Guidance from the Graphical User Interface (GUI) Experience: What GUI Teaches211 About Technology Access

摘要

In August 1994, members and staff of the National Council on Disability (NCD)211u001ebegan meeting with representatives of the disability community and officials of 211u001eMicrosoft Corporation to discuss access to Windows-based software for people with 211u001edisabilities, especially people with severe visual impairments. As part of its 211u001eresearch agenda, NCD established Tech Watch, a community-based, cross-disability 211u001econsumer task force on technology. The 11-member task force provides information 211u001eto NCD on issues relating to emerging legislation on technology and helps monitor 211u001ecompliance with civil rights legislation, such as Section 508 of the 211u001eRehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. This report was commissioned by NCD on 211u001ethe advice of Tech Watch. It is a retrospective analysis of the crisis for people 211u001ewith visual disabilities that was caused by the widespread adoption of the 211u001egraphical user interface in information technologies. Numerous interviews were 211u001econducted to trace the history of the crisis and the response from the disability 211u001ecommunity in general and NCD in particular. The report makes recommendations to 211u001eNCD on how such a crisis might be averted in the future, so that people with 211u001edisabilities will benefit as much as others, from advances in technology.