![]() Some people claim that the "average" user makes upwards of 5000 clicks a day, which highlights why going mouse-less might be even more challenging. We were quite surprised to see lots of examples of websites devoted to laptops advocating keyboard shortcuts. ![]() You can even take advantage of keyboard shortcuts if you are a laptop user. Yes, you can control your computer as a keyboard only user! Lots of people do. Yvonne Tevis is editor of the UC IT Blog and chief of staff, Information Technology Services, UCOP.What would happen if your mouse or pointing device was taken away from you? Would you know what to do?Īs part of GAAD on Thursday 18th May we challenge you to spend a portion of your day (even just 10 minutes) trying to use your computer with just your keyboard. So go ahead and be GAAD, unplug your mouse… ![]() On the UC electronic accessibility website, you can find all kinds of information – everything from resources for web developers, UC’s IT Accessibility Policy, guidelines for buying accessible products, and the experts at each UC location who can help you out. Many people across the UC system are dedicated to helping create an accessible IT environment at UC. Then spend awhile on the sites you like, using only the keyboard (tab/shift tab, arrow keys, enter and spacebar) to get around. Well, launch a free screen reader and then unplug your mouse and turn off the monitor. To see what this can be like, disable the page’s stylesheets and compare the order of elements before and after. If someone uses a screen reader, it’s essential that the page be designed so that the content will be read out loud in the correct order. You can download a color contrast analyzer and find out how your page(s) stack up. If someone has vision impairments or is color blind, websites have to have sufficient color contrast for them to see the content. Does it work? Is there any loss of content or functionality? Did all elements resize, including all widgets? Check for sufficient color contrast To see what that can be like, use your browser and resize the text to 200 percent. If someone has low vision, they may need to be able to enlarge text and other content. To see what that can be like, disable your mouse or touchpad and only use your keyboard (tab/shift tab, arrow keys, enter key, and spacebar) to navigate and interact with websites and applications. If someone has motor control or other disabilities (including vision impairments) that prevent them from using a mouse, they may use the keyboard to navigate a site. These examples were provided by the GAAD website: Go mouseless for an hour Here are a few things you can try so that you better understand what disabled people face when navigating the web – and what developers and designers need to keep in mind to make our IT environment accessible. What’s it like to use assistive technology? For a demo, watch Web Accessibility Evangelist Lucy Greco at UC Berkeley using a screen reader. The caveat, of course, is that the site must be coded so the screen reader can follow content in a logical order, tell the user what the links actually go to, and generally have things makes sense. It reads the content of a website or application out loud. What is a screen reader?Ī screen reader is software used by blind or visually impaired people. ![]() When you do that, you’ll understand why IT needs to be designed to be accessible to the people who use assistive technologies like screen readers. What does that mean? Well, walk for a minute in someone else’s shoes – particularly someone who is disabled and has to use assistive technology to surf the web, watch a video, or complete an online form. May 17, 2018, is Global Accessibility Awareness Day or “GAAD,” as they say. ![]()
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