstick, reacher, etc. to press the keys.

Raised bumps are tactilely discernable but it is harder to

press the key without slipping off, particularly if you are

using a mouthstick, reacher or other manipulative aid.

Raised keys with indents provide better feedback then just

indents (as in example above) especially if the keys have

different shapes or textures which correspond to their

function.

Using indentations or hollows on the touchpad provides most

of the advantage of ridges but is easier to clean.   Hollows

can be the same size as the key or of a consistent small

circular size centered on the keys.  Shallow edges such as

those on the left button are harder to sense with fingers

than the sharper curve of the middle button.



This is the beginning of this figure's description.  This

figure fills the entire page with multiple figures

illustrating different types of raised or tactile keys on a

number keypad.  At the top of the page is a rectangle with a

number pad similar to that on a touch-tone phone and three

function buttons (these being a time, power, and start

button).  If we turned this rectangle on end and looked at

the edge or profile of the surface where the number pad and

three function buttons are located, we can get an idea of

how different shapes and surfaces on the keys provide

various levels of tactile orientation to the keypad surface

as well as how these different surfaces might help or hinder

access by someone using a mouth or head stick to press the

keys and buttons.  This edge-on configuration is used to

show five different key and button edge/surface variations.

These are illustrated down the rest of the page.  This is

the end of this figure's description.

----------





----------

Figure I-2-b: Quick self-demonstration of the impact of

landmarks on key-finding by people who cannot see labels on

a key due to blindness or very low vision.

INSTRUCTIONS: For each keyboard below,visually locate the

key on the right hand keyboard that corresponds to the

marked key on the left.  Note the increase in speed and

accuracy when landmarks (nibs or breaks in the key patterns)

are provided.

No landmarks except edges of keyboard.

Nibs on keys used as landmarks.

No landmarks

Spacing used to provide landmarks.

Color or shading used to create landmarks.

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  This

full page set of illustrations visually demonstrates how

land marks on the keyboard or control panel can help users

with severe visual impairments locate specific keys  and

commands.  The first set of illustrations demonstrates how

much easier it is to locate a specific key on a keyboard

when the home keys are marked both tactually and visually.

The next set of illustrations demonstrates how spacing used

to group command keys on a keyboard acts as natural

landmarks for locating specific commands as opposed to

having all the command keys located across the top of the

keyboard in one unbroken string of keys.  The last set of

illustrations shows how color or shading contrasts help

create landmarks for locating specific keys on an otherwise

uniform grid type layout of button functions.  This is the

end of this figure's description.

----------









----------

Figure I-2-c:    Low Vision (blurred) View of a Television

Control Panel

What button would you push to change the channel?

(Photo courtesy of John Ward)

This television's control panel is undecipherable to people

with low vision due to the layout, positioning of the

channel vs volume controls (the buttons next to the channel

display do not control the channel selection... they are the

volume control buttons.), the use of abbreviations, the low

contrast of the on/off switch and lack of a door to cover up

the seldom used and confusing setup controls at the bottom.

See figure I-6-a for a drawing of this control panel

(Answer: the channel control buttons are the two white

triangles in the upper right, next to the on/off switch)

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  This is

a photographic illustration of the rectangular control panel

from a television.  It has been purposely reproduced in a

fuzzy or blurry form to illustrate how difficult it can be

to understand what buttons control what functions on the TV

if you cannot see the control panel clearly.  The control

panel is divided into a top portion with a black background

on which is displayed (on the left) the current channel

setting.   To the right of the channel display are two sets

of white arrows pointing up and down.  Both up arrows are on

top; both down arrows are on the bottom.  All that is

readable or apparent from the control panel is that the TV

is on channel 51 because this appears as a large white

numeral on a black background.  It is unclear which group of

buttons or arrows control the channel setting and which

control volume, etc.  On the lower half of the control panel

are black buttons on a white background; they are equally

difficult to discern visually as the top section of the

control panel.  This is the end of this figure's

description.

----------





     I-3. Maximize the number of people who can ...  read

the labels on the controls/keys.



Problem:  Labels on controls, keys, etc. are difficult or

impossible to see due to their size, color or location.

Examples:

- Individuals with low vision may have difficulty

identifying controls or keys on a keyboard because the label

lettering is too small and/or because the contrast between

letters/graphics and background is poor.

- Individuals with color blindness may have difficulty

distinguishing controls which are color-coded, or which use

certain pairs of colors for labels and background.

- Individuals with physical impairments may have difficulty

reading labels on the sides or backs of objects.

- Individuals who are blind may not be able to see printed

labels at all.

Design Options and Ideas to Consider:

*  Making lettering used for labels as large as

possible/practical.

*  Making sure that...

          + leading (space between the letters of a word)

          + the space between lines

          + the distance between labels

is sufficient that the letters and labels to stand out

distinctly from each other.

*  Placing important labels or instructions on front or

easily accessible side of large or stationary devices, where

they can be read from wheelchairs.

*  Using Sans Serif fonts for non-text lettering  (e.g.,

labels, dials).

*  Using high contrast between letters/graphics and

background.

*  Providing sufficient illumination of controls and

instructions

*  Supplementing color coding with use of different

button/key shape or letter/graphic labels.

*  Providing color choices for color coded buttons.

*  Providing tactile labels.

*  Avoiding use of blues, greens, and violets to encode

information (since the yellowing of the cornea can cause

confusions between some shades of these colors).

*  Use of easily interchangeable keycaps to allow

replacement with special or optional keycaps.

*  Arranging controls in groupings which facilitate tactile

identification (e.g., using small groups of keys that are

separated from the other keys, or placing frequently used

keys near tactile landmarks such as along the edges of a

keyboard).

*  Using established layouts for keyboards (e.g.,

typewriter, adding machine, phone).

*  Using voice output to "speak" the names of keys or

buttons as they are pressed.  (This capability would need to

be turned on and off as needed.)

*  If a flat membrane panel cannot be avoided, provide a

stick-on tactile overlay that provide tactile demarcation of

the key locations and functions.

*  See O-4 and O-6 for related guidelines for

output/displays.

Additional Information:

- Lettering which uses most of the key or button surface

facilitates readability.

- Use of bold sans serif typeface is easier for those with

low vision to read.

- Light gray on white and other similar stylish but low

contrast combinations should be avoided.

- One rule of thumb is that no key should be more than one

key away from a tactile landmark. (e.g. a corner, a uniquely

shaped key, a key with a nib, or one of the eight "home"

keys on a keyboard)

- A common approach for providing tactile markings on

keyboards is to put nibs on the front edge of the F and J or

D and K keys as well as on the 5 key on a numeric keypad.

This enables users to operate the keys by "touch."

- Tactile,and/or  large print labels could be made available

as stick-on options.  These could be raised lettering or

braille.  Optional key caps might also be provided for

keyboards or buttons.  These caps could have raised

lettering or transparent braille labels.

- Raised lettering should be at least 1/32".35





     I-4. Maximize the number of people who can ...

determine the status or setting of the controls if they

can't see them.



Problem:  Determination of control status or setting may

depend solely on vision.

Example:

- Individuals with visual impairments may be unable to see a

control setting or on/off indicator (e.g., where a dial is

set, whether a button is pushed in, whether a light is on,

flashing or off, or what a numeric setting on a visual

display reads).

Design Options and Ideas to Consider:

*  Providing multi-sensory indication of the separate

divisions, positions and levels of the controls (e.g. use of

detents or clicks to indicate center position or increments,

raised lines, etc).

*  Using absolute reference controls (e.g., pointers) rather

than relative controls (e.g., pushbuttons to

increase/decrease, or round, unmarked knobs).

*  Using moving pointers with stationary scales.

*  Providing multi-sensory indications of control status

(e.g., in addition to a status light indicating "on," or

providing an intermittent audible tone and/or tactilely

discernable vibration).

*  Using direct keypad input.

*  Providing speech output to read or confirm the setting.

*  See O-3, O-4, and O-5 for design options covering visual

displays.

Additional Information:

- Absolute reference controls (such as knobs with pointers)

allow the user to determine their settings by directly

sensing the control itself.  Relative reference controls

(like up/down volume control buttons, or the dial on a

radio) require the user to view (or listen to) some other

display while operating the control.  Relative reference

controls are more difficult cognitively and sensorially.

- Moving pointers and stationary scales (e.g., rotating

pointer with numbers on the panel) are better than moving

scales and a stationary pointer (e.g., rotating knob with

numbers on the knob).  A user who is blind or has low vision

can use knob (pointer) position to indicate setting. People

with cognitive impairments can remember knob orientation or

scale position rather than dealing with scale readings.  It

is also easier to attach large print, raised letter or

braille labels to a stationary scale.  Scales placed

directly on a rotating knob are also mostly sideways or

upside down.

- One technique for providing tactile indication of the

setting would be the use of detents, notches, etc.  These

are best used with an absolute pointer of some type and a

clear tactile indication of the minimum and maximum

settings, as well as what values those settings may

represent.  (Two degrees of detents to indicate large and

small divisions on the scale may also be used to provide

more information.)

- Auditory clicks or beeps can indicate positions on a

control but are not as effective as an auditory/tactile

click for people with hearing impairments or for noisy

environments.

