User friendly
From: Government Computer News - December 15, 2003 - page 36
By: John McCormick

There are tens of millions of disabled workers and potential workers in the
United States and tens of millions more who could benefit from being able to
communicate or learn more easily using computers.  

But computer products haven’t always made it easy. At first, computer
software was accessible for many disabled users because it was text-oriented,
but early hardware was not very user-friendly.  

As the computer revolution moved on and more accessible hardware and tools
became available, Microsoft Windows and Web browsers, with graphical user
interfaces that were not particularly easy for many disabled users to work
with, became the standard.  

But today, Windows operating systems and Internet Explorer, by far the
dominant products in the government arena, come with many software
accessibility features, and a wide array of hardware is available to make
them easier to use. 

Read the entire story at:
http://www.gcn.com/22_34/buyers_guide/24406-1.html


For managers, the most important tool for accessibility can be understanding 

Managers need to understand that many marginally impaired workers can also
become more productive and are far less likely to develop repetitive stress
injuries if they are allowed flexibility of even a few simple steps, such as
moving their keyboard off the desk or using an alternative pointing device. 

Read the entire story at:
http://www.gcn.com/22_34/buyers_guide/24410-1.html


Accessibility tools can help - often at low cost and little effort
(A chart of less-well-know companies and devices, some of them new to the
market.)
http://gcn.com/newspics/G34revsp41.pdf


The lowdown on adaptive hardware
http://www.gcn.com/22_34/buyers_guide/24408-1.html