Findings About the Awareness and Use of Accessible Technology

A primary goal of this study was to understand the current awareness and use of accessible technology among computer users. In this section, details about awareness and use of built-in accessibility options and utilities and assistive technology products are examined separately.

Accessible technology enables individuals to adjust a computer to meet their visual, hearing, dexterity, cognitive, and speech needs. The accessible technology examined in this study included accessibility options built into products (such as the option that changes font size and colors) and assistive technology products (specialty hardware and software products such as a screen reader or voice recognition product).⁸

Widespread Awareness and Modest Use of Accessible Technology

Although most accessible technology was originally intended and designed for individuals with severe difficulties/impairments, accessible technology is widely used by computer users of all abilities today.

The majority of computer users (54%) are aware of some form of accessible technology but fewer are using it. Some form of accessible technology is used by 44% (or approximately 57 million) of computer users.

40% (approximately 52 million) computer users use built-in accessibility options/utilities.
17% (approximately 22 million) computer users use assistive technology products.

Note: The remainder of this report focuses on computer users with mild or severe difficulties/impairments. Appendix D provides data about awareness and use of accessible technology scaled to reflect percentages among all working-age computer users.

Most computer users who have mild or severe difficulties/impairments are aware of some form of accessible technology. Specifically:

95% of computer users with mild or severe difficulties/impairments are aware of accessible technology.
97% of computer users with mild difficulties/impairments are aware of accessible technology.
93% of computer users with severe difficulties/impairments are aware of accessible technology.

The rate of use of accessible technology is the same among computer users with mild or severe difficulties/impairments. Specifically:

69% of computer users with mild difficulties/impairments use some form of accessible technology.
69% of computer users with severe difficulties/impairments use some form of accessible technology.

Figure 9 provides additional data about the awareness and use of accessible technology among individuals with mild or severe visual, dexterity, hearing, cognitive, and speech difficulties/impairments.

Figure 9: Awareness and Use of All Accessible Technology Among Types of Difficulties and Impairments

	Awareness		Use
	Mild	Severe	Mild	Severe
Any	96%	93%	69%	69%
Visual	95%	94%	69%	70%
Dexterity	96%	92%	73%	74%
Hearing	95%	87%	70%	64%
Cognitive	91%	90%	67%	71%
Speech	95%	87%	68%	56%

Base: US 18- to 64- year-old computer users with difficulties/impairments

Awareness is fairly uniform across all types of difficulties/impairments with the exception of cognitive difficulties/impairments for which awareness is slightly lower. Awareness is lower among computer users with severe hearing, speech, and cognitive difficulties/impairments compared to those with severe visual and dexterity difficulties/impairments.

Among types of mild difficulties/impairments, computer users with mild visual, dexterity, and hearing impairments/difficulties use accessible technology more than those with mild cognitive and speech impairments/difficulties, however the differences are minor. Among those with severe difficulties/impairments, the use of accessible technology is substantially lower among computer users with severe speech difficulties/impairments than among those with other severe difficulties/impairments.

While awareness and use of accessible technology is widespread, it differs greatly by type of accessibility option or assistive technology product. In the following sections, awareness and use of built-in accessibility options and utilities and assistive technology products are presented in detail.

Accessibility Options and Utilities Awareness and Use

The most commonly used forms of accessible technology are accessibility options and utilities that are built into most current operating systems.⁹ This section presents details about current awareness and use of these built-in features.

Awareness of Accessibility Options and Utilities

Awareness of accessibility options in general is quite high; however, variation exists among the specific options. Among computer users with mild or severe difficulties/impairments, 88% are aware of built-in accessibility options. Specifically:

77% are aware of display options.
64% are aware of mouse options.
65% are aware of keyboard options.
38% are aware of sound options.

Awareness of built-in accessibility utilities is notably lower. Among computer users with mild or severe difficulties/impairments, 38% are aware of built-in accessibility utilities. Specifically:

33% are aware of a built-in screen magnification utility in the operating system.
17% are aware of a built-in on-screen keyboard in the operating system.
17% are aware of a built-in screen reader in the operating system.

Use of Accessibility Options and Utilities

The use of accessibility options is also quite high and variation of use matches awareness. Among computer users with mild or severe difficulties/impairments, 71% report using built-in accessibility options. Specifically:

48% use display options.
32% use mouse options.
33% use keyboard options.
14% use sound options.

