Restricted Manual Dexterity
This covers any mobility impairment the result of which is a reduction in the ability to use the hands to control an input device. Restricted manual dexterity may be temporary, recurring or permanent, and may be caused by a wide range of conditions - from repetitive strain injury (RSI), a wrist sprain or a fractured arm to arthritis, a tremor-inducing condition such as Parkinson's disease, or cerebral palsy.
The impact on accessibility of e-learning and multimedia relates to the degree to which someone can use a mouse or keyboard - for example, interactions that require fine mouse control or multiple keypresses may be particularly troublesome. Some people with restricted manual dexterity may prefer not to, or be unable to, use a mouse at all.
Related Resources
How To
- Allow user control over animated content - general advice
- Ensure consistency of display - general advice
- Optimise for keyboard access (and other non-mouse input devices) - in HTML
- Optimise for keyboard access (and other non-mouse input devices) - in Flash
- Optimise for keyboard access (and other non-mouse input devices) - in Macromedia Director/Shockwave
- Optimise for keyboard access (and other non-mouse input devices) - of Media Players
Challenges to Learning
Articles
Case Studies
- Annalu - Computer Science lecturer, who has Cerebal Palsy
- Somali Health Programmes CD ROM
- The potential of PowerPoint as an alternative to Flash
- Interactive Markets - The use of Macromedia Flash on the Biz/ed Web site
- Accessible PowerPoint for developing student understanding of economics