How the manually impaired can surf the internet

Many users, who cannot operate a mouse, navigate using the keyboard. The keys on the keyboard can be used to move from link to link. The ENTER key can be used to activate the required link. Internet users who are severely manually and motor impaired require a special keyboard or computer mouse. There are large panel keyboards which have large keys which are 20 to 26mm apart. These large panel keyboards are used by people who have reduced hand control and cannot use a standard keyboard. Keys which are recessed into the keyboard prevent the accidental selection of the key next to the one being selected. Large panel keyboards are also helpful for the visually impaired because the text used to label the keys is large.

Small panel keyboards are used by people with joint or muscular problems who can only move their arms with difficulty or not at all. Small panel keyboards are considerably smaller than standard keyboards and the keys can be easily pressed. A locking function allows the keyboard to be used with only one finger or with a mouth stick.

Trackballs are suitable for people with limited mobility. The ball which controls the mouse pointer can be moved with one finger. A user can surf the internet with a Trackball, without the need to move their arm.

Even paralysed internet users can use the internet. Resources include a head mouse, mouth mouse or eye tracking. 

Barriers for manually and motor impaired people

Barriers for mouse users

For many mouse users, to click exactly on a small area or on links which are not next to each other, is very difficult. The use of dropdown menus which do not involve target specific movement is also not easy and can be especially difficult for the users of a head or mouth mouse.  

Barriers for keyboard users

Those who use keyboard keys to navigate through a website can often not tell which link has been selected. Mouse users on the other hand can see this. For keyboard key users, the optical orientation is missing. Without changing the background or certain other changes, the user cannot fully see which link has been selected with the keyboard keys. For users who solely navigate using the keyboard, navigation using Javascript can be impossible. If navigation depends on mouse clicks, the navigation points cannot be activated using the keyboard keys. For users there then exists no way onto the internet. For keyboard users, a website is also not accessible if the keyboard keys remain on a link. The following links can then not be selected. The outcome is that most sights are not accessible.