Accessibility Guidelines

This page contains guidelines on how to make media, printed materials, structures, buildings, businesses, health care, education, employment, justice, public services, emergency management, etc accessible to the Usher Syndrome and Deafblind communities in India. Although many of the guidelines listed on this page are applicable to all countries, our main focus is to include guidelines that are applicable in India.

Disclaimer: These guidelines were compiled from various sources -- from publications, outcome of research, and personal experiences. We cannot guarantee the completeness and accuracy of these guidelines.


Index

  • What is accessibility?
  • Why make your Product and Services accessible?
  • What does accessibility mean for a person with both hearing and vision impairment?
  • Accessibility Features in Smartphones and Tablets
  • Accessibility Guidelines for Airline Travel
  • Accessibility Guidelines for Book Publishers
  • Accessibility Guidelines for Chats
  • Accessibility Guidelines for Metro and Rail Stations
  • Accessibility Guidelines for Movies, News, TV Programs
  • Accessibility Guidelines for Online Video Meetings
  • Accessibility Guidelines for Retail Stores
  • Accessibility Guidelines for Social Media Posts
  • Accessibility Guidelines for Web Content
  • Accessibility Guidelines for YouTube Videos
  • Disaster and Emergency Management

What is accessibility?

Accessibility is the practice of making information, activities, products, services and places easy to understand and use, for as many people as possible, with or without disability, and regardless of the type of disability. 


Why make your Product and Services accessible?


Supporting Youtube video: Accessibility Matters by Diversity and Equal Opportunity Centre DEOC.

What does accessibility mean for a person with both hearing and vision impairment?

<to be added>


Accessibility Features in Smartphones and Tablets

Mobile Devices (eg, smartphones, tablets) have their own built-in accessibility features. Go to your device's "Settings" and explore the features offered under "Accessibility".

For hard-of-hearing users, accessibility features may include:
  • listen to live speech and display it as text
  • adapt the phone sounds to match your frequency needs
  • switch audio between stereo and mono 
For low-vision users, accessibility features may include:
  • contrast controls
  • color adjustments
  • font controls
  • magnification and zooming
  • animation controls
For blind/low-vision users:
  • provide audio feedback that describes what you touch, select and activate

For profound deafblind users, explore how you can use your mobile device with a refreshable braille device.


Accessibility Guidelines for Airline Travel


When booking a flight:
??

When checking in at the airport:
??

When travelling, guidelines for the flight attendants:
  • after demonstrating to the passengers the safety procedures, go to the DB passenger to inform them where is the nearest exit door, the nearest toilet, the call button, life jacket
    • where applicable, let them touch the call button, and life jacket 
  • for DB passengers who can still see a little bit, 
    • kneel down to the seat level of the DB passenger
    • speak face-to-face so the passenger can lipread you better and see your facial expression
  • for DB passengers who can still hear a little bit: speak at a slightly higher volume

When travelling, guidelines for the DB passenger:
??


Guidelines for the Airline company:
  • for passenger registration forms, ask if the passenger has hearing and/or vision impairments
  • for the DB passengers:
    • provide a copy of the food and beverage menu in braille 
    • provide a copy of the safety procedures in braille

Accessibility Guidelines for Book Publishers


Accessibility Guidelines for Chats

Chats via WhatsApp, Messenger, Viber, etc

Use short and simple sentences. For longer communications, it is better to use email instead of chats.


For a deaf-low vision person who can view content at close range:
    • Use text-only content.
    • Avoid videos and pictures

    For a profoundly deafblind person:

      • Use text-only content. A deafblind person can read the text using a refreshable braille device. 
      • Do not use videos and pictures.

