The most common computer “input devices” are the keyboard and mouse. In most cases, device independence means a function or feature can be accessed by some means other than using a mouse, though ultimately it means they can be accessed by any device. The phrase implies that Web content will be accessible to anyone, including people with disabilities that frequently use non-conventional devices and access methods.
Published in Chapter:
Web Accessibility
Gregory R. Gay (University of Toronto, Canada), Paola Salomoni (University of Bologna, Italy), and Silvia Mirri (University of Bologna, Italy)
Copyright: © 2008
|Pages: 6
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-59140-993-9.ch095
Abstract
Technologies have been developed to make personal computers accessible to people with disabilities, important for promoting inclusion in everyday life, education, and work. In the 90s, the spread of Internet applications, and specifically of the Web, created a new issue: Would the Web be accessible to people with disabilities? Web accessibility is partially dependent on assistive technologies used by people with disabilities to access their PCs. But, it also depends on whether people with various disabilities can perform specific tasks on their PCs with the help of their assistive technologies. Another dimension of Web accessibility is the responsibility of Web authors, developers, designers, and technologies they use to develop Web content.