The use of built-in accessibility utilities is lower than that for accessibility options, which is expected given that awareness is notably lower. Among computer users with mild or severe difficulties/impairments, 14% report using built-in accessibility utilities. Specifically:

10% use a screen magnification utility that is built into their operating system.
2% use an on-screen keyboard that is built into their operating system.
2% use a screen reader that is built into their operating system.

Figure 10 shows awareness and use of built-in accessibility options and utilities among computer users with mild or severe difficulties/impairments. While awareness varies among types of built-in accessibility options and utilities, there is very little variation in either awareness or usage by form of difficulty/impairment. This is partially explained by looking at the reasons why individuals report using accessibility options and utilities, which is discussed in the next section.

Figure 10: Awareness and Use of Built-in Accessibility Options/Utilities Among Computer Users with Mild or Severe Difficulties/Impairments

Assistive Technology Product Awareness and Use

This section provides data about the awareness and use of assistive technology products. Assistive technology products are specially designed hardware and software products that are chosen specifically to accommodate individuals with visual, dexterity, hearing, speech, and cognitive difficulties and impairments. Many individuals who need these products cannot effectively use a computer without their assistive technology product because of a difficulty or impairment.

Assistive technology products are not as commonly used as built-in accessibility options/utilities because they tend to fulfill the needs for a narrower group of people and require a separate purchase and installation.

Awareness of Assistive Technology Products

Awareness of assistive technology products is lower than awareness of built-in accessibility options and utilities and tremendous variation in awareness exists among the different categories of assistive technology products.

Among computer users with mild or severe difficulties/impairments, 80% are aware of assistive technology products. Assistive technology products with the highest awareness rates are:

64% are aware of touch screen/monitors.
56% are aware of voice recognition products.
46% are aware of trackballs.
36% are aware of screen magnifiers.

Additional data about the awareness of assistive technology products is provided below in Figure 11.

Assistive technology products that are more specialized and critical for individuals with particular difficulties/impairments but do not aid general computer users (such as a Braille embossers and refreshable Braille displays, which are only useful for those who can read Braille) have much lower awareness rates than products with a wider potential audience such as voice recognition software and alternative keyboards.

Use of Assistive Technology

Similar to awareness, assistive technology product usage is highest among products that are more widely used by the general population and lower among more specialty products designed for specific difficulties/impairments. Assistive technology products are not as commonly used as built-in accessibility options/utilities because assistive technology products require a separate purchase and installation.

Among computer users with mild or severe difficulties/impairments, a total of 22% report using assistive technology products. Computer users with severe difficulties/impairments often have a greater need for assistive technology products, especially for individuals with a severe difficulty/impairment such as those who are blind or do not have the use of their arms for which assistive technology is required. Therefore, it is logical to assume that assistive technology use is higher among individuals with severe difficulties/impairments than among those with mild difficulties/impairments. However:

21% of individuals with mild difficulties/impairments use assistive technology products.
24% of individuals with severe difficulties/impairments use assistive technology products.

Assistive technology use differs at home versus work. Specifically, of individuals with mild or severe difficulties/impairments:

16% use assistive technology products at home.
12% use assistive technology products at work.

Figure 11 also provides detailed data about the total use of assistive technology products as well as use at home and work. In most cases, the use of assistive technology products is slightly higher at home than at work.

Figure 11: Awareness and Use of Assistive Technology Products Among Computer Users with Mild or Severe Difficulties/Impairments

	Awareness	Home Use	Work Use	Total Use
Alternative keyboards	31%	2%	1%	3%
Augmentative communication devices	14%	<1%	<1%	1%
Braille embosser/printer	13%	<1%	<1%	<1%
Electronic pointing devices	32%	1%	1%	2%
On-screen keyboards	21%	2%	1%	2%
Reading tools	17%	1%	<1%	1%
Refreshable Braille display	8%	<1%	<1%	<1%
Screen magnifier	36%	4%	3%	5%
Screen readers	16%	1%	1%	1%
Sip-and-puff switches	10%	<1%	<1%	<1%
Speech-training software	16%	1%	1%	1%
Talking word processor	24%	1%	1%	1%
Touch screen/monitor	64%	1%	4%	4%
Trackball	46%	7%	4%	9%
TTY/TTD modem	24%	<1%	<1%	<1%
Voice recognition products	56%	3%	1%	4%
Word prediction programs	11%	1%	1%	2%

