Communicating across web accessibility barriers

Recently I had the opportunity to communicate across several barriers and technologies in a fascinating demonstration of how people and technology can be combined to overcome accessibility challenges.

After speaking at the Andicom Conference in Cartegena Colombia, I attended the commercial exhibition and particularly the U-city, a demonstration of ubiquitous computing in various areas of everyday life.

As User Vision provide many web accessibility services such as usability testing with disabled users and accessibility audits, I spent quite a bit of time with the project Conectando Sentidos (Connecting Senses) the Colombian Ministry of Communication’s programme addressing accessibility in technology.

There, in addition to seeing their demonstrations of magnifiers and refreshable Braille displays (photos below), I met for the first time a person who was both deaf and blind. I have long wondered how people without either hearing or sight can communicate, especially using today’s technologies.









The team set about demonstrating by having me engage in a conversation across several potential barriers, as shown in the photos:

• What I said in English was first translated to Spanish by one team member

• Another person communicated the message to Juan, the deaf & blind person by holding their hands & arms and manoeuvring them in a way to convey the message in a form of physical sign language

• Once he understood the message Juan used sign language to communicate to another person via a web cam and web connection

• The person at the other end of the web cam replied, their response was translated by movement again to Juan, and the process continued.

Considering the number of steps and modes of communication, the process was relatively rapid. Once we got the hang of it I found myself explaining who I was and why I was there, and learning about their involvement with the government’s accessibility programme.

The demonstration was a fascinating display of overcoming barriers through innovation and technology, and for me a great insight to how communication is achieved with people who are both deaf and blind.