ICT has enabled disabled people to carry out many
tasks that were only carried out by people with no
disabilities.
A list of examples
 People who are deaf or hard of hearing can now access




information using ICT.
Instant messaging or webcams can be used.
Fonts can be increased for people who have eye
problems.
People can work from home.
Touch screens and voice recognition systems are also
used
Some PC features in use
 Sticky keys to avoid having to press two keys at once.
 Filter keys for a computer to ignore certain repeated
key presses.
 Mouse keys- where the number keypad can be
programmed to control the pointer.
 Changing the appearance of pointers, fonts, menus etc
 A mouse pointer can be conifigured to leave a trail
Some PC features in use
 Overlay or concept keyboard- This can have much
larger keys that can be read by people with sight
problems.
 Head pointer which can detect the movement of the
head using cameras.
 Braille keyboards for the blind
 Predictive word processors which can be accompanied
by voice software.
Some PC features in use
 Speech recognition software using microphones and




word processors.
Tracker balls which are used with either hands or feet.
Joysticks
Touch screens where images are used to replace
characters.
Head wand- this is a wand or rod attached to a
headband. This is used by people with limited or no
limp movement.
Shopping
 Disabled people find it easier to shop from than to go
for shopping. The use of broadband internet access
also means that shopping can be done 24/7.
 Special features can make it easier to read product
information.
 Supermarkets do not at times provide features for the
diabled and as a result lose out on a big market.
Challenges for the disabled
 There is at times too much animation on websites.
 Inconsistent navigation
 Small font sizes
 The requirement for specialist browsers
Banking
 Online banking has helped disabled people with eye
sight problems and those who are not able to move.
 People with speech problems/deaf find it easier to
bank from home.
Bookings Systems
 Disabled people find it easier to make a booking and
choose an appropriate seat.
 Facilities for the disabled can also be found online.
 Font can be enlarged.
 It also saves time.
Health Services
 Online consultations with health professionals can be
done.
 Those who cannot travel or have speech problems can
communicate easily online using text messages
 General health information can also be found.
Employment
 The training of disabled people in ICTs is helping to
create employment for them.
 ICT has generally improved the efficiency of business
and created employment for everyone including
disabled people.
 There are many retraining centres dedicated to
helping the disabled and employment opportunities
have been created for them.
Government
Some governments have made it mandatory to have
websites that also cater for the disabled.