ACCESSIBILITY OF GROUP SUPPORT FOR BLIND USERS

Group support applications are widely used in workplace. Unfortunately, persons who are blind often find difficult to access such applications, due to the highly graphical nature of the applications, which hinders their ability to contribute to the group. As the result, persons who are blind are often face problems gaining and retaining employment. This paper presents preliminary results of a series of focus group study conducted in the mid-Atlantic region on accessibility and usability issues of group support applications. How persons who are blind utilize group support applications to support their group tasks; the tasks/steps utilized to complete a group project; and, the accessibility and usability issues experienced by blind users are discussed. Additionally, the focus group study identified the reasons persons who are blind discontinued utilizing group support applications; the other tools utilized to support group work; the accessibility design considerations; and, the accessibility documentation and support needed.