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Information Accessibility and Disability
WA Quality Certification No.1/APP, SW Accessibility Certification & Consulting –WebWatch, Inc
Computer and Smartphone Ownership Rates and Internet Use Rates among Persons with Disabilities in Korea
Thanks to the rapid expansion of the World Wide Web and the growing population of Internet users, computer and smartphone ownership rates among persons with disabilities in Korea have been steadily increasing. Today people enjoy a wide array of Internet services, including electronic government, Internet banking, electronic commerce, education on the Internet, and Internet search for news. Thus, computers and smartphones have become essential tools of everyday living, not only for the general population, but also for persons with disabilities.
Source: 2014 Fact-Finding Survey on Information Gap by Ministry of Science,
ICT and Future Planning, National Information Society Agency
For persons with vision disabilities
Persons with vision disabilities need voice and other audio assistance. Alternative text (alt = “00”) programs help them to “see” the same visual images in sound.
For persons with hearing disabilities
Persons with hearing disabilities need visual aids, such as subtitles. Subtitles and sign language on videos and other multimedia materials help insure that they “hear” the same audio information visually.
For persons with physical disabilities
Persons with brain lesions and upper limb disabilities need logical sequencing because they must use a keyboard to access information on the Internet. Suitable markups and language styles must be used to separate the structure from expression. Furthermore, the use of the “Tab” key, or the “Shift + Tab” function must result in a logical sequence of movement.
Types of Disabilities and Internet Access Tools
Types of disability | Characteristics | Aid tools |
---|---|---|
Vision disability(Total blindness) | Vision disability (Total blindness) Persons with total blindness have no or very little vision. Such a person can use a screen reader when using computers and the Internet. | Screen reader |
Vision disability(Low vision) | Persons with low vision cannot distinguish small letters and objects. Depending on the degree of the impairment, such a person can use a screen expansion, a color inversion program, or both when using computers and the Internet. | Screen expansion program |
Hearing disability | Person with total or partial hearing disability can use computers and the Internet when the information in sound is presented visually. | - |
Brain lesion/Physical disabilities | Depending on the location of the lesion and the degree of the damage, a person may not be able to use his or her hands at all or may have a severe hand tremor. Such persons can utilize an aid tool appropriate for their condition to use computers and the Internet. | Special keyboard/special mouse |