Examination of the Protection Offered by Current Accessibility Acts and Guidelines to People with Disabilities in Using Information Technology Devices

Hyun K Kim,Jaehyun Park

doi:10.3390/electronics9050742

Hyun K Kim, Jaehyun Park

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9050742

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Journal: Electronics	Publication Date: Apr 30, 2020
Citations: 5	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Kwangwoon University, Incheon National University

Abstract

Today, information technology (IT) products are extensively used in everyday life; however, disabled people still experience difficulties in using them. To ensure the equal use of IT products by people with disabilities, various laws/guidelines/standards have been established. In particular, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, 21st-Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, the European Accessibility Act, and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines strongly influence IT product sales and, hence, have been included in the scope of this research. This study analyzed the main accessibility provisions/guidelines from the user experience (UX) perspective and the IT device difficulties that are addressed by the provisions/guidelines. Accordingly, the study used the IT interaction disability concept, which analyzes the comprehensive difficulties associated with the use of an IT device from the perspective of interaction, to map each task–user interface–context factor. Finally, this study suggests the aspects to be considered while establishing accessibility provisions/guidelines. Moreover, it clarifies the provisions and guidelines for IT product designers and developers by analyzing them from the UX perspective.

Highlights

Today, information technology (IT) products are indispensable in everyday life
Related to cognition, 31% related to the action for information interaction, and 6% related to the action related to cognition, 31% related the action for information interaction, 6% related to the action for physical device settings weretofound
Based on four types of provisions and guidelines (Section 508, Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA), European Accessibility Act (EAA), was Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAGs)), the study derived 179 regulations related to IT devices and services

Summary

Introduction

Information technology (IT) products are indispensable in everyday life. People extensively use smartphones, connected televisions, personal computers, and tablets nowadays and are expected to use even more IT devices in the future because of the widespread popularity of the Internet of Things [1,2,3]. The economic and social inequalities resulting from the digital divide severely affect the life of people with physical or mental disabilities [8]. This suggests new perspective for accessibility, in terms of interaction using products, rather than individuals’. Digital literacy is a concept similar to ITID that indicates whether a user can communicate by recognizing information from a digital platform. It mainly focuses on the lack of reading skills of visual details, navigation skills, and search skills, which are cognitive skills that require the use of digital information [4].

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