Boost awareness of technology, says Julie Howell

Disabled people do not need to understand the concept of “web accessibility” or other technical ideas to use computers beneficially, one leading inclusion expert has told Go ON Gold.

Julie Howell, managing director of Giraffe Sense Mentoring, said it’s the “very, very basic stuff” that disabled people need when using computers and getting online – things that will make the process easier for someone with an impairment.

“Disabled people don’t need to know about ‘web accessibility’ – that should only concern technology solutions developers”, said Howell. “Disabled people just need to know how to get the mouse to work when they can’t see the screen, how to change the text size to suit their needs, where they can get a keyboard that is more comfortable to use, and so on.”

This lack of awareness of how to adapt a computer is the main barrier preventing disabled people from using computers, Howell said. “I suspect many disabled people (particularly those not in employment) become very frustrated with the computer because they can’t get it to work in the way they need, and that’s purely because no-one has explained how to make simple changes to the computer to make it easier for them to use”, she said.

Although Howell has held many jobs with a technological element to them during her varied career – including website editor and digital campaigns officer for the Royal National Institute of Blind People, where she worked to make websites more accessible – she views computers as “little more than tools to get certain jobs done.”

A full profile on Julie Howell and her work can be found in the ‘Resources’ section of this website.