      Accessibility Guidelines for Metro and Rail Stations

      • provide a mobile app which can be connected to a refreshable Braille device. The app can send a message of the next station stop, help a DB find the toilet, etc.
      • provide wide ramps from the road level to all levels, so there is space for a DB person can walk with a cane without bumping into other people
      • provide elevator buttons with Braille markings
      • connect important points of the building with tactile flooring/pavings, so cane users can easily navigate from one important point to another. For example, the important points in a Metro Station include ticket counters, coach entrances, station access points.
      • provide emergency intercoms with Braille markings
      • announce station stops with loud speaker for the visually impaired
      • special ticket counters can provide information in sign language and high-contrast diagrams for hearing impaired
      • reserved compartment or reserved seating for the disabled
      Sources: [1]

      Accessibility Guidelines for Movies, News, TV Programs

      Movies and TV shows represent an important form of entertainment for the deafblind community. Movies can be shown on television, a computer screen, a mobile device like a phone or tablet.

      Definitions:
      • Subtitles – show spoken words as text on screen, for users to read
      • Audio descriptions - describes the non-spoken content (such as sounds, and actions) occurring in the movie as text on screen 
      • Screen reader – a software that relays the contents on a computer screen to a braille device or a voice synthesizer, for visually impaired and/or hearing impaired users

      Guidelines:
      • Allow subtitle font size to be adjustable. [This is available on the Netflix app.]
      • Allow subtitle font style to be adjustable, or use a simple font style like _____ font.
      • Allow subtitle background color to be changed.  If the background of the subtitle is transparent, then the subtitle may conflict with the images in the movie, making it difficult to read the subtitles.
      • On mobile devices (phones or tablets), 
        • add options to increase or decrease the brightness of the image. [Available on Netflix]
        • add options to increase or decrease the playback speed [Available on Netflix]
      • On computers, add keyboard shortcuts to control play/pause, rewind/fast forward, screen size, and volume. [This is available on Netflix.]
      • Test and allow screen readers to be able to navigate an app screen and read the text aloud. [Available on Netflix]
      • For visually-impaired users:
        • Add audio descriptions. When there is no dialogue, an audio description can be used to narrate what is happening on screen. Audio descriptions can include descriptions of facial expressions, actions, and scenery. [This is an option in Netflix for many shows.]

      Examples of Accessible Videos:

      Examples of Inaccessible Videos:
      https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hjFE71XBguWdp391Sp0L9VRDauq9Kfwe/view?usp=share_link -- the background of the subtitles conflicts with the video itself.



      Accessibility Guidelines for Online Video Meetings


      Zoom Accessibility features: https://explore.zoom.us/en/accessibility/

      • Understand the communication needs of all deaf/deafblind attendees.
        • If there are deaf attendees, make sure there are interpreters supporting the meeting online.
        • If there are deafblind attendees, make sure they have tactile interpreters with them in-person. 
      • Remind the speaker before the meeting: 
        • Avoid sharing slides on screen, when there are 2+ sign language interpreters who also need to be on focus.
        • If the speaker really needs to share slides on screen:
          • use a slide background that is dark-colored and plain (no design). A light-colored background can cause glare problems, which consequently can lead to eye strain and headaches for low-vision attendees.
          • use a light-colored text to contrast with the dark background
          • avoid clutter on a slide. Use less text.
          • use bigger font size
          • use simple straight-line fonts, not cursive-type
          • avoid using italics, or underlines, or long blocks of all-capital letters as all these are harder to read
          • avoid using images or videos. If images cannot be avoided, image descriptions.
      • Remind the interpreters before the meeting:
        • wear dark colored tops with no prints; plain black top is preferred. This will make it easier for the deaf low vision attendees to see the interpreter's hands
        • keep your background simple (preferably plain and dark colored)
        • make sure there are no bright lights behind you that can cause glare
        • make sure your face and the area in front of your body, where you sign, are well-lit
        • request the interpreters to join the online meeting early to ensure they can hear you, you can hear them, deaf low-vision attendees can see them properly.
        • if an interpreter is unable to follow the discussion (due to low volume, network issues, difficult technical terms, strong accent, etc), the interpreter should interrupt for clarification. This will ensure that they are conveying the correct message to the attendees.
      • At the beginning of the Zoom meeting,
        • switch to Speaker View (not Gallery View)
        • make all ISL interpreters co-hosts, and remind the interpreters to help the host spotlight the correct people (the attendee or interpreter who is currently signing).
        • request all attendees to name/rename their Zoom profiles properly. This helps the interpreters identify the speakers to the deaf/deafblind attendees.
        • start the recorder
        • turn on the live captions. Remind the attendees how to turn on their live captions
      • During the meeting,
        • spotlight all active online interpreters., to ensure that all DLv attendees can see the interpreter properly. This will also ensure that the Zoom recording will capture a bigger image of the interpreters.
      • At the end of the Zoom meeting, 
        • save the transcript onto a file
        • save the contents of the chat window
      • If you wish the contents of the meeting to be available to others, you can either (1) upload the Zoom video of the meeting onto YouTube (and manually edit the captions), or (2) edit the transcript file (to make it more descriptive and to correct for errors) and share the transcript file with others (via email, Google Drive, etc).  [Remember: for the profoundly deafblind who use braille, a descriptive transcript file is more helpful than a video with captions.] 


