ence. “It provides a more comfortable
way for seniors to use the Internet,”
Saito explains.
EWB, which has captured several
industry awards, offers a number of
advantages. It is easy to install, requiring the user to do nothing more than
click a link. It’s easy to use, reading text
aloud automatically when users point
the mouse to an area of the Web page
they want to read. It also presents controls in a convenient and consistent
location on the screen for easy access,
and provides a full screen mode that
prevents the browsing screen from
becoming hidden. Finally, it offers a
high level of customization, including text magnification and the ability
to read text aloud at different speeds
and volumes.
Meanwhile, both Microsoft and
Apple have built magnification tools,
text-to-speech conversion, alternative
keyboards, and specialized display
options into their operating systems.
Although these features are generally
intended for those with disabilities,
they’re also useful to many older individuals. In fact, for some, accessibility
is what makes computer use possible
in the first place. A study conducted
by Microsoft found that one in four
adults in the U.S. suffers from vision
difficulties, one in four faces challenges with dexterity, and one in five has
hearing problems.
Overall, Microsoft has developed
more than 300 specialty assistive technology products for Windows computers. Not surprisingly, some of these
tools provide sophisticated functionality. For example, reading tools now
include software and hardware that,
among other things, can automatically reformat text so that it’s more
easily viewed. Keyboard filters offer
word prediction utilities to reduce typing and interaction. And light signaler
alerts monitor sounds along with other events and alert users with a light
signal. This makes it possible for a
person with hearing problems to know
when an email message has arrived or
a computing task is completed.
The World Wide Web Consortium
has also entered the picture. Its WAI-AGE project is currently studying Web
accessibility barriers for older people.
“Ultimately,” Gregor says, “operating
a Web browser should be as straightforward as turning up the volume on
a radio.”
Others are exploring ways to make
input easier. IBM has developed keyboard software that monitors how a
person is typing. Based on accuracy,
speed, and other overall input patterns,
it can adjust settings in a computer’s
control panel. “If you are hitting keys
over and over again, it learns to filter
out the repeated keys for you,” Hanson
explains. In addition, R&D continues
on speech recognition, which could
solve many of the interface problems
plaguing the elderly. Saito at IBM is
taking the concept a step further by
studying speech symbolization, which
creates icons or representations that
serve as a bridge between human and
machine interaction.
Not surprisingly, mobile phone
manufacturers are also introducing
devices that offer bigger and more
prominent keys as well as larger text.
Some, like the Samsung Jitterbug,
also provides a simple “Yes” and
“No” menu system that reduces the
complexity of the device—along with
the cognitive demands placed on an
older person. And a few organizations
have worked to make their Web sites
easier to navigate. For example, the
National Institutes for Health’s NIH
SeniorHealth site offers built-in tools
for adjusting text size and contrast. It
also provides a text-to-speech tool that
reads pages aloud.
Hanson says the widespread belief that the problem will simply “go
away” as the current generation of
younger adults ages is entirely misguided. “Today’s older adults were
proficient with the technology of their
generation,” she says. “Technology
is changing more rapidly now than it
has at any time in the past. There is no
reason to expect that future generations of older adults will be any better
equipped to deal with new technology
than today’s older adults are with today’s new technology.”
One thing is certain: addressing
the needs and requirements of older
individuals is paramount as employers, retailers, government, and others head online. Ultimately, it’s vital
to recognize that gray matters and
age counts. Concludes Czaja: “Older
adults must be connected to society
and we must ensure that they have
access to information and opportunities. Researchers, designers, and engineers must find ways to make online
information and services available to
older adults.”
Samuel Greengard is an author and freelance writer
based in West Linn, oR.
© 2009 ACM 0001-0782/09/0900 $10.00
Networking
CCC’s Research Agenda for a Better Internet
the Computing Community
Consortium’s network science
and Engineering (netsE) Council,
led by Ellen w. Zegura, chair of
computer science at georgia
institute of technology, has
released Network Science and
Engineering (NetSE) Research
Agenda, a comprehensive
report about the development
of better networks, in particular
the internet, with the goal of
increased security, accessibility,
predictability, and reliability.
“Literally hundreds of
researchers contributed to
the agenda by participating in
workshops, authoring sections,
and reviewing the overall
document,” Zegura said via email.
“while probably no one endorses
every word, this deep engagement
speaks to the entire research
community’s appreciation of
the importance of ratcheting up
networking research, and better
supporting experimental efforts,
long-term foundational efforts,
and interdisciplinary efforts.”
the 116-page report is a
living document, and the netsE
Council welcomes feedback and
comments at http://www.cra.org/
ccc/ netse.php.
Zegura sees two primary
research challenges. “First,
experimental research, and the
tools and facilities required for
that research, are not traditionally
very well supported in our field,”
Zegura said. “second, in all
fields—and ours is no exception—
interdisciplinary research is
hard to carry out. there are
many areas of networking
where only an interdisciplinary
approach can make a significant
dent in the problem.”