Base: US 18- to 64-year old computer users with mild or severe difficulties/impairments

Why Individuals Use Accessible Technology

It is commonly assumed that individuals choose to use accessible technology because they have a difficulty or impairment. However, this study challenges this assumption by asking individuals who use accessible technology why they use accessibility options/utilities or assistive technology products. This study reveals that computer users use accessible technology because it makes the computer easier, more convenient, and more comfortable to use. Reasons why individuals report using accessible technology are presented below.

Why Individuals Use Accessibility Options and Utilities

Computer users who reported using built-in accessibility options and utilities were asked why they chose to use these options/utilities. The main three reasons reported for using accessibility options/utilities are that it makes the computer easier, more convenient, and more comfortable to use.

Individuals with and without difficulties/impairments are turning to accessibility options/utilities to improve their overall computing experience. Among computer users who use built-in accessibility options and utilities:

32% have no difficulty/impairment.
68% have a mild or severe difficulty/impairment.¹⁰

Figure 12 provides the reasons why computer users report using accessibility options among computer users with no, mild, or severe difficulties/impairments. The primary reason all types of individuals gave for using accessibility options/utilities is that they make the computer easier to use, followed by convenience and comfort.

Computer users who use accessibility options/utilities were asked directly if they use these accessibility options/utilities to avoid a health problem or because of an existing health or physical issue. While individuals with severe difficulties/impairments often need accessible technology in order to be able to use a computer, a health issue was rarely reported as the primary reason for choosing to use accessible technology. Health reasons play a larger role for those with mild or severe difficulties/impairments (as show in Figure 12), but more individuals choose to use accessibility options/utilities because they make the computer easier, more convenient, and more comfortable to use.

Figure 12: Reasons Computer Users Report for Using Accessibility Options

Why Individuals Use Assistive Technology Products

Reasons why computer users use assistive technology products were also studied. Assistive technology products differ from built-in accessibility options/utilities in that they are specialty products focused on meeting specific needs for individuals, often those with severe difficulties/impairments. These products are often essential for an individual with a severe difficulty/impairment to be able to effectively use a computer. Therefore, it is not surprising that health reasons are more frequently cited as reasons for using assistive technology products than for using built-in accessibility options/utilities.

However, individuals also choose to use assistive technology products for reasons other than health issues and many feel that these products enhance their computing experience. From trackballs to screen magnifiers, participants frequently reported that these products make computers "easier to use," "more comfortable," and "convenient."

Figure 13 shows the reasons assistive technology users report for using assistive technology products.

Participants who use assistive technology were asked to report if their use of assistive technology was due to an ongoing health issue, a health issue they had recovered from, avoiding a health issue, or assisting someone in their household with an ongoing health issue. The majority, 65%, of assistive technology users did not report any of these health issues as reasons for using assistive technology products. The second most likely reason assistive technology users report using assistive technology products is to avoid a health issue.

Figure 13: Reasons Assistive Technology Users Report for Using Assistive Technology Products

Furthermore, some individuals with a difficulty/impairment ameliorated by assistive technology products do not always associate the purchase and usage of their assistive technology product directly with their difficulty/impairment, but instead report that assistive technology products make it easier to use a computer. This study identified a trend among some participants with severe difficulties/impairments who discussed the use of their assistive technology products. For example, one participant with a severe dexterity difficulty/impairment commented that her voice recognition software allowed her "to not have to type" and another participant with a severe visual difficulty/impairment reported using a screen magnifier "to make it easier to see." Neither participant reported using assistive technology products for health reasons when asked. In other words, someone with arthritis may be more likely to find that voice recognition software enhances their computing experience but does not directly associate the use of voice recognition software with the arthritis.

Next page: Factors that Influence the Use of Accessible Technology

⁸ See Appendix A for details about the types of accessible technology studied
⁹ See Appenix B for a list of the operating systems and versions studied
¹⁰ This data was determined by the initial Phase I survey

(A Research Report Commissioned by Microsoft Corporation and Conducted by Forrester Research, Inc., in 2004)