- Sliding controls are harder for blind users to quickly

read than rotating controls shaped like a pointer.  To

determine the setting of a sliding control the person who is

blind must feel the control knob as well as both ends of its

travel path and then tactilely estimate the position of the

knob relative to the two ends.

- Pointers on a knob can take many forms but a pointer knob

with contrast between the pointer and the background

provides maximal visual and tactile feedback as to its

setting.

- For many types of input, direct keyboard or numeric keypad

entry may be better than dials, knobs, etc.





----------

Figure I-4-a: The design of a knob can greatly affect its

usability by people with low vision or blindness.

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  This

figure shows two types of knobs for adjusting settings up or

down.  Both of the knobs are circular and the settings are

adjusted by twisting or turning the knobs.  The knob on the

left has the setting numbers on it; these go from one to

nine.  There is a fixed pointer just above the knob pointing

down toward the knob.  As the knob is turned for adjusting

the control, the number settings rotate under the pointer,

so that the number directly under the pointer indicates the

current setting.  While the contrast between the number

settings on the knob and the background of the knob is good,

if your vision is blurred, you cannot tell the setting,

since the pointer is fixed and the scaled setting rotates.

In addition, there are no tactile indicators or markings

that could convey setting information to users who can't see

the knob.  In contrast, the knob shown on the right

illustrates one way to solve both of these problems.  First,

the pointer is on the rotating knob and the zero to nine

settings are fixed in a clockwise progression around the

knob.  Thus, as you rotate the knob, even with blurry or

otherwise low vision you can tell how high or low the knob

is set, since the pointer rotates inside a fixed scale that

increases in a clockwise just like the hands of a clock.

Therefore, if you see the pointer at a 3 o'clock setting,

you immediately know that you are at one quarter of the

maximum setting.  Second, the pointer itself is raised up

from the background of the knob so that even if you can't

see the knob, you can quickly feel where it is set on the

fixed clockwise scale that encircles the knob.  A side view

of this knob shows that the pointer is raised more than four

times the thickness of the knob surface itself.  Below these

two illustrations of example knobs are examples of each as

they might appear with blurred and/or low vision.  None of

the numbers on the scales are readable.  Thus, it is

impossible to tell the setting for the knob with the fixed

pointer, since the numbers change position when the knob is

rotated.  In contrast, it is easy to tell the setting for

the knob that uses a rotating pointer, since the numbers are

fixed in position around the knob, and their identity and

location may be learned.  This is the end of this figure's

description.

----------





----------

Figure I-4-b:  Knob design can have substantial effect on

usability by people who are blind.

Are the descriptions on the figures readable? See page 49.

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  This

figure shows the varying effectiveness of different examples

of tactile orientation cues on rotating knobs and controls.

This is the end of this figure's description.

----------





----------

Figure I-4-c:  Sliding controls can be read but are more

difficult since the person must find the slider and both

ends of the range and then judge the ratio.  Raised numbers

would help.

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  This is

a simple figure of a horizontal slide control.  The lowest

setting of zero is on the left and the maximum setting of

ten is on the right.  The sliding control is a rectangular

knob that sticks out from the channel in which it slides.

This is the end of this figure's description.

----------





----------

Figure I-4-d:  Keypads allow direct and accurate setting of

controls even if the person has no sight.  However, this

type of input is usually used with a digital display which

would be inaccessible without a voice output option.

Large high contrast numbers are helpful for low vision.  A

standard keypad layout is important.

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  This is

an illustration of a number pad layout.  The numbers 1-9 are

configured like a touch-tone telephone dialing pad.  The

zero button takes up the horizontal space of two buttons and

is located directly under the seven and eight buttons, while

the decimal point button is located directly under the 9

button.  An enter button, which is three button spaces wide,

is located directly under the zero and decimal point

buttons.  The background surface of the number pad is black,

the buttons are white, and the numbers on the buttons are

large and black so that good contrast between all the

components is maintained to make it easier to see and use.

This is the end of this figure's description.

----------





     I-5. Maximize the number of people who can ...

physically operate controls and other input mechanisms.



Problem:  Controls (or other input mechanisms) may be

difficult or impossible for those with physical disabilities

to operate effectively.

Examples:

- People with severe weakness may be unable to operate

controls at all, or may have great difficulty performing

constant, uninterrupted input.

- People with only one arm or without arms (but utilizing

assistive devices such as headsticks or mouthsticks) may not

be able to activate multiple controls or keys at the same

time.

- People with artificial hands or reaching aids may have

difficulty grasping small knobs or operating knobs or

switches which require much force.

- People with poor coordination or impaired muscular control

have slower or irregular reaction times, making time-

dependent input unreliable.

- People lacking fine movement control may be unable to

operate controls requiring accuracy (e.g. a mouse or

joystick) or twisting or complex motions.

- People with limited movement control (including tremor,

incoordination, or those using headsticks or mouthsticks)

can inadvertently bump extra controls on their way to a

nearby desired control.

Design Options and Ideas to Consider:

*  Minimizing the need for strength by minimizing force

required as much as possible or by providing adjustable

force on mechanical controls.

*  If stiff resistance is provided to prevent accidental

activation it could drop off after activation.  Other non-

strength related safety interlocks could also be considered.

*  Spacing the controls out to provide a guard space between

controls.  This also leaves room for adaptations such as

attaching levers to hard to turn knobs or room to replace

knobs with larger, easier to turn knobs or cranks.

*  Minimizing or providing alternatives to performing

constant, uninterrupted actions (e.g., button locks or push

on - push off buttons would eliminate the need to press some

buttons continuously).

*  Where simultaneous actions are required (e.g., pressing

shift or control key while typing another key) provide an

alternative method to achieve the same result that does not

require simultaneous actions (e.g., sequential option as in

StickyKeys - see below).

*  Providing for operation with left or right hand.

*  Using concave and/or non-slip buttons, which are easier

to use with mouthsticks or headsticks.  On flat membrane

keypads, provide a ridge around buttons.

*  If product requires a quick response (i.e., a reaction

time of less than 5 seconds, or release of a key or button

in less than 1.5 seconds), allow the user to adjust the time

interval or to have a non-time-dependent alternate input

method.

*  If product requires fine motor control, then provide an

alternate mechanism for achieving the same objectives that

does not require fine motor control (e.g., on a mouse-based

computer, provide a way to achieve mouse actions from the

keyboard).

*  Avoiding controls that require twisting or complex

motions (e.g., push and turn).  (Note: there are rotating

knobs that do not require twisting.)

*  Spacing, positioning and sizing controls to allow

manipulation by individuals with poor motor control or

arthritis.

*  Where many keys must be located in close proximity,

providing an option that delays the acceptance of input for

a preset, adjustable amount of time (i.e., the key must be

held down for the preset amount of time before it is

accepted) helps some users who would otherwise bump and

activate keys on the way to pressing their desired key.

Note: this option must be difficult to accidentally invoke

and be provided on request only, as it can have the effect

of making the keyboard appear to be "broken" to naive users.

*  Making keyboards adjustable from horizontal. ( 0-

15degrees is standard. (36))

*  Providing an optional keyguard or keyguard mounting for

keyboards.

*  Providing optional (redundant) voice control.

*  Providing textured controls (avoid slippery

surfaces/controls).

Additional Information:

- Accessibility is somewhat less important for those input

devices and controls needed only for periodic adjustment,

maintenance, set-up, or materials replacement aspects of the

product (e.g., changing ribbons or paper). Where possible,

however, it is still recommended.

- In some instances the force required to operate controls

gives feedback to the user (e.g., a typist knows when a key

is pushed by the force that the key generates against the

finger).  In such cases, this feedback should not be removed

entirely or substitute cues provided when force requirements

are minimized.

- Use of a keypad is a common technique for providing an

alternate mechanism to fine motor control.  "MouseKeys,"

which allows the user to drive a mouse cursor around the

screen (or move it one pixel at a time) by using the keypad

on a keyboard, is an example of this.

- StickyKeys is a function which when built into a keyboard

allows users to operate all of the modifier keys (Shift,

Control, etc.) with only a single finger, mouthstick or

headstick.  Once it is turned on, you can press the shift

key and release it, THEN press any other key to get the

shifted value of the key.  Pressing the shift key twice

"locks" the shift key down until it is pressed a third time.

When StickyKeys is turned off it does not affect normal

typing in any way.  As a result it can be installed on

standard public access keyboards and remain unnoticed until

needed by a user with a disability (who can quickly invoke

it by tapping the shift key 5 times in a row to wake it up).

StickyKeys (as well as MouseKeys) is provided as a standard

feature on all Macintosh and Apple II computers shipped.

Microsoft and IBM also provide StickyKeys (as well as

MouseKeys and other keyboard enhancements) as a part of an

optional access package of extensions for Windows 3.0 and

DOS respectively.

- Key design: 25-150 grams of force, preferably adjustable

with tactile and audible feedback, 2-5 mm of travel, 12-15

mm surface dimensions, 18-20 mm spacing.37

- Keyguards for standard computer keyboards are available

from several suppliers.

- Adjustments of time interval should have five or more

increments which vary the time interval.

- One alternative to time dependent input methods is the use

of a keypad which allows direct entry of the desired

setting.

- Larger controls are, in general, easier to operate.  Large

round controls that have good traction surfaces and turn

easily can often be operated with the side of one's hand.

