In recent decades, the internet has become essential for the vast majority of people, in their work and personal life, and mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones have introduced the idea of being “always online.” However, people with disabilities—who make up a large part of the world's population—are often left out or find it difficult to access websites or use this type of technology.  

In this context, Rosario Traducciones spoke with Daniel Soria, lawyer, albino and co-founder of Simplemente Amigos (Simply Friends), the National Albinism Foundation, on how this genetic condition affects their access to digital content.

 

Soria thinks it is important to share his experience as well as those of other persons with albinism, since not everyone with this genetic condition has the same vision problems or encounters the same difficulties when it comes to accessibility. “I don't experience major inconveniences. In some cases, certain contrasts, like a light colored font on a white background, can be difficult to read. But I can solve most issues by using the Windows operating system,” he said.

He points out that beyond his own personal experience, there are persons with albinism who do have a lot of trouble using mobile phones or computers, particularly if loaded with an outdated operating system, and find they cannot surf the internet comfortably, “that's why sometimes they need assistance or have to use a handheld magnifying glass.” 

Soria also mentioned that people with visual disabilities, whether total or partial, often use an application called Jaws, which is installed on the computer and converted into a telephone. “Jaws can also be installed on mobile phones, but the type of applications that come already installed with the operating system are very effective. In some cases, we have taken mobile phones to a braille school to have the program configured,” he added. 

 

Windows has several tools that make navigating the internet easier for people with vision problems such as enlarging the content of a webpage by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Scroll, and then moving the scroll on the mouse back and forth. "There is also a magnifying glass tool that allows you to convert a part of the screen into a magnifying glass, whereby if you zoom in on that part of the screen, you see everything enlarged," said Soria.  

“On mobile devices, there is also a function to enlarge the screen by simply tapping it three times. Others use voice assistants, which converts text to audio and audio to text,” says Soria. “There are functions that have some limitations because they cannot 'read' photographs and other images like PDF format. Even if they contain text, the application recognizes them as images and cannot read them."

 

As a lawyer, Soria points out that, in his line of work, he often needs to access many official Argentine websites: department of motor vehicles, tax authority, and social security, to name a few. “In regard to the text on these websites, I don't run into any major problems because most of them allow users to enlarge the font. The problem is reading images,” he said, adding: “Some have audio descriptions, but others don't. The vast majority do not offer this feature. But since almost everything is in text format, accessibility is not a significant issue.

National Albinism Law: health, research, and inclusion

 

Is your company or institution's website accessible to people with disabilities? Do you know what the main considerations are to making it accessible? More information is available here. We can help you adapt your website to reach more people.  Contact us at info@rosariotrad.com.ar / ventas@rosariotrad.com.ar