STEPS TOWARD OUTPUT DEVICE-INDEPENDENT FEEDBACK - EVALUATION OF A STANDARDIZED VOCABULARY

Computers have become an important tool for participating in society f or many people with disabilities. Recent efforts in rehabilitation eng ineering have focused on input techniques for the human-computer inter face and on improving the visual presentation of information. However, as these visual presentations become more sophisticated, currently ex emplified by Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs), access for people with visual or cognitive impairments often becomes more difficult. A model of feedback that is relatively independent of sensory modalities (i.e. , visual, auditory and tactile) has been proposed by Fels, Shein, Chig nell and Milner (1992) as a basis for designing user interfaces for pe ople with a wide range of sensory abilities. One key component identif ied in this model is a standardised feedback vocabulary that describes screen elements. A study was conducted to determine whether target us ers could use the elements of this language to identify the elements w ithin existing screens. Results indicate that target users can learn a nd apply the vocabulary after a one-hour training period, although the re is a high rate of omission errors which indicates a need for more r esearch on this topic.