Feature Access May Not Mean Product Access

It is important to remember that this Report uses the feature as the level of analysis, not the entire Product.  It is beyond the scope of this Report to determine whether an entire product is “accessible” or even successfully meets one or more of the Guidelines.  We could not test the functions of the products we analyzed.  Our results only matched specific claimed product features with Guidelines.

A product may incorporate a feature that successfully addresses a Guideline for one of its functions, but there may be no corresponding feature for an indispensable associated feature.  For example:

• A cordless telephone may have a loud ringer but no amplification for the voice signal; the phone may remain inaccessible to a person with a hearing loss
• A business telephone may have a high-contrast buttons but a low-contrast display; the phone may remain inaccessible to a person with low vision
• A wireless telephone may have Caller ID on Call Waiting, but not be compatible with hearing aids or TTYs
• A device may have signal tones for some functions, but not for others; the phone may remain inaccessible to a person who is blind
• A phone may have an auto-answer feature that makes it easier to answer for someone with a manipulation impairment, but if it has no “auto-hangup” feature (and none of the products we reviewed did) it may remain inaccessible to that person

From a design perspective, this point emphasizes the need to view each function of the Product as a whole.  If each function is viewed as a chain of interactions with the user – some requiring input, some requiring evaluation, some requiring output – the absent or weak links that may jeopardize access can be identified.