Apple’s iPhone is a great example of a COTS (Common off the shelf) product which has well-designed, native accessibility features. As part of their design philosophy, Apple states that Universal Design means a device should be usable by everyone. Here’s how almost everybody with special needs can use Apple’s iDevices.
All of the iOS accessibility features are grouped together in the “Settings” app. After opening “Settings”, tap “General” and then
“Accessibility.” Related accessibility features are grouped together.
VoiceOver
For the blind and visually impaired, the “Seeing” section of Accessibility features VoiceOver and Zoom. Voiceover changes the way in which the touch screen works and provides spoken output. In the newest release of iOs, the operating system for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, triple-clicking the “Home” button activates VoiceOver on every device. Some descriptive information is provided on the VoiceOver page, and there is even a practice area where the VoiceOver gestures can be practiced.
Nearly all built-in iOS features are VoiceOver accessible and a large percentage of third-party apps work just fine with VoiceOver. By conforming to certain programming guidelines available from the Apple website, nearly all iOS apps can be made VoiceOver compatible.
Zoom
Zoom is a screen-enlargement feature also located under the “Seeing” category of the accessibility section. As the name implies, Zoom can zoom in on specific sections of the screen for easier viewing. Zoom has reportedly improved in iOS 5 and now
works well throughout the iOS environment.
Hearing
The Hearing section has many tools which may be helpful to those who are deaf or hard of hearing. These include: customizable
vibration patterns, an LED flash for ringer alerts and a mono audio option. Also, as featured in a 2010 Apple commercial, the FaceTime app allows for two-way video communication including sign language. While not iPhone specific, many cellphone providers offer a data and texting only plan which may be specially requested.
The “Motor” section is new to iOS 5. Assistive Touch is a feature which allows access to all of the standard screen gestures
through a drop-down menu. Note that Assistive Touch is not compatible with VoiceOver as of yet. As stated above, this is a new feature of iOs and further developments are expected.
An important feature of the iPhone 4S is Siri. Siri makes an iPhone more usable by everyone, including those with disabilities. Siri can understand complex commands and can perform many common tasks through spoken direction. Voice dictation can
speed text entry by speaking rather than typing. Just tap the “microphone” button located beside the space bar to insert text using your voice.
To learn more about the accessibility features of all Apple products, including the iPhone, visit: http://www.apple.com/Accessibility
