What is accessibility?

An accessible software application is one that works for everyone regardless of ability or age. Ideally, users who are at a disadvantage, such as older people or users with disabilities, should be able to carry out tasks in roughly the same time and with the same level of effort as everyone else.

Surpass is a secure platform built for large-scale high-stakes digital examinations, which can be taken online or offline using either a web browser or our proprietary SecureClient application that can lock down candidates’ devices to ensure a fair and reliable testing experience anywhere in the world.

In Surpass, users can create tests that cater to candidates with accessibility requirements to ensure that the software works for everyone regardless of ability or age.

Who does accessibility affect

In the same way that discussions about environmental accessibility (buildings, streets, public transport, etc.) tend to revolve around wheelchair users and whether they’ll be able to navigate the space, when it comes to digital accessibility the first group that comes to mind is almost always those with impaired vision. But not including accessibility in your product roadmap can put a surprising number of people at a serious disadvantage: 

• Blind and partially sighted people: inaccessible applications can have a huge impact on these users. Whether it’s a font or colour scheme that makes text difficult to read, videos with lots of silent action but no audible description or features that look great but don’t work with assistive technologies, a few seemingly small barriers can make it difficult or impossible for someone to take an online exam. 
• People with motor difficulties: for users who struggle to operate a mouse or keyboard because of problems with their hands, some choose to use alternative input devices, while others find it easier to speak commands and text directly to the computer. Either way, the exam needs to be accessible enough to understand and respond appropriately so that these users are offered an equivalent experience to everyone else.  
• People with print-reading difficulties: for someone with dyslexia or an autistic spectrum disorder, their concentration can be affected by anything that unnecessarily draws the eye away from what’s important on the screen. A badly chosen colour scheme or font style could easily render an exam inoperable for these users. 
• Deaf and hard of hearing people: the biggest barrier for users with impaired hearing is important audio or video with no text alternative. So, movies and tutorial videos, for example, could be impossible for them to follow because they are unable to hear the dialogue and there’s not enough visual information to complete the picture. 
• Older people: as people begin to age, their sight, hearing and dexterity tend to decrease, so they can come across a wide range of problems using digital products and software, including taking a computer-based exam.
• People with temporary injuries: if you were to suffer a short-term injury, such as breaking the arm you use to operate a mouse, you might need to rely on the keyboard or speech input technology. Navigating the complexities of inaccessible software would be difficult without an alternative way of operating your computer.