- If you can attach a post to a twist knob it becomes a

crank and can be operated more easily and without a twisting

motion.  If the knob is large, a post might be positionable

within the circumference of the knob.  For smaller knobs, an

optional extension rod would provide additional leverage if

there is enough room between knobs.

Comments on some common types of controls:

          (controls towards top of list are generally more

accessible)

* Rocker switches (concave)

+ good example of push-push switch

+ good feedback for visually impaired users

* Controls all operable from a single keyboard/keypad

+ good, especially if keyboard is repositionable

* Pushbutton controls

+ good for head/mouthstick operation (preferably concave

button requiring less than 100 grams of pressure)

* Double-acting pushbutton controls

+ Push-push controls better than push-pull

+ difficult for blind users to tell status unless button

locks in

* Up/down (integrating) control buttons  (e.g., volume

control buttons)

+ requires little manipulation

+ best if light action and concave button

+ requires monitoring of some other output to determine

setting

     - hard for visually impaired users if setting values

are displayed visually

     - hard for deaf or hard of hearing users to judge

volume (to others)

+ requires person be able to hold hand in place

+ requires timing/reaction time

* Sliding or edge-operated controls

+ good for users with physical disabilities

+ problem for users who are blind

+ may be difficult for users who cannot stabilize their

hands to make fine adjustments (especially sliding)

* Light action

+ low effort, low fatigue

+ can cause multiple activation problems if too close

together

* Touch sensitive

+ very difficult for person who are blind to locate without

activating.

+ must provide some other (auditory or tactile) feedback for

blind users to be able to tell they have activated it.

+ heat or capacitive based touch switches may not react to

mouth or headsticks

NOTE: Some diseases such as diabetes and "white finger" can

cause loss of sensation in the fingertips.  Therefore,

controls that are dependant on tactile feedback should not

rely on fine tactile sensation.





----------

Figures I-5-a:  Individuals with arthritis, artificial

hands, hooks, disabilities which restrict wrist rotation, or

disabilities which cause weakness, have difficulty with

knobs or controls that require twisting.  Also difficult for

people with loss of upper body strength, range of motion and

flexibility as is common with elderly persons.  Really

should be avoided in bathrooms where soap and water create

slippery environment. (Lever handles, now required in many

building codes, facilitate access.)

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  This

figure shows a simple line drawing of a standard round door

knob on the left and a mechanical hook reaching toward the

handle from the right.  The purpose of this illustration is

to show how difficult it is to turn this knob without being

able to grasp it.  Since friction and not leverage is

required to twist these type door knobs, people with little

strength and/or reduced range of motion (for example, people

with arthritis) often  find these knobs difficult or

impossible to twist.  This is the end of this figure's

description.

----------





----------

Figures I-5-b:  Concave and non-slip buttons facilitate the

use of manipulation devices, artificial hands, hooks and

mouthsticks.  This is especially true where pressure is

required.

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  On the

left in this figure is a side or profile view of some device

with a button that has a concave surface sticking out on the

right side.  On the right, a profile of a man's head is

facing to the left toward the button.  In his mouth is a

stick with its other end resting in the concave surface of

the button.  This illustrates how the concave surface design

of this button makes it easier to engage or press the button

since it helps prevent slippage.  This is the end of this

figure's description.

----------





     I-6. Maximize the number of people who can

...understand how to operate controls and other input

mechanisms.

Problem:  The layout, labeling or method of operating

controls and other input mechanisms can be confusing or

unclear.

Examples:

- People with reduced or impaired cognitive function:

- may be confused by complex, cluttered control layouts,

with many and/or many types of controls.

- may have difficulty making selections from large sets.

- may have trouble remembering sequences (see also M-5).

- may be confused by dual-purpose controls.

- may not relate appropriately to controls settings

indicated solely by notches/dots or numbers.

- People with reduced or impaired cognitive function,

language impairments, illiteracy, or for whom English is a

second language:

- may have difficulty relying solely on textual labels,

especially where abbreviations are used, and sometimes have

difficulty making associations between label and control.

- may have trouble with timed responses involving text.

Design Options and Ideas to Consider:

Reducing the number of controls.

*  Limiting the number of choices where practical.

*  Using layering of controls where only the most frequent

or necessary controls or commands are visible unless you

open a door or ask for additional levels of commands.(e.g.

hiding less frequently used controls, or at least grouping

the most frequently used controls together and placing them

prominently.)

*  Where possible, make products automatic or self

adjusting, thus removing need for the controls (e.g., TV

fine tuning and horizontal hold).

Simplify the controls.

*  Minimizing dual purpose controls.

*  Using direct selection techniques where practical

(selection techniques where the person need only make a

single, simple, non-time-dependent movement to select).

*  Using visual/graphic indications for settings along with,

or instead of, numbers or notches/dots (i.e., substitute

concrete indications for abstract indications).

*  Reducing or eliminate lag/response times.

*  Minimize ambiguity.

*  Providing a busy indicator or, preferably, a progress

indicator when a product is busy and cannot take further

input or when there is a delay before the requested action

is taken.

*  Integrating, grouping and otherwise arranging controls to

indicate function or sequence of operation.

Making labels easy to understand.

*  Placing the label on or, less preferably, immediately

adjacent to, the control (this does not apply to scales,

which should not be on the controls but on the background).

*  Placing a line around the button and label (or from

button to label) to show association.  The line should be

kept away from any lettering especially if it is raised to

avoid tactile confusion with the lettering.

*  Using simple concise language.

*  Using redundant labeling (e.g., color code plus label).

*  Avoiding abbreviations in labeling (e.g., PrtScr, FF, C).

*  Leaving space around keys (makes it easier to match

labels to keys and easier to add special labels).

*  Using multisensory presentation of feedback information.

*  Using inter-interval labeling (see additional information

below).

Reducing, eliminating or providing cues for sequences.

*  Allowing use of programmable function keys or using a

"default" mode.

*  Using preprogrammed buttons for common sequences.

*  Allowing entry of a short code to program a longer

sequence (e.g., new service with TV Guide and VCR

programming - see below).

*  Simplifying required sequences, limiting the number of

steps.

*  Arranging controls to indicate sequence of operation.

*  Adding memory cues or simple operating instructions on

the device where possible.

*  Cueing required sequences of action.

*  Providing an easy exit that returns the user to the

original starting point from any point in the

program/sequence.  (This exit should be prominent and

clear.)

Building on users' experiences (make the similarity

obvious).

*  Laying out controls to follow function.

*  Making operation of controls follow movement stereotypes

(see below).

*  Using common layouts or patterns for controls.

*  Using common color coding conventions in addition to

textual or graphic labeling.

*  Standardizing - using same shape/color/icon/label for

same function or action. (within and across products and

manufacturers.)

Additional Information:

- A new service being introduced across the country provides

a special code number beside each program in the TV Program

Listing.  To program your VCR to record that program, all

you have to do is enter that short  4-5 digit number into

your VCR.  The VCR automatically calculates the proper day

and hours to start and stop the recording from the number,

thus greatly simplifying the VCR programming process.

- Movement stereotypes are:(38)

Function       Direction of movement

On        Up, Right, Forward, Clockwise, Pull

Off       Down, Left, Rearward, CounterClockwise, Push

Right     Right, Clockwise

Left Left, CounterClockwise

Raise     Up, Back

Lower     Down, Forward

Increase  Clockwise, Right, Up, Forward

Decrease  CounterClockwise, Left, Down, Backward

Extend    Down, Forward, Push

Retract   Up, Rearward, Pull

Hot       Left

Cold Right

- It is better if controls move in the same plane and

direction as the display or system that they affect (e.g.,

turning a radio dial to the right to move station indicator

to the right).

- Some common color-coding conventions:(39)

Light Color         Convention

Red  Malfunction, Stopped, Error

Yellow    Caution, Delay

Green     On, Go, Acceptable

Blue Advisory

Paint Color         Convention

Red  Stop, Fire, Emergency, Danger, Hazard, Hot

Orange    Possible Danger

Yellow    Caution

Green     Go, Safety

Blue Caution, Cold

- Words and numbers should be redundant wherever possible.

If words and numbers are obliterated can the device still be

used?

- On some copy machines the different paper sizes (letter,

legal, ledger) have color coded buttons with corresponding

colored rectangles on the glass (edges).

- Preprinted or blank overlay labels may be offered to allow

the controls to be customized for the individual.

- Abstract symbols (e.g., geometric shapes) can be confusing

when used as the sole labels.

- Use inter-interval labeling wherever possible.  A user

with cognitive impairments may not understand that a common

setting such as 150 is halfway between 100 and 200 on a

temperature control, or that 40 minutes is the 2nd mark past

30 on a timer.

- Levers, sliding controls, or dials are easier to

understand than digital displays.  (Knowing which way to go

from 350 to get to 450 is mathematical and harder then just

moving the pointer to 450.)  However, direct entry of 450 on

a keypad may be easier than a dial - especially for numbers

such as 475 that may not appear directly on the dial or

scale.

- Where practical, non-numeric scales are usually easier.

- Representational symbols are easiest to understand, and

should correspond to what they represent as closely as

possible (see below).

- There are different levels of symbol simplicity or

iconicity.  On breakdown would be:

1)  Transparent Symbols  - Symbols whose meanings can be

recognized on first appearance.  They look like what they

mean.

