Dell, A., Newton, D. & Jerry, P. in their book Assistive Technology (2012) note that "wanting to sell as many computers as possible, the (computer) industry recognized the commercial value of designing operating systems that are usable by as many people as possible. (p.164)" Some of these Universally Designed features that they mention in their book are:
- choice of mouse or keyboard shortcuts to control the computer - this is great for users who find it difficult to control the mouse. Students with fine motor control difficulties, limited range of motion or visual impairments
- voice control - this is great for students with motor control issues, muscle weakness, fatigue or vision impairments
- accommodate left or right handed users
- size of icons - speed of the mouse - this is useful for students with poor hand eye coordination, visual impairments, hand tremors, mild motor issues or cognitive disabilities
- user pace - slowing the mouse pointer speed may assist students with visual tracking difficulties, fine motor issues
All of these features ensure that the product, which in this case is the computer, can be used by as many people as possible. Brilliant marketing!
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