Understanding Visual Disabilities

Vibe Check – Digital Accessibility for Visual Disabilities

Digital accessibility is crucial for ensuring that people with visual disabilities can fully engage with online content and services. This blog explores the different types of visual disabilities, the assistive technologies that support digital accessibility, and best practices for creating inclusive digital content.

A Personal Story – When Contrast Made All the Difference

During a website accessibility review, I encountered a finance dashboard that relied heavily on color-coded charts to present financial data. While testing with a color-blind simulation tool, I realized that critical data points disappeared for users with red-green color blindness. Additionally, when switching to a high-contrast mode, some text became unreadable against the adjusted background colors.

By implementing patterned textures in charts, adjusting contrast ratios, and providing alternative data views, the dashboard became accessible to a wider range of users. This experience reinforced the importance of designing beyond color reliance and ensuring clear, distinguishable content for all.

Elevate the Vibe – Understanding Visual Disabilities

1) Blindness

Blindness varies from total to legal blindness, both impacting digital accessibility.

• Total Blindness: No light perception or vision.
• Legal Blindness: Visual acuity of 20/200 or worse in the better eye with corrective lenses, or a visual field of 20 degrees or less.

2) Low Vision

Low vision cannot be fully corrected with glasses, contact lenses, medication, or surgery, making digital accessibility features essential.

• Macular Degeneration: Affects central vision, crucial for reading digital text.
• Glaucoma: Reduces peripheral vision, making screen navigation challenging.
• Diabetic Retinopathy: Impairs vision due to damage to retinal blood vessels.

3) Color Blindness

Color blindness affects the ability to distinguish certain colors, most commonly red-green or blue-yellow, impacting color-coded digital interfaces.

• Red-Green Color Blindness: Difficulty distinguishing between red and green shades.
• Blue-Yellow Color Blindness: Difficulty distinguishing between blue and yellow shades.
• Complete Color Blindness (Achromatopsia): Rare condition where no colors are perceived, only shades of gray.

4) Visual Field Deficits

Visual field deficits involve partial loss of vision, affecting how users interact with digital content.

• Hemianopia: Loss of half the visual field, often due to stroke or brain injury.
• Scotoma: Blind spots within the visual field, resulting from retinal damage or disease.
• Peripheral Vision Loss: Reduction in the outer areas of vision, common in conditions like glaucoma.

5) Night Blindness (Nyctalopia)

Night blindness makes it difficult to see in low light, impacting usability on devices with dim screens or poor contrast settings.

• Retinitis Pigmentosa: A genetic disorder causing progressive vision loss and difficulty seeing in low light.
• Vitamin A Deficiency: Essential for vision; a lack of this vitamin can cause night blindness.
• Congenital Stationary Night Blindness: A genetic condition affecting the ability to see in low light.

Vibe Up – Assistive Technologies for Digital Accessibility

1) Screen Readers

Convert on-screen text to speech or Braille, essential for blind users.

• JAWS (Job Access With Speech)
• NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access)
• VoiceOver (built into macOS and iOS)

2) Braille Displays

Provide tactile feedback, allowing users who are blind to read digital text.

3) Magnification Software

Tools that enlarge on-screen text and images for people with low vision.

• ZoomText
• Windows Magnifier

4) Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

OCR technology converts printed text into digital text, enabling screen readers to vocalize it.

• KNFB Reader
• Seeing AI

5) Voice Command Technology

Allows people to control digital devices and applications through speech.

• Dragon Software
• Google Assistant
• Siri
• Amazon Alexa

6) Smart Glasses

Smart glasses provide real-time visual information, aiding navigation and interaction with digital content.

• eSight
• OrCam MyEye

Vibe Boost – Best Practices for Digital Accessibility

1) Use Semantic HTML

Ensures that web elements are correctly identified by screen readers, improving navigation and comprehension.

2) Provide Text Alternatives

• Alt Text: Describe images succinctly to convey their purpose to screen readers.
• Text Transcripts: Provide transcripts for audio and video content to ensure all information is accessible.

3) Ensure Keyboard Accessibility

All interactive elements, such as buttons and links, should be navigable via keyboard to support users who cannot use a mouse.

4) Implement High Contrast Modes

High contrast modes improve readability for users with low vision and color blindness. Ensure your website or app supports these settings.

5) Use Descriptive Links

Avoid vague link texts like "click here." Instead, use descriptive phrases that explain the link’s destination or purpose.

6) Test with Assistive Technologies

Regularly test digital content with various assistive technologies to ensure compatibility and usability. Include screen readers, magnifiers, and keyboard-only navigation in your testing process.

Self-Reflection – Evaluating Visual Accessibility in Digital Content

Ask yourself:

• Does your content support screen readers, magnifiers, and Braille displays?
• Have you tested high contrast modes and keyboard accessibility?
• Are all images labeled with accurate alt text?
• Do your videos include captions and transcripts?
• How often do you test your site with assistive technologies?

Writing down your thoughts or discussing them with your team can help enhance digital accessibility efforts!

Vibing Out

Digital accessibility for people with visual disabilities is essential for creating inclusive online environments.

By understanding the different types of visual disabilities and leveraging assistive technologies, we can design digital content that is accessible to everyone.

Implementing best practices, such as using semantic HTML, providing text alternatives, ensuring keyboard accessibility, and testing with assistive technologies, will make a significant difference in achieving this goal.

By promoting and practicing digital accessibility, we ensure equal opportunities and participation for individuals with visual disabilities, helping them lead independent and fulfilling lives in our increasingly digital world.