Motor
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. It is characterized by demyelination, a process in which the immune system attacks myelin, the substance that protects nerve fibers. This disrupts the transmission of signals between the brain and the rest of the body.
- Nature of disability : Acquired
- Age group concerned : Multiple sclerosis is the leading cause of severe non-traumatic disability in young adults. The average age of onset of symptoms is 30.
- Number of people affected : 110,000 cases in France
Symptoms
The symptoms of multiple sclerosis vary from person to person and may include:
- Excessive fatigue
- Coordination and balance problems
- Numbness or tingling sensations
- Vision disturbances
- Cognitive difficulties
Examples of obstacles encountered during navigation
- Websites, web browsers and authoring tools that do not provide full keyboard support.
- Insufficient time to respond or complete tasks, such as filling in online forms.
- Controls, including links with text images, that do not have equivalent text alternatives.
- Missing visual and non-visual orientation cues, page structure and other navigational aids.
- Inconsistent, unpredictable and overly complicated navigation mechanisms and page functions.
- Clickable areas too small.
Solutions for accessibility
To use the Web, people with physical disabilities often use specialised hardware and software such as:
- Ergonomic or specially designed keyboard or mouse.
- Head pointer, mouth stick and other aids to help with typing.
- On-screen keyboard with trackball, joysticks or other pointing devices.
- Switches operated by foot, shoulder, sip and puff or other movements.
- Voice recognition, eye tracking and other approaches to hands-free interaction.
- They may need more time to type, click or perform other interactions, and they may type single keystrokes in sequence rather than typing simultaneous keystrokes (‘chords’) to activate commands.
- People with physical disabilities may find it difficult to click on small areas and are more likely to make mistakes when typing and clicking. Providing large clickable areas, sufficient time to complete tasks and error correction options for forms are important design aspects.
- Another important aspect is the display of the current focus and the ability to switch from one block to another easily.
- The content is compatible with current and future user tools.
- Operating system functions or software tools that recognise and compensate for involuntary movements such as tremors and spasms.