Skills for Access

Name

Léonie Watson

Image

Key multimedia technology

Screen reader; JAWS; Flash.

Specific issues

Non-visual accessibility; keyboard accessibility; animation; graphics; text-only alternatives.

What's your disability, and how does it affect your learning?

In Clip 1 Léonie, Head of accessibility with usability and accessibility consultancy Nomensa, and who is studying a for a computer science degree, outlines her particular disability and its impact on technology use...

In Clip 2 Léonie talks about the difficulties she encounters when she is unable to access multimedia materials...

How do you adapt your computer to make it easier for you to use?

In this next clip, Clip 3 Léonie describes in detail the screen reading technology she uses...

What are the main problems you encounter when you use multimedia?

In Clip 4 Léonie talks about the problems she encounters when accessing Flash content and the incompatibilities of Flash with screen reading technology...

In Clip 5 Léonie gives a demonstration of a site that uses Flash in an inaccessible way...

How does well-designed multimedia enhance your learning?

In the following clip, Clip 6, Léonie talks frankly about the lack of accessible multimedia available to her...

During this next clip, Clip 7, Léonie gives a demonstration of how she is able to access a well-designed web site using the JAWS screen reader...

Do you have any specific recommendations or advice to designers of media rich material?

In Clip 8 Léonie provides some helpful advice to people wanting to learn about producing acessible multimedia...

Further comments

In Clip 9 Léonie shares her thoughts about the use of text only websites for users with visual impairment, and her vision for the future...

In this final clip, Clip 10, Léonie exhorts software developers, multimedia designers and creators of access technologies to keep on developing ways to improve access for everyone.