Physical+Disabiliites+and+Facebook

Physical Disabilities and Facebook
By Lindsey Springs Fall 2 2011 [|Motor] Inability to use a mouse, slow response time, limited fine motor control

People with physical disabilities, such as paralysis, can greatly benefit from using Facebook. They can communicate with peers in the same way as people without disabilities, and it could be possible that the friends they are chatting with on Facebook may not even be aware of the disability unless the user decides to share that information on his or her profile. This type of communication tool creates equality among physically disabled users and those without disabilities while also allowing disabled users to build friendships and self-confidence. It is a great way for disabled users to meet others with the same disabilities and create an online community that might not have been conceived through face to face group meetings. Those with physical disabilities may have trouble using a computer and the internet. Often times, these people will use a stick or other accessory that is designed to be held in their mouths so that they can use a keyboard. Others may use an onscreen keyboard that simply scrolls through the keys so that the user just pushes a switch when it comes to the key they want. They are sometimes unable to use a mouse at all. Because they cannot use a mouse, they may have trouble navigating through social networking sites. Facebook used to be designed in such a way that comments, information, photos, and friends could all be seen on one long page. Now, the user must navigate through a set of links to see each of these features. This is a nice design because it helps to keep your page organized, but it makes it particularly difficult to navigate for someone who cannot use a point-and -click mouse to access those different features. For people with physical disabilities, using a keyboard and a specially designed tool to hold in the mouth does make using the internet possible. However, it does not make navigating through all of Facebook’s tabs and links any easier. One thing web creators can do is create a “Skip to Content” link. Creating links that can take the user directly to the main pages of the website can save users a lot of time. Many Facebook users will admit that they waste more time on the website than one should, but imagine how much longer it would take to browse this site without using a mouse. While many don't see the educational advantages of using Facebook, the fact that it is a place where people can gather and share ideas as a community definitely lends itself to being a learning environment in which all users should be able to take part.

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