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Visual, hearing, physical, speech, cognitive/neurological, and age-related disabilities can all affect multimedia accessibility. Multiple disabilities or conditions can also affect someone's ability to access multimedia. Visual disabilities can include blindness, color blindness, and low or distorted vision. Deafness and hard of hearing are the most common conditions considered hearing disabilities. Physical, or motor, disabilities can include limitations of muscle or sensation, joint problems, missing limbs, or degrees of paralysis. Difficulty with voice loudness or clarity is typically an indication of a speech-related disability. Cognitive and neurological disabilities can include dyslexia or dyscalculia, attention deficit disorder, impairments of intelligence or memory, mental health or seizure disorders (http://www.w3.org).
Disabled users interact with a computer through various assistive technologies, specific to the user's disability (like the screen reader mentioned above). Ideally, the world (both physical and virtual) would be universally accessible. Everyone would be able to access the same information regardless of knowledge, experience, or limitation. Additionally, educational institutions would integrate accessibility training seamlessly into the curriculum, instead of their students learning through supplementary coursework or self-investigation. Due to an increasing emphasis on the protection of equal rights and the rapid progression towards virtual education, multimedia accessibility will inevitably transform from a suggestion to a standard.
Assistive technologies are probably the most recent, significant, successful advancement in helping people with disabilities communicate or retrieve information. These disability specific technologies can be in the form of hardware or software and can include screen readers, voice recognition products and systems, touch screens, screen enlargers and magnifiers, refreshable Braille displays and keyboards, electronic pointing devices (head mouse), wands and sticks, and joysticks. Assistive technologies have vastly improved the interactive communication experience for people with disabilities. These technologies are so successful because they give the ability to communicate back to the individual.
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