2)  Standard Symbols  - Symbols that would be recognized

because of their common usage.

3)  Easily Remembered Symbols  - Symbols whose meanings may

not be obvious on first sight but whose shape/meaning are

easy to remember once they are known.

4)  Learned Symbols - Symbols which must be memorized in

order to be remembered.

   Type 1 and 2 are obviously the most desirable especially

for devices used in public places or devices which are

seldom used.  Type 3 or 4 may have to be used for some

applications and more involved or specialized personal

devices.  Learning the meaning of the symbols would then

have to take place in order to learn the operation of the

device.





----------

Figure I-6-a:  This actual television control panel

illustrates poor ergonomic design which would make the

Television difficult to use for everyone, but particularly

those with sensory and cognitive limitations.

   (See Figure I-2-c for a low vision look at this control

panel)

The channel selector buttons are next to the on/off rather

than the channel display where one would expect them.

- The lettering could easily have been larger and bolder

making it less prone to disappearing with poor vision.

- Symbols for Volume and Channel could have replaced the

word labels.

- Use of abbreviations makes the panel almost

undecipherable.

- Seldom used controls for setting the TV up should be

behind a door where they can't confuse casual users.

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  The

figure shows a rectangle.  In the upper half of the

rectangle is a smaller rectangular area with a black

background.  In the left area of this smaller rectangle is

where the TV channel setting is displayed in white numbers

that show-up very prominently again area with a black

background.  In the left area of this smaller rectangle is

where the TV channel setting is displayed in white numbers

that show-up very prominently against the black background.

In the middle and to the right of the channel display are

two sets of white up and down arrows for the volume and

channel settings.  The up arrows are above the down arrows.

The final items that appear in this smaller black

rectangular area are on the right side and in small letters

is the word "OFF" on top with the word "ON" below that. So,

the order from left to right is the channel display, the

volume control, the channel control, and the off/on control.

Directly beneath the black rectangular area and taking up

the lower half of the larger rectangle are three sets of two

buttons.  In each set the two buttons are stacked one above

the other.  The set to the left is labeled with

abbreviations.  The set in the middle are labeled as "ADD"

for the one on top and "SKIP" for the one on the bottom.

The third set have up and down arrow indicators with the up

on the top and the down below.  Between these is the label

for the function of this set and it says "ALL CH."    This

is the end of this figure's description.

----------





     I-7. Maximize the number of people who can ...  connect

special alternative input devices.



Problem:  Standard controls (or other input mechanisms)

cannot be made accessible for all of those with severe

impairments.

Examples:

- People with paralysis of their arms, severe

weakness,tremor, or other severe physical impairments may

not be able to use controls or input mechanisms which

require the use of hands.

- Blind individuals cannot use input devices which require

constant eye-hand coordination and visual feedback (e.g., a

standard computer mouse, trackball or touchscreen without

special accomodation).

Design Options and Ideas to Consider:

*  Providing a standard infra-red remote control (e.g.,

VCR's, TV's, stereos).

*  Providing alternative means for eye-hand coordination

input devices (e.g., mice, trackballs, relative joysticks),

or allow for special devices to be substituted by the user

which will achieve as many of the functions as possible.

*  Providing tactile or auditory cues to allow direct use of

touchpads or techniques to allow touchscreens to function

alternately as auditory or tactile touchpads.

*  Providing a standard connection point (connector or

infra-red link) for special alternative input devices (e.g.,

eye gaze keyboards, communication aids).

Additional Information:

- Alternate input devices include special keyboards that can

be operated by just looking at the keys, selection panels

with letters and words on them that can be selected by

pressing a simple switch at the right time, and aids that

use light pointers attached to a person's head to point to

letters and words to be typed, etc.  These aids often take

the form of stand alone communication aids with voice

synthesizers built into them.  They can also be used as

input systems to other products as well such as computers or

information systems or any other products with a keyboard or

keypad.

- It is recognized that some activities, such as free-hand

sketching on a computer, cannot be easily done other than

with an eye-hand coordination input device.

- Devices that can be controlled remotely by standard

programmable infra-red controllers provide a convenient

means for control by alternate input aids (e.g.

communication aids).

-  Programmable infra-red controllers are available which

can be easily connected to and controlled from special

communication and control aids. (via RS-232)

-  The wireless nature of these controllers also makes it

easy for people with disabilities to use some products

through the remote controllers without having to reach the

products or connect things to them.

- A standard for low cost bidirectional infra-red data

transmission doesn't currently exist.  Creation of such a

standard would make it easier for appliance manufacturers to

make display information available electronically as well as

to allow remote and special devices to be used to control

the appliances.





----------

Figure I-7-a: By building a special "SerialKeys" option into

a computers operating system software it is possible for

users who cannot use the standard keyboard and mouse to

create "authentic" keystrokes and mouse movements by sending

signals into the computer's standard serial port.  This

would allow these individuals to access the computer and all

of its software.

   * When SerialKeys is turned off the serial port behaves

as usual.

   *  SerialKeys is now available for Macintosh OS,  PC &

MS-DOS and MS-Windows.

   *  Users could also use an infra-red link to connect send

their signals to the serial port

       on the computer without having to be physically

connected to the computer (see inset).

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  This

figure is a simple line drawing showing a computer and a

user in a wheel chair with an alternative access device in

his/her lap.  The device is directly hooked to the back of

the computer with a wire.  In a drawing to the right of the

first one is the same figure except that the user's

alternative access device is shown with a dotted line arrow

pointing at a box representing a receiver  which is then

directly connected by a wire to the back of the computer.

The dotted line arrow represents an infrared or radio signal

so that the user's access device would not have to be

directly connected to the computer by wire.  This the end of

this figure's description.

----------





----------

Figure I-7-b:  An infra-red bidirectional link could provide

a low cost environment  and vandal resistant mechanism for

connecting assistive devices to information, control and

transaction terminals.

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  This is

the same figure used in Figure O-5-b.  It is a simple line

drawing of a public information or sales terminal device.

An additional person has been added to the figure.  Now, two

users are shown to be accessing this representation of a

public automated terminal with their alternative access

devices that employ an infrared bi-directional signaling

capacity.  The blind user is standing to the left of the

terminal; the user in a wheel chair is to the right of the

terminal.  The users' alternative access devices have dotted

line arrows pointing between them and a small black square

on the terminal representing the infrared receiver and

sender and located just above the terminal's video display.

This illustrates how the users' alternative access

interfaces can be used without having to provide a direct

connection point or link to the public terminal.  This is

the end of this figure's description.





----------

Figure I-7-c:  An infra-red link could provide a more

effective way for people with movement limitations to

operate automatic "disability access" doors,  and for people

with vision limitations to operate and monitor the progress

of elevators and other public access mechanisms.

People who can drive their chairs but not operate the

"disability access" push plates could open the doors with

signals from their assistive devices.

Similar ability to access and operate security keypads and

other control panels in a persons environment would

significantly decrease their dependence.

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  The top

part of this figure shows a person in a wheel chair with an

alternative access device mounted at lap height.  The person

is positioned to go through an electronically accessible

door once they have triggered the mechanism that opens the

door.  Using the access device, he/she is sending a signal

to a receiver  located just above the standard disability

access push plate.  In the bottom half of this figure are

two people in an elevator using their infrared access

devices to control and receive information about the status

of the elevator, which is also equipped with infrared

receiving and sending.  This is the end of this figure's

description.

----------





INPUT& CONTROL EXAMPLES

INTEGRATING THE GUIDELINES



Creating accessible input and control mechanisms that

facilitate use by all people, particularly those with

multiple disabilities requires careful balancing of the

considerations.  Below are some examples that demonstrate

controls that integrate cross disability considerations in

their design.  Others will be added as the guidelines

evolve.  In some cases the design has more features than are

necessary or has redundant features in order to demonstrate

different possible combinations.





EXAMPLE 1



----------

Wisconsin #1 Knob

- Tactile pointer orientation (setting) can be easily

determined by grasping knob (Low Vision & Blindness).

- High contrast pointer against black backing disk. (Low

Vision )

- Red-Orange spot reenforces pointer tip (spot can be

illuminated using plastic lightpipe) (Low Vision ).

- Knob turns easily but is damped to allow turning by

pressure on the side of either end of pointer or by rubbing

on the edge of the back disk. (Physical Impairment)

- Thick back disk is made of high traction plastic to allow

knob to be operated as an edge controlled knob. (Physical

Impairment)

- Tactile detents on the major settings.  If interscale

settings are important (as on an oven temperature dial) then

additional interscale detents would also be provided. (Low

Vision, Blindness, Physical Impairment)

- Plastic pointer spot on knob can be removed and replaced

with a small post to allow operation of the knob as a crank.

(Physical Impairment)

- Lettering on panel is large, sans-serif, bold and raised.

(Low Vision & Blindness)

- Space is available for optional braille back plate and

very large print backplate.  (Low Vision & Blindness)

- Knob setting can be illustrated (in directions) or

remembered solely by visual orientation of knob, ignoring

the actual printed numbers.  (Cognitive)

- Space and stationary dial plate allow special labels or

pictures to be attached for non-readers.  (Cognitive)

- Numbers are stationary and all upright. (Low Vision,

Blindness & Cognitive)

- Uses clockwise movement convention for increasing values.

