P3
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Many learners have difficulties that could prevent their attendance at
College or from courses. Outline and describe 3 areas of difficulty that could
affect the use of computers, and why they cause a problem. (e.g. dyslexic
learners cannot read some documents)
People with disabilities face a variety of barriers to
computer use. This can cause problems but with so much technology today,
computers can be easily adapted to overcome these problems. I have outlined 3
of these below and described what problems are caused.
Mobility Impairments
Some
wheelchairs may not fit under standard height computer tables and some computer
users do not have enough use of their hands and arms to operate a standard
keyboard or mouse.
Equipment
can be supplied that is flexible for the positioning of monitors and adjustable
tables that can accommodate a wheelchair is useful in these cases.
Computers
can also be plugged into power outlet strips with accessible on and off
switches allows the person to turn equipment on and off easily.
People with
little or no use in their hands would have problems using an ordinary keyboard
would be able to use a pointing device and can control the computer this way.
Some software is available that creates ‘sticky keys’ that electronically latch
the SFIFT, CONTROL, and other keys so that one action can be done instead of
the usual 2 or 3 required.
Also people
with no use of their hands can be provided with a head stick that can be solely
controlled by their head.
For people
that can only use one hand to operate a computer, there are keyboards available
for left and right handed, these keyboards have a more efficient key
arrangement for easy use.
Speech
input is also an option, there are speech recognition programmes that are
trained to recognize specific voices.
Blindness
In order for
blind or visually impaired to access visual material that is on the computer,
there are special software programs that are called screen readers, these use
speech synthesizers that ‘speak’ the text to you. Earphones can also be used so
as not to disturb others nearby.
For people
who are blind or visually impaired, most can use a standard keyboard, and there
are also Braille input devices available.
For those
who are just visually impaired then equipment such as large print keyboards,
and screens that have colour adjustment, like reverse screens from black on
white to white on black for people who are light sensitive. Anti-glare screens
also make the screen easier to read.
Hearing or speech impediments
Most
students with hearing or speech impediments are OK to use a standard mouse and
keyboard, and they do not usually have a problem using standard on screen
documentation.
However
speech synthesizers can be of use if a person has difficulty in speaking so
that they can participate in classes. These act as substitute voices.
M1
Environmental
Environmental factors come into play when we communicate, and
these can be solved easily, for example you could just talk in an environment
which allows people to talk with each other without any barriers, for instance
if you are outside where there is loud noises you could easily move inside to
avoid the problem and communicate better. When you are in a darkened spot it is
pretty obvious that you should just either turn a light on or move somewhere
were there is light. Another factor is bad smells cannot create a barrier to
communicating, when this happens it is not always easy to get rid of the smell,
so a lot of the time you could just move somewhere to where there is no bad
smells. Mainly with all these different environmental factors the simple
solution is just to move away from the problem or fix it.
Body
Language
Body language can be a big barrier to communicating when
people do not listen, they are looking away, and people are being rude or
ignorant to you. All these examples show how body language can be a big barrier
while communicating. To solve these problems you can make sure the person or
people you are communicating with have your full attention by speaking clearly
to them, looking them in the eye, speaking loudly, addressing them by their
name so they know its them that you are talking to.
Physical
Disabilities
Physical disabilities cannot always be solved but there are
mechanisms to help communicate better with the disabled, such as sign language,
this is a language that can help people communicate to the deaf or those who
cannot talk properly, this is also a barrier for the disabled to communicate
with others around them, sight is also a disability that can lead to a lack of
communication, with poor sight or blindness, a person may not be able to see another
person’s body language while speaking to one another.
Spelling
and Grammar
Finally
the last written communication barrier to effective communications spelling and
grammar and you should spell check and proof read all of your work before you
present it. One example of a mechanism which can be used to reduce the impact
of this barrier to communication is by not rushing when you are doing your work
and you should use the spell checker. Finally this would work because you will
have fewer errors in your
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