Motor disability

People with motor difficulties

This category includes a very wide range of disability situations. We mention here the most common situations encountered in a web context:

• inability to use a keyboard or, on the contrary, inability to use a pointer,
• difficulties in gripping and controlling movements,
• difficulties in sequencing multiple actions or difficulties in using key combinations.

Main difficulties encountered

This applies particularly to interactive elements such as a navigation menu, form controls and rich components developed with JavaScript such as a tab system, a modal window or an input calendar.

There may also be very great difficulties in performing a task in a given time due to the multiplication of necessary actions when it is not possible to use the mouse pointer for example.

Motor disability demonstration

Assistive technologies

There is also a very wide variety of assistive technologies.

Some users will use simple mechanical devices such as head-sticks, finger guides (plastic covers that rest on the keyboard) or adapted keyboards. Others will use more complex devices such as joysticks, contactors or adapted mice.

Finally, when motor skills are very limited or non-existent, very sophisticated devices are put in place such as voice control systems, eye-tracking or thought control devices.

The very wide variety of situations and assistive technologies means that these users may have great difficulty using web content even when it is made accessible.

Sources: Impacts on users