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Accessibility Domain Architecture
Unified Modeling Language Actors: "Personas with Disabilities"
"Good design is founded on a deep understanding of both broad human characteristics and the specific intentions of a particular constituency, so that it can marshal the appropriate information, processes, and technology to allow those constituents to achieve their goals, both professional and personal."[27]
A deep understanding of broad human characteristics enhances our awareness of those that are common among all people and those that are shared by some - motivating us to develop for the broadest audience using the principles of universal design. A deep understanding of the specific intentions of our particular constituency helps us to realize that although we are designing for everyone, we are also designing for (each) one. Fortunately, as 'litmus tests' for variety and diversity, people with disabilities provide the best models for the 'edge case' scenarios often used by developers.
Given the uniqueness of each individual and the objective of enhancing the interactive experience of each one in accessing services and information from Government of Canada Information Management/Information Technology systems, a set of models, or personas representing persons with various configurations of disabilities has been created to facilitate development for millions of people in such a way that it appears 'one at a time'. From one perspective, all of the personas taken together should include all impairments. In other words, a comprehensive list of impairments[5] is compiled, synthesized and then brought together in various combinations and assigned to personas. These personas, from the developer's perspective, then provide concrete design targets and abstract testing models guiding her through the various stages of her work. The development and use of personas is a powerful tool used in the design of quality, highly usable systems. They help to facilitate human-centric design, providing clear targets and guiding efforts towards specific objectives. Personas are not real people. They are models created to guide Information Management/Information Technology development.
In the context of the Accessibility Domain Architecture, using Unified Modeling Language (UML) terminology, they are actors that interact with Government of Canada Information Management/Information Technology systems through specific use cases. In future iterations of this document, actors that represent and more clearly delineate the personal (assistive) technologies used by many persons with disabilities, as well as other components of the Federated Architecture that lie outside of the scope of, yet interact with the accessibility architecture may be included.
The following personas have none, one or some impairments, in varying combinations and severities. Jane provides a baseline in the sense that she has been designed with no obvious disabilities. David, Roy, Roger and Mary have motor impairments, normally associated with human 'output' and therefore tend to require some sort of adaptation in the system's input. Ruth, Frank, Mary and Nancy have sensory impairments, normally associated with human 'input' and therefore tend to require adaptation in the system's output. Francis has cognitive impairments. System intelligence or processing features such as software agents, reminders and spell checkers, sometimes used in conjunction with adaptations in input and/or output systems can often accommodation individuals with cognitive impairments. Edith, as a senior citizen, has less severe but a more comprehensive set of impairments. Often adjustments such as changing volumes, size, lighting, etc. can be helpful here.
Jane
Jane has no disabilities.
Edith
Edith, a senior citizen, has low vision and is hard of hearing (she uses a hearing aid). Her arthritis impairs her dexterity, fine motor activities and range of motion. Sustained physical activities are painful and difficult. She walks slowly with the aid of a cane and finds it difficult to remain standing for extended periods. Edith speaks very softly (almost inaudibly) and is sensitive to light, dust, and other allergens.
David has a high spinal injury that prevents use of his hands. His preferred mode of communication is speech.
Roy has severe cerebral palsy and uses a motorized wheelchair. His onboard computer contains an input device tailored for his use, which processes his movements into signals. These signals are sent either directly to subsystems on his chair, or wirelessly to systems that enable him to control a desktop computer or devices in his environment (lights, television, etc.). Roy also makes use of both manual and electronic Bliss boards to help him communicate with others. Although his co-ordination impairment makes it difficult to directly control systems requiring fine motor control, he can sometimes trigger large switches.
Roger
Roger is a retired civil servant. Recently, he has noticed signs of Parkinson's disease, which causes his hands to tremor and makes it difficult to initiate movement and point precisely. He cannot use a mouse of keyboard reliably although he has had some success with a head-pointer.
Ruth
Ruth is deaf. She is very active in the deaf community and is an avid user of both sign language and lip reading techniques. Ruth has difficulty reading.)
Frank lost his vision, at the age of 48, due to Diabetic Retinopathy. He does not use Braille, so most of the information that he receives must be converted to sound. Frank travels with a Guide dog and uses a white cane when in unfamiliar rooms. He is still learning to use specialized software to read electronic materials.
Mary
Mary has a chronic progressive course of Multiple Sclerosis. Her physical abilities are extremely limited. She uses a power wheelchair with a joystick control for moving about her environment. She is able to access a computer by targeting one-inch squares on an programmable keyboard, which features large black letters on a white background to access her computer to assist her with typing. Her vision is also extremely limited and fluctuates. On days when her vision is at its lowest, she relies upon motoric memory to access her keyboard. On "good days" she may read print magnified 8x or greater.
Nancy is deaf-blind and does not speak. She is able to read grade 2 Braille. Nancy has limited American Sign Language, but for two-way communication she must use manual sign language via an interpreter/facilitator. Nancy communicates on the telephone with a Braille TEXT TELEPHONE (TTY). Nancy has been using computer-based technology for four years. It provides her with independent access to reading materials and written communication.
Francis
Francis, a young war veteran, has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He finds it difficult to concentrate, remember, manage stress, think, write or speak clearly. He has trouble organizing and managing time. This tends to cause problems for Francis in social and work situations. He is prone to frequent seizures and blackouts.