      Accessibility Guidelines for Retail Stores


      For grocery stores, showrooms, shopping malls, department stores, hospitals, museums, hotels, restaurants, convention centers, tourist areas, airports, train stations, sports stadiums.

      Physical features
      • Ramps or Sloped surfaces, instead of steps -- easy for cane-users to navigate
      • Wide aisles -- easier for other people to walk around someone using a cane
      • No-clutter aisles -- clutter on the floor can cause a visually impaired person to trip and fall
      • Greeters in entrances  -- a disabled person can ask the greeter where to find specific things. 
      • Helpers in washrooms
      • Braille on elevator buttons
      • Well-lit permises, especially stairs, washrooms

      Use of Bluetooth Beacons

      A bluetooth beacon is a small wireless device that uses Bluetooth technology. In a retail store, a beacon can be placed on a wall at the front of each aisle. Using an app created by the store owner, and paired with that beacon, the shopper can type in a product name and the beacon can guide the shopper to the location of the product.  Some beacons in that store can be programmed to contain sales information. Some beacons can show a list of products on a particular aisle. [https://bleesk.com/beacons.html. https://kontakt.io/what-is-a-beacon/#what-is-a-beacon-example]


      Use of Loyalty Cards

      For conglomerates which own a lot of businesses or branches, you can create a single Loyalty Card which can be used by disabled customers across all your businesses. Disabled customers will make very good loyal customers, because only a few businesses are accessible to the disabled. 

      This Loyalty Card can be used as follows: 
      • The card can be used by your company to track which businesses attract more disabled customers. You can then improve your services there, and attract even more disabled customers.
      • The card can be used to reward loyal customers. Rewards can be in the form of discounts when ordering online, or offering products from your other businesses (cross-selling).

      Accessibility Guidelines for Web Content




      Accessibility Guidelines for YouTube Videos


      For a deaf-low vision person who can view content at close range:
      • For the makers of these videos:
        • Captions and/or sign language are important.
        • For sign language interpreters:
          • Wear dark single-coloured tops (eg. black, dark blue) with no print. This is to ensure that the hand gestures of the interpreter are clearly visible. 
          • Use plain/single colour dark background. When the visual background is not plain, the visual clutter can be distracting to someone with low vision.
          • Use Colour contrast of greater than 4.5:1 of the text and the background
          • Shoot videos in the landscape mode, not portrait mode
          • Avoid glare or bright objects
        • Add captions or manually edit the auto-captions. 
          • YouTube provides tools to generate auto-captions, but you need to always review them and edit them for accuracy.
          • Use a plain font type.
          • Use white as the font color and black as the font background. 
        • Add audio descriptions for scenes that have no spoken content (e.g. scenes with music only, or scenes with a lot of action but no spoken content). You can add audio descriptions manually while you edit the captions.
      • For the users of these videos:
        • Speed of video: You can reduce the speed of the video via the "Settings" of that specific video
        • Captions: You can turn on the closed captioning via the "CC" icon on that specific video

      For a profoundly deafblind person:
      • For the makers of these videos:
        • Descriptive transcripts (or a link to it) can be added in the description section of the video. In YouTube, captions can easily be saved as a transcript text file and edited further. And these transcripts can be accessed via a refreshable braille device.
      • As of June 2023,  we do not know if YouTube captions can be directly accessed via a braille device.


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