I met today with Anne, a self advocate, a co-founder of Massachusetts Advocates Standing Strong (MASS), and a person who uses the Web daily. Anne is also a person with an intellectual disability.
Popular Request
When I started working with Anne to resolve some issues with her computer, the very first action she asked me to take was to increase its font size. This is a common request amongst other people with intellectual disabilities.
Increasing a computer’s font size will be the subject of the first tutorial for the future Clear Helper Web site. I could set up the site so it auto-detects the operating system of a visitor’s computer and displays the relevant instructions. This would be more useful than asking visitors to choose a set of instructions based upon which operating system they use. Many people do not know what an operating system is, let alone which version their computers use.
Anne’s Suggestions for Tutorials
For future tutorials, Anne suggested instructions on how to:
- increase the font size of operating systems and/or Web browsers;
- save for future use the Web site links sent via e-mail;
- save files, such as attachments, into folders; and
- find the contact information for state legislators.
Note: The last suggestion is one Anne has in common with Mary, another self advocate I interviewed.
MADIL
Anne also asked me to show her how to find information using The Massachusetts Aging and Disabilities Information Locator (MADIL). I designed the site to meet accessibility standards of the time. However, it has become clear to me it is not as accessible as it could be for people with intellectual disabilities. Its purpose and how I might improve its accessibility will be the subjects of a future blog post.