An Overview Of How The Recent Changes In Facebook Impacts People With Disabilities

M. Wade Wingler, ATP

Anytime one of the major social media tools, like Facebook, makes major changes there is outcry from the general user base.  Although these changes are typically made in an effort to improve and expand the usefulness of tools, most users complain about having to re-learn how to use them.  Generally, these cries die away and the “new way” of using these tools simply becomes “the way” of using these tools.

However, there have been some recent changes to Facebook that promise to have a significant impact on how people with some types of disabilities use the tools.  Some of these changes are positive and some are negative.  Here are a few of both the positive and negative impacts:

Integrated Skype video chat impact the Deaf

People who are Deaf and use American Sign Language often prefer to use video phone or web camera communication with others who are Deaf.  Now that Skype has built-in, live video chat, ASL users can easily use their native language to communicate over long distance in a convenient way.

News Ticker impacts people who are blind

Although Facebook has always presented problems for people who are blind or visually impaired and rely on screen reading systems, the recent changes to the way news is presented in a ticker format is particularly problematic.  In our initial testing with the Apple VoiceOver screen reader, only the news items that are first presented are read to the blind user.  Anything that appears as part of the “ticker” feature is not read.

Screen layout changes impact users with low vision

Many users with low vision rely on screen magnification systems.  The user experience is a little like looking at your screen through a telescopic lens that provides very large print, but only displays a small portion of the screen at a time.  When Facebook or other web sites re-arrange items for efficiency or easier use, screen magnifier users are forced to learn the new locations and find them with the telescope-style view.  This learning curve can be frustrating, especially when many changes are made in a short period of time.

Simpler content arrangement impacts users with learning disabilities

Sometimes social networks are intricate and complicated.  When complicated pages are re-ordered, re-arranged and simplified, those changes have a positive impact on people who have cognitive challenges and some learning disabilities.

Social media in general impacts people with mobility impairments

Social media platforms, especially Facebook, inherently remove physical barriers for people with mobility difficulties.  It’s often much easier for a person who uses a wheelchair or walker to connect with a friend or colleague over Facebook, rather than travelling long distances to meet them.

Wade Wingler is the director of assistive technology at Easter Seals Crossroads in Indianapolis, Indiana.  He has worked in the field for nearly 20 years and speaks nationally and internationally on the topic of how technology impacts the lives of people with disabilities.  His weekly podcast “Assistive Technology Update” is a well-known source for up-to-the-minute news on assistive technology.