(Cognitive)

This is the beginning of this example's description.  These

figures illustrate some of the design principles for good

knob control that were first illustrated in Figure I-4-a.

In this example, the figure on the left shows the round knob

as we face its surface head on.  The figure on the right

shows the same knob from a side or edge on view to

illustrate some of the tactile and raised components of the

knob that can facilitate its use for many people.  The face-

on view on the left  shows the round knob with a black

background surface, which provides a good contrast for the

white pointer that stretches across the diameter of the

knob.  The pointer is set to the position corresponding to

the 12 o'clock high position. However, surrounding the knob

is a fixed scale of black numbers on a white background that

start with zero at the highest or 12 o'clock position and

increase in a clockwise manner up to the maximum of 9 on

this scale.  In other words, zero is at the top of the fixed

scale, the one is to the right of the zero, and the nine is

to the left of the zero.  The side view of this knob

illustrates how the pointer is raised so that it is easier

to rotate and we can feel where the pointer is pointing to.

In addition, it shows how an additional post or shaft could

be attached to the end of the pointer to allow users to use

the knob as a crank.  Finally, it shows how the edge of the

circular knob might be raised for rotating the knob with the

side of your hand or with a device like a mouth stick or

some other reaching device.  This is the end of this

example's description.

----------





EXAMPLE 2



----------

Poor Design

- Controls not laid out to facilitate understanding if the

legends are not readable.

- On/off button is round and resembles the headphone jack.

- Unclear which button control which functions.

- Low contrast labels.



Better Design

- Volume controls are near the speaker which they affect.

Channel buttons are next to the channel display.

- Headphone jack is also adjacent the speaker.

- Up/down controls are positioned in a manner which

suggests/reflects their function.

- Channel display is large and uses broad stroke, brightly

illuminated characters.

- Photo sensor controls brightness of display to avoid glare

at night or fade-out in daytime.

- Legends are provided and are a higher contrast than above.

- Layout is such that the labels are redundant or fairly

obvious and the function of the controls is therefore easier

to remember.

- Infra-Red remote control allows direct entry of channel on

numeric keypad for those whose sight is too poor to see

large display on television.

- Infra-Red remote ability also allows individuals to use

special remote controls including:

- ones with very large letters

- ones with pictures or symbols

- controls connected to special interfaces (e.g.

communication aids, environmental control aids, or

computers) for users who cannot control a standard keypad.

This is the beginning of this example's description.  This

illustration shows two possible television control panels;

the one on top is an example of a poorly designed control

panel; the one on the bottom is an example of a better

design that would facilitate access.  The layout of the poor

design is as follows: the speaker is on the far left, next

and to the right is the channel display as numbers in a

little square window, to the right of that is a circular

object and might be a plug in for headphones but we can't

tell because the label underneath it is so small and it is

blurred as it might be if we had a visual impairment, to the

right of that are four arrow buttons one after the other in

the sequence of up-down-up-down, what these are for we don't

know because their labels underneath are also unreadable,

and finally on the far right is another circular object that

might be the headphone jack or possibly an on/off power

button, again we can't read the label underneath.

The better design figure below has a control panel laid out

in the following manner; to the far left is a small round

object which is most likely the headphone jack since it is

the only round object on the panel, again the labels are

blurred, next and to the right of this is the speaker,

directly to the right of the speaker is a set of arrow

buttons with the up pointing arrow on top of the down

pointing arrow and, though we can't read the labels we

assume this is the volume control since it is right next to

the speaker, then there is a space on the panel and then

another set of arrow buttons, again with the up pointer on

top and the down pointer on the bottom, we assume this is

the channel control since the little window displaying the

channel number is just to the right of these arrow buttons,

and finally on the far right of the panel is a square button

we are assuming is the on/off power button.  To the right

and separate from the control panel is a small rectangle

with several square buttons and this represents an infrared

remote control device.  This is the end of this example's

description.

----------







SECTION 3:  MANIPULATIONS

  Includes all actions that must be directly performed by a

person in

concert with the device or for routine maintenance (e.g.,

inserting disk, loading tape, changing ink cartridge)



Maximize the number of people who can ...

     M-1  physically insert and remove objects as required

to operate a device.

     M-2  physically handle and/or open the product.

     M-3  remove, replace, or reposition often-used

detachable parts.

     M-4  understand how to carry out the manipulations

necessary to use the product.







     M-1. Maximize the number of individuals who can ...

physically insert and/or remove objects as required in the

operation of a device.



Problem:  Insertion and/or removal of objects required to

operate some devices (e.g., diskettes, compact discs,

cassette tapes, credit cards, keys, coins, currency) may be

physically impossible.  In addition, damage to the object or

device can occur from unsuccessful attempts.

Examples:

- Individuals using mouth sticks or other assistive devices

may have difficulty grasping an object and manipulating it

as required to insert or retrieve it from the device.

- Individuals with poor motor control may be unable to place

a semi-fragile object accurately into the device and

retrieve without damage (e.g., bending of floppy disk or

credit card).

- Individuals with severe weakness may have difficulty

reaching the slot (or positioning the object) for insertion

or removal.

- Individuals who are blind may be unable to determine

proper orientation or alignment for insertion (i.e., object

may be held upside down, backward or at the wrong angle).

Design Options and Ideas to Consider:

Facilitating orientation and insertion.

*  Ensuring that objects can be inserted (and removed) with

minimal user reach and dexterity.

*  Providing a simple funnelling system or other self-

guidance/orienting mechanism which will properly position

the object for insertion.

*  Allowing receptacles to be repositioned or re-angled to

be more reachable.

*  Whenever possible, allowing the object to be inserted in

several ways (e.g., a six-side wrench can be positioned in a

mating bolt six different ways; two sided keys can be

inserted upside down).

*  Providing visual contrast between insertion point and the

rest of the device (making a more obvious "target").

*  Clearly marking the proper orientation both visually and

tactilely.

Facilitating removal.

*  Providing ample ejection distance to facilitate easy

gripping and removal.

(Ejection distance as large as possible while still

retaining a stable ejection.)

See figure M-1-b.

*  Using push-button ejection, or automatic (motorized)

ejection mechanism.

Facilitating handling.

*  Making objects to be inserted rugged and able to take

rough handling.

*  Using objects with high friction surfaces for ease in

grasping.

Additional Information:

- Orientation can be easily marked tactilely by having a

clipped corner or unsymmetrical shape.

- Consumers without disabilities also appreciate easier

loading systems.

- Use existing media with a hard or stiff outer shell and

self-closing cover for sensitive parts, so that they will be

resistant to rough treatment (e.g., 3-1/2" diskettes with

hard plastic covers, or tapes with self-closing protective

doors).





----------

Figure M-1-a: Beveled slot facilitates insertion of cards,

disks, etc.  Tactile and visual cues should also be provided

to indicate the proper orientation of the object to be

inserted.

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  The

figure shows a front view and a side or profile view of a

beveled slot.  The front is a black, long, thin rectangle

lying on the horizontal.  It is framed by a picture frame

type of representation with the top and right sides shaded

to give the sense of depth associated with a beveled slot.

The side or profile view shows how the beveled surface where

you put your card or disk in is cut away to form a

increasingly wider mouth or like a "V" on its side.  This is

the end of this figure's description.

----------





----------

Figure M-1-b: Mechanisms which eject items at least 1" and

preferably 2" facilitate grasping of the item with tools,

reachers, teeth or fists for

 those who cannot effectively use their hands/fingers.  This

is the beginning of this figure's description.  The figure

shows a side view of a disk that has been ejected.  It is an

edge on view of the disk.  Sandwiching the disk from above

using the heel of one hand and below using the outside edges

of the thumb and index finger of the other hand are two

fists illustrating that the disk is graspable without having

to use our fingers.  A good example of how the fists are

configured is to think of how we position our hands when we

grasp a broom handle one hand above the other.  This is the

end of this figure's description.

----------





----------

Figure M-1-c: Placing a stable surface under an insertion

slot allow individuals to steady their hand when inserting

an item.  Be careful not to block access to the slot.

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  This

figure shows a side view of a hand resting on a solid

surface while pushing a disk or card into a slot.  This is

the end of this figure's description.





----------

Figure M-1-d: A phone jack (such as found on headphones) are

superior to two prong plugs because they can be inserted in

any orientation and do not have to be twisted to align

connectors.

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  Shown

in this figure on the left is a simple line drawing of a two

pronged plug that is misaligned with its receptacle so that

the figure illustrates how difficult making this connection

can be for someone who would have trouble aligning the

prongs to the receptacle.  To the right of this is a simple

line drawing of a headphone plug easily lining up with the

single, round, symmetrical receptacle of the headphone jack.

This is the end of this figure's description.

----------





----------

Figure M-1-e: Locks would be much easier to use if they used

two faced keys and had self orienting bevels that would turn

the key to the proper orientation to enter the slot.

Alternately, keys which do not have to be oriented could be

used.

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  The

figure shows a side view or cross section of a two faced key

just before it is inserted into the key channel and as its

position is rotated 90 degrees in the channel as a result of

the funneling guides at the mouth of the key channel.  The

idea is to show how these simple design changes in the key

and at the mouth of its receptacle channel eliminate the

need to have the key correctly oriented before inserting it

into the channel.  This is the end of this figure's

description.



