Scottish Government

CHAPTER SEVEN: DISABILITY, USE OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

7.1 This chapter reviews respondents' experiences relating to their use of facilities on the website designed to help disabled users to navigate and identify information on the site.

Profile of users with disability

7.2 Whilst only 5% of visitors completing the online website evaluation survey identified themselves as disabled, this comprised 651 respondents. The majority of these respondents are amongst the general public and student groups with smaller numbers working for primarily public sector organisations. Around two fifths of these respondents were visiting the site for the first time (44%), with a fairly even spread of other users visiting the site on a very frequent (daily) basis through to those using the site less than once a month. Disabled respondents showed no variation from the main user profile on location, with higher proportions of users being based in the central belt, rather than more rural locations (out of the total users with disability, 25% were based in the Glasgow / Strathclyde, 17% were based in Edinburgh / Lothian and 12% based in the Tayside, Central and Fife area).

Table 7.1 Frequency of use, user type & location - disabled users

Notes to table
Base: All respondents with a disability (651)
Source: Q2, Q3, online website evaluation survey

Usage of assistive technology

7.3 Limited numbers of respondents (33) gave specific examples of assistive technology, and therefore examples cited have been given in terms of number of respondents rather than percentage proportion (single mentions have not been shown on the chart). The most popular aids appear to be voice software, text to speech software or the use of large fonts or enlarged screens. The use of pre-specified web links was cited as a way of circumventing the problem of identifying the location of specific information.

Chart 7.1 Usage of assistive technology to access website - online website evaluation survey

Notes to chart
figures are number of respondents and not percentage
Base: All respondents with disability (651)
Source: Q10, online website evaluation survey

Difficulties accessing the website

7.4 A fifth of all respondents with disability (20%) said they had experienced some form of difficulty in accessing the Scottish Executive website's content. When asked to qualify what aspect of the site they had experienced difficulties with, the key problem appear to be identifying the location of information, this included problems with search engine functionality or navigation around the site. Other reported difficulties included failure of website pages to open for the respondent, or links failing to connect to particular pages.

Chart 7.2 Difficulties accessing Scottish Executive website - online website evaluation survey

Notes to chart
Base: All respondents experiencing difficulties accessing the Scottish Executive website (131)
Source: Q12, online website evaluation survey

Experience and opinions on disability access

7.5 Respondents interviewed during the website evaluation found it difficult to find assistive technologies on the website. In most cases, respondents tended to 'discover' the features rather than identify them through a concerted search.

7.6 The feature to increase font size, located at the top right hand part of the web page was cited as blending into the background and needed to be made more obvious to users, possibly by enlarging the text or highlighting the feature by the use of colour rather than using grey text. Many respondents failed to notice the facility was available on the page.

7.7 The use of blue coloured type was welcomed as this colour type is much easier for dyslexic individuals to read.

7.8 The 'listen to' feature incorporated at the right hand top side of web pages was also thought to be too small or to blend into the background. Suggestions included emboldening the text or making the logo more prominent.

7.9 Most respondents commented that podcasts in either video or audio formats would prove useful for those with hearing or visual disabilities. Those with auditory disabilities might benefit from subtitling on the videocasts. A majority stated that they would not access these facilities for themselves, as either it would take too long for them to find, or they had no personal interest or need to use them.

"I work with a colleague here who's blind, and he likes the podcasts and so on. It's very useful for people with disabilities and he would pick up on the podcast and he would listen to it and he would get a lot more information that way than I would get."
(Heavy user, Education, Dundee)

"The page is quite readable: the font's easy on the eye, which is good for people with say, dyslexia (like me). Some of the text is a little bit small which for people like me it's harder to read. If I want the text to be bigger can I do that? [pauses] Oh! This bit up here? You know - I didn't notice that up there. I mean that's really useful - but I just didn't see it there, at first. "
(Non user, Local Authority, Edinburgh)

7.10 One respondent in the education sector had clients with literacy problems and suggested that the listen option allowed her clients to gather information that they otherwise would not have easy access to.

7.11 In summary:

• The most popular aids appear to be voice software, text to speech software or the use of large fonts or enlarged screens.
• The use of pre-specified web links was cited as a way of circumventing the problem of identifying the location of specific information.
• Most respondents commented that podcasts in either video or audio formats would prove useful for those with hearing or visual disabilities.
• Those with auditory disabilities might benefit from subtitling on the videocasts.