Example 8 - Grandma Goes Cyber, End User Controls for Zooming, Inverting Colors and Greyscale
Summary
Many websites provide buttons where the end user can zoom the page, invert the colors and/or turn all to grey scale. But the browser offers the same functionality ... if you can find it.
Examples
See the 3-button widget in the example region at the beginning of the page (it is visually located on the left).
Explanation
Many websites provide buttons that enable the end user to zoom the page, invert the colors and/or turn all to grey scale, or some combination of each. These changes to the page are beneficial for people with impaired vision who can still use the web without the aide of assistive technology hardware or software.
This is not a WCAG 2.0 requirement. But it can significantly improve the user experience for a large group of users that is often overlooked when accessibility is considered, namely people who are losing their sight due to age. Browsers offer settings that enable the users to make all of these customizations, but the settings are often hidden deep inside browser menus and are hard to access for elderly people who are computer newbies.
However useful this may be, is it really the responsibility of the developer to add these buttons? Did the accessibility standardization leave these people out in the cold? Or do they just have to bite the bullet with their dentures and learn how to use their computers?
Imagine...
Your recently retired grandmother just bought herself a computer and now wants to follow what all her kids and grand kids are doing by using Facebook. She finds it hard to use the Facebook site because her vision is deteriorating and she has difficulty reading the content. You just got a job at Facebook so you know you can change this situation, but you have a thousand other tasks on your plate.
So...