----------



Figure M-1-f: Different aids used for reaching and grasping

include reachers, mouthsticks with special ends, artificial

hands and hooks.

(Reachers: La Buda 1975)

This is the beginning of this figure's description.  This

figure shows several examples of mechanical reachers and

graspers.  The one on the top left shows a hand grasping its

pistol type grip and the index finger is on the trigger.

The trigger engages a set of wires that  run the length of

the reaching stick and pull open or shut a wide clamp

oriented in the vertical axis at the end of the reaching

stick.  The reacher/grasper illustrated under that one is

very similar except it has a wrist brace attached to the

bottom of the pistol grip and the clamp is smaller with

broad and flat pinchers.  The rest of the examples are

variations on these hand controlled graspers at the ends of

a long sticks.  Some have their clamp or pinch jaws oriented

in the vertical plane and others have theirs oriented in the

horizontal plane.  Finally, a prosthetic mechanical hook to

augment a hand is shown.  This is the end of this figure's

description.

----------





     M-2. Maximize the number of people who can ...

physically handle and/or open the product.



Problem:  Handles, doorknobs, drawers, trays, etc. may be

impossible for some individuals to grasp or open.

Examples:

- People using mouth sticks or other assistive devices may

be unable to grasp handles, doorknobs, etc. in order to open

or operate the product, and may find it impossible to open

doors or drawers without handles (e.g, those using recessed

"lips," or those utilizing only side pressure to open).

- People with limited arm and hand movement (due to

arthritis or cerebral palsy, for example) may have problems

grasping handles that are in-line (straight).

- People with only one hand or with poor coordination may

have difficulty opening products which require two

simultaneous actions (e.g., stabilizing while opening or

operating two latches which spring closed).

Design Options and Ideas to Consider:

*  Using doors with open handles, levers or doors which are

pushed, then spring open.

*  Avoiding use of knobs or lips to open products.

*  Avoiding dual latches that must be operated

simultaneously.

*  Using latches which are operable with a closed fist.

*  Using bearings for drawers or heavy objects that must be

moved.

*  Providing electric pushbutton or remote control power

openers.

*  Shaping product and door handles, etc. to minimize the

need for bending the wrist or body.  (See figure below for

examples.)

*  See I-5 for additional suggestions.

Additional Information:

- Offset handles are easier to grasp.  A handle that is

offset with a longer horizontal shank at the bottom would be

better than one with a longer horizontal shank on top.  This

style is preferable to knobs.





     M-3. Maximize the number of people who can ...  remove,

replace, or reposition often-used detachable parts.



Problem:  Covers, lids and other detachable parts may be

difficult to remove, replace, or reposition.

Examples:

- Individuals with poor motor control may be unable to

replace a cover or lid once it has been detached, because it

was dropped to the floor or into an inaccessible part of the

product.

- Individuals with weakness may have difficulty

repositioning a keyboard, monitor or television if the

resistance to movement is high.

Design Options and Ideas to Consider:

*  Devices with covers or lids could be hinged, have sliding

covers, or be electronically operated.

*  Tethering covers and lids with a cord or wire.

*  Making device components repositionable with a minimum of

force.

*  Eliminate or limit tasks needed for consumer assembly,

installation, or maintenance of product.

Additional Information:

- Heavy or frequently positioned devices should be on a

swivel or other special base to facilitate repositioning.







     M-4. Maximize the number of people who can ...

understand how to carry out the manipulations ecessary to

use the product.



Problem:  Some individuals may have difficulty remembering

how to operate the product, performing tasks in the correct

order or within the required time, making choices, doing

required measurements, or problem-solving.

Examples:

- Some people (particularly those with learning disabilities

or cognitive impairments):

- have difficulty remembering codes required to operate a

device (e.g., PIN number for automated teller machine); they

may also be unable to remember which control to push to

start or stop the device.

- have difficulty with serial order recall (the ability to

remember items or tasks in sequence), and thus cannot follow

complex or numerous steps.

- have a slower or delayed reaction time, due to their

inability to remember things quickly or to make responses

that are dependent on timed input.

- get confused when there is a time lag for a response after

they issue a command or when they expect an immediate

result.

- have trouble in choosing from available selection options

(e.g., selecting paper size on a printer, choosing settings

on a stereo).

- cannot understand the concept of measuring/quantifying.

- have significant difficulty finding out what and where the

problem is when a device is not functioning properly, and

may have difficulty identifying solutions to problems they

have identified.

Design Options and Ideas to Consider:

Many of the problems in this category are similar to the

problems outlined in I-6 and many of the same design ideas

would apply, including the following:

- Keeping things as simple as possible.

- Providing cues or prompts for sequences of actions

required.

- Writing the instructions directly on the device.

- Having programmable keys for commonly used sequences.

- Providing an easy way out of any situation.

- Eliminating any timed responses (or make the times

adjustable).

- Providing feedback to the user when the device is busy or

"thinking."

- Hiding seldom used controls which are not used primarily

in order to limit available choices.



Other design suggestions include:

*  Incorporating pre-measuring methods whenever a

quantifiable amount is required.

*  Providing prompts to inform users about the source(s) of

problems and lead them to action to be taken to solve the

problems (e.g., lights and color-coded pictorials used in

copying machines).

*  Eliminating or simplifying consumer assembly,

installation, and maintenance of the product.

*  Providing a "standard" key or default mode to operate

standardized functions (e.g., a key on the copier to give

standard size copies).

*  Providing an automatic mode so that the machine will make

self-adjustments.



Additional Information:

- Examples of pre-measuring methods include pump-type

dispensers, individualized pre-measured packets and

measuring devices incorporated on the container (e.g., cap).

- Frequently used symbols and words for labelling controls

can be used to facilitate memory.  Meanings for standardized

symbols and signs will be easier to remember.40

- Break large tasks down into easily manageable steps by

combining commonly used sequences as a single choice (e.g.,

buttons on a radio, macros, code numbers for recording

specific programs on the VCR).

- Sequences used to operate a device can be written on the

device so they do not have to be remembered.

- The device could bring up a hierarchical menu or prompts

to step the user through the operating sequence.

- Feedback could be provided to the user to identify the

step they are on or have just finished (e.g., beep when

completed, highlighting of next step in sequence menu).

- Information could be repeated/restated after a certain

length of time when no response is received, in order to cue

the user that a response is needed or to get the person's

attention back to the display.

- Warning cues can help increase the response time, when

presented immediately before the visual stimuli (e.g.,

auditory cue heard before the elevator doors open).

- Several studies have shown that even the simple reaction

time at age 60 to respond to a visual or auditory stimuli is

about 3 times slower than a 20-year-old.41

- Devices that do not stop immediately after hitting a stop

button are confusing and can be dangerous without any visual

indication.







SECTION 4:  DOCUMENTATION

Primarily operating instructions



Maximize the number of people who can ...

          D-1: access the documentation.

          D-2: understand the documentation.





     D-1.  Maximize the number of people who can ...  access

the documentation.



Problem:  Printed documentation (e.g. operating or

installation instructions) may not be readable.

Examples:

- Individuals with low vision may not be able to read

documentation due to small size or poor format.

- Poor choice of colors may make diagrams ambiguous for

people with color-blindness.

- People who are blind cannot use printed documentation,

especially graphics.

- People with severe physical impairments may find it

difficult or impossible to handle printed documentation.

Design Options and Ideas to Consider:

* Providing documentation in alternate formats:  electronic,

large-print, audio tape, and/or braille.

* Using large fonts

* Using sans-serif fonts

*  Making sure that...

          + leading (space between the letters of a word)

          + the space between lines

          + the distance between topics

is sufficient that the letters and topics to stand out

distinctly from each other.

*  Making sure that leading (space between the letters of a

word) and the space between lines is sufficient that the

letters stand out  distinctly from each other.

* Any information which is presented via color-coding could

be presented in some other way which doesn't rely on color

(e.g., bar charts may use various black-and-white patterns

under the colors or patterns in the colors).

* Providing a text description of all graphics (this is

especially important for use in electronic, taped and large

print forms).

* Providing basic instructions directly on the device as

well as in the documentation.

* Making printed documentation "Scanner/OCR-friendly" (see

below).

Additional Information:

- To test to see whether the pictures in a document are

truly covered in the text you remove the pictures, can you

still figure out how to use the device?

- Large print is very effective with older individuals who

develop low vision, since they often do not have powerful

reading tools.  Large print labels (as recommended in I-3)

might be provided also.

- Block style and black-on-white background are easiest to

see.  Stroke width-to-height ratios of 1:6 to 1:8 are best,

where the width is 2/3 the height.  Capital letters and

numbers are the most easily read.

- As optical character recognition (OCR) software becomes

more sophisticated, it will become continually easier to be

"Scanner/OCR friendly".  Current scanners/OCR software have

trouble with:

- text/background colors which are not high contrast (black

on white is recommended),

- highly stylized or broken fonts,

- pictures which are screened and placed behind the text,

- text which is not arranged in straight rectangular

columns, and

- text which flows around graphics.

- Electronic documentation has a number of advantages,

including:

- Eliminates the need to handle pages for people with

physical disabilities.

- Allows large on-screen presentation of information in

optimal fonts for people with low vision.

