The potential of adaptive interfaces as an accessibility aid for older web users

David Sloan, Matthew Tylee Atkinson, Colin Machin, Yunqui Li

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingOther chapter contribution

    39 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Supporting effective and enjoyable Web usage by people with sensory, motor and cognitive impairments requires more than just accessible Web content. There is an additional task of matching people with an accessibility solution that best accommodates their particular needs - which, especially for older Web users, may fluctuate in severity, number and combination. Lack of awareness of one's own accessibility needs and the solutions that may exist to accommodate them may lead to a reduced quality Web browsing experience or even abandonment. This paper discusses the difficulties in matching people with less severe, but multiple, impairments with the most appropriate accessibility features at a given time, and explores the role of automated or semi-automated adaptations as a solution for this problem. We review related work, and report on the early stages of our own work conducted to prove the concept of adaptations for accessibility in the specific context of supporting Web users with age-related capability decline. We also consider the potential ethical issues of automated and semi-automated accessibility adaptations on the wellbeing of older Web users, and how these might best be managed in a suitably sensitive way.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationW4A'10
    Subtitle of host publicationProceedings of the 2010 International Cross Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)
    Place of PublicationNew York
    PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
    ISBN (Print)9781450300452
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2010
    Event7th International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessiblity - Raleigh, United States
    Duration: 26 Apr 201027 Apr 2010
    http://www.w4a.info/2010/

    Conference

    Conference7th International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessiblity
    Country/TerritoryUnited States
    CityRaleigh
    Period26/04/1027/04/10
    Internet address

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