Page 304 - Handbook of Electronic Assistive Technology

Chapter 10 • Assistive Technology Integration and Accessibility 293

Although it might not be directly evident that the field of computer accessibility
relates to integrating ATs, these were key steps. At the time, PCs had already integrated
a range of tasks for those ‘nondisabled’ people using them at work and at home –
allowing tasks that would previously have required separate machines or individuals to
be centralised through one terminal. Improving the accessibility of PCs allowed peo-
ple with disabilities to access these same benefits – the PC was an empowering tool of
integration.
At the same time, switches and other interface alternatives, which had been designed
as access methods to these standalone ATs, became repurposed and viable as input meth-
ods to PCs. Colven and Detheridge (1990) describe the initial development of alterna-
tive access methods into PCs as: ‘The use of switches was pioneered in British education
mainly on BBC and Apple II computers. The BBC had a port called the user port. It is
now possible to get cards with a replica of the User Port for other machines’ (Colven and
Detheridge, 1990).
This early work led to the development of accessibility frameworks in most of the main
operating systems. These frameworks and associated design standards allowed software
developers to write software that would then natively work with assistive devices. In
describing their early work, Vanderheiden and Lee (1988) acknowledge that many low-
cost and no-cost modifications to computers would potentially increase the number of
individuals who could use standard computers. They stated that in discussions with engi-
neers and designers it became apparent that many of the desired changes could have been
included in the design of computers initially if only the developers had been aware of the
need for and impact of such changes.
Web Accessibility

Web accessibility is another related field that emerged in the mid-1990s through the cre-
ation of the Web Access Initiative. Although arguably not an integration method directly,
the improvements in web accessibility allowed many individuals to perform a wide range
of functions using their control and access method. These include tasks that would previ-
ously have involved physical interactions such as shopping or banking.
Dardailler (2017) provides a history of the Web Accessibility Initiative and quotes Tim
Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web: ‘The emergence of the World Wide Web
has made it possible for individuals with appropriate computer and telecommunications
equipment to interact as never before. It presents new challenges and new hopes to people
with disabilities.’
When looking at both web and computer accessibility, while providing the potential
to improve access via assistive devices, many accessibility frameworks rely on the soft-
ware developer developing code that meets the standards and there was little incen-
tive for developers to do this. Legislation to mandate the consideration and inclusion of
accessibility frameworks and adaptations have attempted to address this. In the United
States, the Section 508 Amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 provided a signifi-
cant impetus to the improvement of web accessibility in requiring all federal agencies’