The Usability Of Window 2000 Accessibility Tools For Visually Impaired People

B. den Brinker, G. Goudsbloem and M. van Delden

Het Loo Erf,
Department Low Vision ergonomics,
Waldeck Pyrmontstraat 31
NL 7315 JH Apeldoorn,
The Netherlands,

Most visually impaired people (VIP) use screen enlarger programs to work with graphical user interfaces (GUIs). While solving the problem of to small character sizes of text on the computer display, these enlargement programs create new problems in navigating through the GUI. The purpose of this study is to identify these problems in experimental studies and to offer solutions.

Method:

12 low vision subjects and 8 sighted subject wearing blurring glasses had to (1) read a text, (2) find a chapter in a report and (3) find an option in a dialogue box. Time to perform the task was taken as a measure of efficacy under two conditions. In the first task text had to be scrolled horizontally (I) or not (II). In the other two tasks the display was either exclusively enlarged (Cond. I) or offered a switch option to an unmagnified image (Cond. II).

Results:

Non scrolling text was read much faster than text that had to be scrolled. In the two other tasks switching magnification was more effective. However, This was only the case for the VIP subjects. Sighted subject did not use switch option in Condition II.

Conclusions:

VIPs have another vision strategy in navigating through the GUI. Many navigation problems caused by enlargement programs can be solved by applying accessibility options of the Windows GUI. A summary of solutions is presented.,