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| ![](media/image1.pn  | **U.S. Department of Education\               |
| g){width="1.10625in" | Assistive Technology Program**                |
| height="1.10625in"}  |                                               |
|                      | 400 Maryland Avenue, SW\                      |
|                      | Washington, DC 20202\                         |
|                      | 202-260-5055                                  |
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# How Do Individuals With Disabilities Use the Web?

Roughly 10 percent of the general population has disabilities that will
interfere with their use of the Web. It is helpful to understand first
how people with disabilities use the Internet, and how their disability
affects their use of the Internet.

We are all likely to develop disabilities at some point in our lives.
Disabilities that can be addressed with thoughtful Web design cover a
wide range:

-   Blindness

-   Low vision (low acuity, tunnel vision, central field loss, clouded
    vision)

-   Color blindness

-   Deafness

-   Mobility impairments

-   Learning disabilities

-   Injuries such as a broken hand or repetitive stress disorder

Please visit the following sites to learn more about disabilities and to
understand better how people with disabilities use assistive
technologies to view the Web:

**A Brief Introduction to Disabilities\
**<http://trace.wisc.edu/docs/population/populat.htm>

Discusses the nature and causes of visual, hearing, physical and
cognitive/language impairments and related functional limitations.

**Introduction to Web Accessibility\
**<http://www.webaim.org/intro/>\
Provides an overview of Web accessibility that describes the five types
of disabilities that affect Internet usage. These disabilities are
visual impairments, hearing impairments, mobility impairments, cognitive
impairments and seizure disorders.

**How People with Disabilities Use the Web\
**<http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-Use-Web/Overview.html>\
Provides an introduction to use of the Web by people with disabilities.
It illustrates some of their requirements when using Web sites and
Web-based applications, and provides supporting information for the
guidelines and technical work of the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C)
Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).**\
\
**

**Video: Keeping Web Accessibility in Mind\
**<http://www.webaim.org/intro/>\
Provides an excellent overview of the difficulties users with
disabilities face on the Web and some of the motivations for Web
accessibility.

### Videos: "Introduction to the Screen Reader" and "Screen Readers and the Web" [**http://www.doit.wisc.edu/accessibility/video/**](http://www.doit.wisc.edu/accessibility/video/) Serves as a great starting point for anyone interested in understanding better how a screen reader interacts with electronic content and demonstrates how screen readers assist the blind to navigate the web and access electronic documents. 

**Screen Reader Simulation\
**<http://www.webaim.org/simulations/screenreader.php>\
Demonstrates what it is like for a person with a visual impairment to
access the Internet using a software program called a \"screen reader.\"

**Low Vision Simulation\
**<http://www.webaim.org/simulations/lowvision.php>\
Provides an opportunity for users to experience a Web page as someone
with a visual impairment might see it. Developers who are not visually
impaired often have difficulty understanding the problems users with
visual impairments face when accessing web pages that are not designed
with their needs in mind.

#### Cognitive Disability Simulation [**http://www.webaim.org/simulations/distractability.php**](http://www.webaim.org/simulations/distractability.php) Provides an opportunity for users to experience a Web page as someone with a cognitive disability might experience it.

**Color Vision Simulator Examples\
**<http://www.vischeck.com/examples/>\
Simulates how the world looks to people with various sorts of color
deficiency. Roughly 1 in 20 people have some sort of color vision
deficiency. The colors seen may be different than those seen by someone
with normal vision. Also, people with color deficiencies may see certain
colors (like red and green) as very similar, while someone with normal
vision sees them as quite dissimilar.

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*

For more information about the Department of Education's Assistive
Technology Program, please visit:
<http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/assistivetech.html>

*The links referenced in this document are created and maintained by
other public and private organizations and are provided for the user\'s
convenience. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or
guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness or completeness of
information from these sources. Further, the inclusion of links in this
document is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended
to endorse any views expressed or products or services offered, or the
organizations sponsoring the sites.*

*Last Updated on May 26,2006.*