Most people agree that access to technology is necessary to any individual who wishes to participate in contemporary society. International accessibility guidelines have been introduced to ensure that individuals with disability limitations have the means to access the digital world. However, as authors Gajos, Hurst, and Findlater point out in this article, interfaces and physical equipment created to aid the disabled seeking computer access have been designed to address one-size-fits-all types of problems.

In two examples (Bob and Ken), the authors demonstrate that disabled individuals are capable of performing many of the normal operations needed for access. The equipment and/or specialized software they use makes performance very slow compared to that of typical users. But, as the authors point out, only some of the problems Bob and Ken face require special aids. Despite the different problems each one faces, they are both capable of normal functioning in some areas that could allow them to perform at greater, closer to normal speeds.

To solve this problem, the authors propose a personalized approach to creating assistive equipment and modifying user interfaces based on need. They call it personalized dynamic accessibility. Such a program would automatically assess a user’s abilities through unobtrusive observation, and predict whether the person would benefit from more suitable alternatives. The paper also discusses “situational impairments,” the experiences normal users may face under usage or environments other than those designed for the traditional computer setting. As an example, the paper describes the differences mobile users experience when walking, where dexterity may be reduced and reading the screen becomes more difficult. Under these conditions, personalized dynamic accessibility would sense the environmental change and provide larger fonts for the mobile user, along with other assists that may be helpful.

Few examples of observational studies and predictive software are included, but the authors suggest that user communities be empowered to design and share specialized software for the benefit of both disabled and typical users. Despite the paucity of actual examples, the descriptions of personalized dynamic accessibility and how it can be applied are valuable in that they describe a critical issue to consider in future generation software design.