- Facilitates translation of the information into braille or

synthetic speech.

- Facilitates searching of text for particular words or

topics.

- May be output in a variety of formats:  speech, print,

large print, braille, etc.

- The most common format for electronic documentation today

would be in ASCII text on a 720K, 3-1/2" MS-DOS diskette,

although the information would optimally also be available

in MS-DOS 360K, 5-1/4" disks and Macintosh 800K disks.  (See

O-5.)

- Page description languages may be standard enough in the

future that they would provide a better electronic

documentation format that could include additional types of

information not easily presented in ASCII-only files.

- Audio cassettes have the advantages that they are

relatively low cost and can be used by individuals with

physical disabilities, low vision, blindness, and learning

disabilities. Electronic documentation also has these

characteristics (and is even less expensive) but requires

that the user have a computer with suitable adaptive

accessories.

- Video tapes are also effective, especially when the video

information is presented redundantly (i.e., the videotape

can be understood with the screen turned off).

- The product could contain a mail-in request for the

alternate forms of documentation.





     D-2.  Maximize the number of people who can

...understand the documentation.



Problem:  Printed documentation (e.g. operating or

installation instructions) may not be understandable.

Examples:

- Individuals with cognitive impairments may have difficulty

following multi-step instructions.

- Individuals with language difficulties or for whom English

is a second language (including people with deafness) may

have difficulty understanding complex text.

- People with learning difficulties may have difficulty

distinguishing directional terms.

Design Options and Ideas to Consider:

* Providing clear, concise descriptions of the product and

its initial setup.

* Providing descriptions that do not require pictures (words

and numbers used redundantly with pictures and tables), at

least for all the basic operations (see below).

* Formatting with plenty of "white space" used to create

small text groupings, bullet points.

* Highlighting key information by using large, bold letters,

and put it near the front of text.

* Providing step-by-step instructions which are numbered,

bulleted, or have check boxes.

* Using affirmative instead of negative or passive

statements.  Keeping sentence structure simple (i.e., one

clause).

* Avoiding directional terms (e.g., left, right, up, down)

where possible.

* Providing a basic "bare bones" form or section to the

documentation that just gets you up and running with the

basic features.

NOTE: See also O-6, I-6 and M-4.

Additional Information:

- Tests to see whether the words and numbers in a document

are redundant with the pictures:

Test A:  If you erase or obliterate the words and numbers,

can you still figure out how to use the device?

Test B:  If you remove the pictures, can you still figure

out how to use the device?

- Audio and Video cassettes provide effective alternatives

to printed documentation and can show operation of products

for people who cannot read.  For some products, carefully

prepared videotapes allow effective demonstration of product

use even if the person doesn't understand the language.

NOTE: See also additional information section in O-6, I-6

and M-4.









SECTION 5:  SAFETY

  Includes alarms and protection from harm



Maximize the number of people who can ...

     S-1        perceive hazard warnings.

     S-2        use the device without injury due to

unperceived hazards or user's lack of motor control





     S-1.  Maximize the number of people who can ...perceive

hazard warnings.



Problem:  Hazard warnings (alarms) are missed due to

monosensory presentation or lack of understandability.

Examples:

- Individuals with hearing impairments may not hear auditory

alarms which have only a narrow frequency spectrum.

- People who are deaf may not hear auditory alarms.

- People with visual impairments may not see visual

warnings.

- People with cognitive impairments may not understand the

nature of a warning quickly enough.

Design Options and Ideas to Consider:

*  Using a broad frequency spectrum with at least two

frequency components between 500 and 3000 Hz for alarm

signals.

*  Using redundant visual and auditory format for alarms

(e.g., flashing lights plus alarm siren).

*  Reducing glare on any surfaces containing warning

messages.

*  Using common color-coding conventions and/or symbols

along with simple warning messages.

*  Providing an optional, carriable, vibrating module for

use by persons who are deaf.

Additional Information:

- For alerting devices the use of two or more spectral

components in the 500 - 4500 Hz range is recommended based

on ringer studies42 43.  Others suggest limiting the upper

frequency to 3000 Hz to better accommodate people with mid-

high frequency loss.

- See I-6 for standard safety color coding conventions.





     S-2. Maximize the number of people who can ...use the

product without injury due to unperceived hazards or user's

lack of motor control.



Problem:  Users are injured because they are unaware of an

"obvious" hazard or because they lack sufficient motor

control to avoid hazards.

Examples:

- Individuals with visual impairments may not see a hazard

which is obvious to those with average sight.

- Individuals with lack of strength or muscle control may

inadvertently topple a device while in use so that it

injures them.

- Individuals with incoordination or lack of muscle control

may inadvertently put their limbs or fingers in places not

intended for contact or other hazardous places (e.g., the

casette tape drive of a stereo contains sharp edges which

can cut fingers jammed inside with force).

- Individuals with cognitive impairments may be unable to

remember to shut off devices when not in use.

Design Options and Ideas to Consider:

*  Eliminating or audibly warning of hazards which rely on

the user's visual ability to avoid.

*  Making all surfaces, corners, protrusions and device

entrances free of sharp edges or extreme heat.

*  Deburring any internal parts accessible by a body part,

even if contact with body part is not normally expected

(e.g. inside an open cassette tape door on a stereo).

*  Providing automatic shut-off of devices which would

present a hazard if left on (e.g., irons).

*  Ensuring that devices have stable, non-slip bases, or the

ability to be attached to a stable surface (see below).

Additional Information:

- In order to achieve maximum stabilization, devices should:

- have an area at or near a point of stability that is free

of sharp or delicate parts (to facilitate grasping);

- have a widening (or flaring) of the lower base to allow a

surface for the hand or limb to apply stabilizing pressure

to avoid tipping (if device has a circumference greater than

an open hand grip);

- ensure that extended switches or other attachments are

firmly supported, as many individuals with stability and

coordination problems may rely on them for support.

- Threaded, tapped holes (or lined holes suitable for self-

tapping screws) on the bottom of a product would allow the

attachment of a more stable base for those who require it.







REFERENCES and RESOURCES

Anderson, Thomas P., "Stroke and Cerebral Trauma: Medical

Aspects," in Handbook of Severe Disability, edited by Walter

C. Stolov and Michael R. Clowers.   Washington, D.C.:  U.S.

Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services

Administration, 1981.

Berkowitz, J.P., and Casali, S.P., "Influence of Age on the

Ability to Hear Telephone Ringers of Different Spectral

Content,"  Proceedings of the Human Factors Society 34th

Annual Meeting, 1990, Vol. 1, pp. 132-136.

Corcoran, Paul J., "Neuromuscular Diseases," in Handbook of

Severe Disability, edited by Walter C. Stolov and Michael R.

Clowers.   Washington, D.C.:  U.S. Department of Education,

Rehabilitation Services Administration, 1981.

Dreyfuse, H., Symbol Sourcebook:  An Authoritative Guide to

International Graphic Symbols, 1972.

Elkind, Jerome, "The Incidence of Disabilities in the United

States," Human Factors, 1990, 32(4), pp. 397-405.

Friedmann, Lawrence W., "Amputation," in Handbook of Severe

Disability, edited by Walter C. Stolov and Michael R.

Clowers.   Washington, D.C.:  U.S. Department of Education,

Rehabilitation Services Administration, 1981.

Grandjean, E., ed., Ergonomics of Computerized Offices.

Bristol, Pa.: Taylor & Francis, 1987.

Halpern, Andrew S., "Mental Retardation," in Handbook of

Severe Disability, edited by Walter C. Stolov and Michael R.

Clowers.   Washington, D.C.:  U.S. Department of Education,

Rehabilitation Services Administration, 1981.

Hare, B.A., and Hare, J.M., Teaching Young Handicapped

Children:  A Guide for Preschool and Elementary Grades.  New

York:  Greene & Stratton, 1977.

Hoover, Richard E., and Bledsoe, C. Warren, "Blindness and

Visual Impairments," in Handbook of Severe Disability,

edited by Walter C. Stolov and Michael R. Clowers.

Washington, D.C.:  U.S. Department of Education,

Rehabilitation Services Administration, 1981.

Hunt, R.M., "Determination of an Effective Tone Ringer

Signal," paper presented at the 38th Convention of the Audio

Engineering Society.  New York:  Audio Engineering Society,

1970.

LaPlante, Mitchell P., Data on Disability from the National

Health Interview Survey, 1983-85.  Washington, D.C.:

National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation

Research, 1988.

Mueller, James, The Workplace Workbook:  An Illustrated

Guide to Job Accommodation and Assistive Technology.

Washington, D.C.:  RESNA Press, 1990.

National Institute of Handicapped Research, "Statistical

Findings of the Regional Spinal Cord Injury System," Rehab

Brief, Vol. VI, No. 3, March 1983.

Nicholas, John J., "Rheumatic Diseases," in Handbook of

Severe Disability, edited by Walter C. Stolov and Michael R.

Clowers.   Washington, D.C.:  U.S. Department of Education,

Rehabilitation Services Administration, 1981.

Osborne, Ergonomics at Work, 1987.

Sanders, Mark S., and McCormick, Ernest J., Human Factors in

Engineering and Design.  6th ed.  New York:  McGraw-Hill,

1987.

