June 27, 2005
Deafblind slate 'senseless' tech
Deafblind people find technology difficult and frustrating to use, a survey has found, reports the BBC.
"The study by the national charity Sense was the largest ever asking the views of deafblind people.
All most half of those surveyed who use assistive technology were experiencing difficulty.
The devices causing most concern were everyday items like remote controls, cookers, mobile phones and washing machines.
UK Deafbllind charity Sense commissioned the survey among deafblind people and their families to mark the start of Deafblind Awareness Week and to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
Although many of the UK's 23,000 deafblind people rely on technology for communication, access to information and achieving independence, the survey reveals a high level of dissatisfaction.
Among the most commonly cited problems, respondents mentioned:
-- A lack of help when buying items
-- Information not being available in alternative formats such as audio, large print or Braille
-- The trend for mobile phones to get smaller
-- The print size in instruction manuals being too small.
Sense says companies can improve their designs by:
-- Getting advice from deafblind people at the design stage
-- Using tactile devices like large raised buttons on phones and keyboards
-- Using large text of colour that contrasts well with the background on buttons and keys
-- Fitting large screens to devices like mobile phones and allowing the user to customise the text size
-- Ensuring consistency so that similar types of controls are operated in the same way
-- Making sure that instruction manuals are written in plain English with large illustrations and in a variety of formats.
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