AST – Digital Accessibility Options

1. Access accessibility options.
2. Imagine that you need to educate someone on how to use their computer following a newly-acquired disability. They could have lost the use of one arm, have impaired fine motor control, or significant physical impairments.
3. Detail out the steps to access the recommendation and why, how to access the modification on your system
4. Do the same for someone with possible visual or sensory impairments.

VoiceOver

VoiceOver is one of the most well-known accessibility features. It arrived in Mac OS X 10.3 Panther in 2003, then the iPhone 3GS, and is now available on all Apple platforms. It’s intended for low-vision & blind users.

To enable VoiceOver on iPad, open Settings, then tap Accessibility in the sidebar, then it’s the first option. Flip the switch to enable it.

To use VoiceOver, as the system instructs:

• Tap once to select an item
• Double-tap to activate the selected item
• Swipe three fingers to scroll
• To go Home: Slide one finger up from the bottom edge until you hear the second sound and lift your finger
• To use the App Switcher: Slide up farther from the bottom until you hear the third sound and lift your finger
• To use the Dock: Slide one finger up from the bottom edge until you hear the second sound, then swipe down
• To use Control Center: Slide one finger down from the top edge until you hear the second sound and lift your finger
• To use Notification Center: Slide down farther from the top until you hear the third sound and lift your finger

If you’re used to using iPadOS as a sighted user, it can be difficult to adapt at first—tapping no longer takes you to your expected destination, you have to tap once, then double-tap, etc.

Apple Watch for Wheelchair Users

By default, the Activity app on Apple Watch measures movement/calories, minutes of exercise, and “stand hours” (getting up to walk around for at least one minute for each of 12 hours). For wheelchair users, the Stand ring becomes Roll.

To enable Wheelchair Mode, go to your Health Profile in the My Watch section of the Apple Watch app on your iPhone:

Now, on your Apple Watch, you’ll notice in the Activity app:

According to engineers, to build this feature, Apple conducted “the most comprehensive survey of wheelchair fitness to date.” If you’ve got watchOS 3 or later, it’s just one small switch to flip!