Schein, Jerome D., "Hearing Impairments and Deafness," in

Handbook of Severe Disability, edited by Walter C. Stolov

and Michael R. Clowers.   Washington, D.C.:  U.S. Department

of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration, 1981.

United Cerebral Palsy Associations,  Cerebral Palsy -- Facts

and Figures.  New York:  United Cerebral Palsy Associations,

1975.

Ward, Arthur A., Jr., Fraser, Robert T., and Troupin, Allan

S., "Epilepsy," in Handbook of Severe Disability, edited by

Walter C. Stolov and Michael R. Clowers.   Washington, D.C.:

U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services

Administration, 1981.

Ward, John T., "Designing Consumer Product Displays for the

Disabled," Proceedings of the Human Factors Society 34th

Annual Meeting, 1990, Vol. 1, pp. 448-451.

World Health Organization, International Classification of

Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicaps:  A Manual of

Classification Relating to the Consequences of Disease.

Geneva:  WHO, 1980.







APPENDIX:  GUIDELINES CHECKLISTS

Human Factors or Product Design departments in companies who

manufacture consumer products may wish to develop checklists

from these Guidelines for use by their design teams.  As

explained in Part III, the Guidelines were written as

generically as possible in order to cover a very wide range

of consumer products.  Guidelines which are custom tailored

to specific product lines would in fact be more useful to

designers for that product line.  It is possible to develop

your own custom Guidelines to fit particular types of

products or product lines, as discussed below.

Customization Process

As a first step you should determine which guidelines in the

checklist apply to your product(s).  For example, a design

team for stereo systems may exclude from their checklist

guideline O-2 (provide redundant visual output for all

auditory information) because stereo systems are intended to

provide sound which by its nature cannot be conveyed

visually in any satisfactory way (as a standard part of the

product). [A baby monitor however would not since it is not

primarily an audio device but rather a baby activity

monitor. A visual indication of sound from the baby is very

useful. See fig O-2-b.]

Next, the "Design Options and Ideas to Consider" sections

for each included guideline could serve as the basis for a

checklist approach to meeting each guideline.  Only those

options which may apply to your product(s) would be included

in the checklist.  For example, the stereo product line

checklist may exclude the following two design options

included in the Guidelines for O-1:

*  Using sounds which have strong low frequency components.

(Excluded because stereos are designed to produce the full

spectrum of sounds called for in musical or spoken work

recordings, radio, etc.)

*  Presenting auditory information continuously or

periodically until the desired message is confirmed or acted

upon.  Spoken messages could automatically repeat or have a

mechanism for the user to ask for them to be repeated.

(Excluded because the company does not intend to present

anything auditorially except for the musical or spoken word

recordings, radio, etc. which it is designed to reproduce.

These recordings, etc. do not require confirmation or action

from the user.)

Specific information from the "Additional Information" and

"Illustrations" sections, as well as from your company's

experienced designers, may yield additional options or more

specifically-stated options than those furnished in the

general Guidelines.  For example, the stereo product line

checklist may revise one option included in the O-1

guideline as follows:

*  Providing a volume adjustment, preferably using a visual

volume indicator (see examples below).  Sound should be

intelligible (undistorted) throughout the volume range.

Since your stereo equipment always has a volume control you

could edit the first part out and focus in on the second

topic in the sentence.  It could also be "customized" to be

more specific (using information from the "Additional

Information" and "Illustrations" sections).  Your new

version might look like:

*  Using visual volume indicators, such as a painted dot or

arrow on the control dial, a sliding bar volume control,

numbers or graphics on a thumbwheel dial (see illustrations

below).

Example Checklists

In order to demonstrate several formats and customization

approaches, this Appendix will contain several examples of

checklists developed for specific product lines.

[EXAMPLES NOT YET COMPLETED]



----------

CONSUMER PRODUCT DESIGN GUIDELINES 1.6 REGISTRATION FORM



This is a working document.  If the registration form in the

front has already been removed, please take a moment to make

a photocopy of this registration form and and fill out.  In

that manner we can keep you informed as newer versions of

the document are prepared.



Thank You





I would like to be kept informed when newer versions of this

or derivative documents are made available.



Name:     

City:     

State:    

Zip:      

Phone:    

Fax:      



Where did you get your current copy?

(remember that copying this document is it OK and even

encouraged)



Send to :

     Gregg C. Vanderheiden Ph.D.

     Trace R & D Center

     S-151 Waisman Ctr

     1500 Highland Ave

     Madison Wisconsin  53705



or FAX it:     608/262-8848









Titles in the Trace Center Sponsored Series

of Cooperative Design Guideline Documents





1)   Considerations in the Design of Computers and Operating

Systems to Increase Their Accessibility to Persons with

Disabilities

(1986, revised May 1988, Version 4.2)  ($12.50)



2)   Accessible Design of Consumer Products: Guidelines for

the Design of Consumer Products to Increase Their

Accessibility to People with Disabilities or Who Are Aging.

(May 1991; revised December 1991 1.6, Working Draft - Call

for latest version number)  ($15.00)



3)   White Paper on the Design of Software Application

Programs to Increase Their Accessibility for Persons with

Disabilities (November 1991) ($8.00)



(NOTE:  These documents are distributed at cost.  People

providing edits and input to these guideline documents,

however, are provided with free copies of the updated

versions.   To facilitate dissemination for comment,

permission is also granted to copy and redistribute these

documents in toto free of charge if they are not to be

sold.)









Related reference materials available

from the Trace Center



1)   Trace ResourceBook 1991-92 Edition: A 900-page resource

book providing descriptions, manufacturers, and photos of

approximately 2,000 communication, control, and computer

access aids for people with disabilities.  ($50.00)



2)   Hyper-ABLEDATA: A database of 17,000 rehabilitation and

assistive devices with pictures, and sound samples of voice

synthesizers.  Available on CD ROM for Macintosh (and IBM

May 1992) computers.  ($50.00 for one-year subscription; 2

CDs, sent at 6-month intervals.)

Trace Research & Development Center

Waisman Center & Industering Dept.

University of Wisconsin - Madison

A Multidisciplinary Research and Resource Center on

Technology and Human Disability



Reference Notes (cited in text)

1  "Considerations in the Design of Computers and Operating

Systems to Increase their Accessibility to Persons with

Disabilities," original release dated April 1986, a working

document of the Design Considerations Task Force of the

Industry/Government Cooperative Initiative on Computer

Accessibility.  Copies available from Design Considerations

Task Force; c/o Trace Center; S-151 Waisman Center;

University of Wisconsin - Madison; 1500 Highland Avenue;

Madison, WI 53705; attn:  Gregg C. Vanderheiden Ph.D.

2   In this document, the terms "functional impairment" and

"disability" are used interchangeably to refer to any

restriction or lack of ability to perform an activity in the

manner or within the range considered standard for a human

being.  The term "impairment," on the other hand, refers to

any loss or abnormality of physiological or anatomical

structure or function (caused by disease or injury).  An

impairment may or may not result in a disability.  (These

definitions are based on the definitions of the World Health

Organization, International Classification of Impairments,

Disabilities, and Handicaps, 1980.)

3    Of the total U.S. noninstitutionalized population,

14.1%, or 32.5 million persons, report some activity

limitation due to chronic health conditions.  From the

National Health Interview Survey, 1983-1985 (LaPlante,

1988).  Based on estimated 1990 census data, there are 33

million disabled in the U.S. (15% of the population).

(Elkind, 1990)  The often-quoted figure of 43 million

Americans with disabilities (Finding #1, Americans with

Disabilities Act) includes mental illness and drug and

alcohol addiction, conditions where design of consumer

products would have little or no effect.

4     Based on estimated 1990 census data.  (Elkind, 1990)

5     Established by the American Medical Association in

1934.  (Hoover and Bledsoe, 1981)

6     Based on estimated 1990 census data.  (Elkind, 1990)

7     Ibid.

8     Ibid.

9     Schein, 1981.

10   Schow, 1978.

11   Schein, 1981.

12   Nicholas, 1981.

13   United Cerebral Palsy Association, Inc., 1975.

14   National Institute of Handicapped Research, 1983.

15   Anderson, 1981.

16   Friedmann, 1981.

17   Corcoran, 1981

18   Ibid.

19   Corcoran, 1981

20   Ibid.

21   Halpern, 1981.

22   Association for Children and Adults with Learning

Disabilities, 1984.

23   Hare & Hare, 1979.

24   Ward, Fraser, and Troupin, 1981.

25  "And the king said, 'Divide the living child in two and

give half to the one and half to the other.'" (1 Kings 3:25)

26  Ward, 1990.

27   Hunt, 1970.

28   Berkowitz and Casali 1990

29   Mueller, 1990, p.21.,  based on Grandjean, E. , 1987,

p.82-86



31   Jeavons and Harding (1975)

32   Mueller, 1990, p. 13., based on Grandjean, E. , 1987,

p.72, 92-94

33   Sanders & McCormick, 1987.

34   Hunt, 1953.

35   Mueller, 1990, p. 15.

36   Mueller, 1990, p. 13., based on Grandjean, E. , 1987,

p.153

37   Ibid.

38   "Construction Management and Engineering," p. 138.

(except hot and cold)

39   Osborne, 1987.

40   Dreyfuses H.  1972.

41   Woodson, 1981.

42   Hunt 1970

43   Berkowitz and Casali 1990



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