How can a person with a disability use a computer?
Web accessibility and digital inclusion help people use computers independently through tools and assistive technologies tailored to individual needs.
Here are some options:
Hardware adaptations
Keyboards, pointing devices, large keys, ergonomic controls, and eye-tracking systems can be adapted for people with different motor needs.
Assistive software
Applications can support people with many kinds of disabilities.
Examples include:
- Voice recognition lets users control a computer and dictate text.
- Touch interfaces may offer an alternative to a conventional mouse or keyboard for some users.
- Screen readers render digital text as speech or braille, enabling access for people with visual disabilities when content is properly structured.
- Augmentative and alternative communication tools help people communicate through symbols, images, or text.
Alternative input devices
Switches, joysticks, and customized controllers provide other ways to interact with a computer.
Body-movement controls
Cameras and sensors can interpret gestures or head movements as input.
Haptic devices
Tactile feedback can help some users perceive or interact with digital content.
Accessibility settings
Modern systems offer larger text, captions, contrast options, and other settings that users can adjust.
Training and support
People should have opportunities to learn the tools they choose, receive technical support, and adapt settings as their needs change.
Technology can increase independence, but no single solution fits everyone. Individual preference and specialist advice should guide the choice.
National policies and laws
In the United States, several federal laws address disability rights in different settings. Their scope and requirements are not identical:
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
- The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended in 2008.
- The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
Section 504 prohibits disability discrimination in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance, among other covered contexts.
Covered entities must provide equal access and reasonable accommodations where the law requires them.
Americans with Disabilities Act
The ADA and its amendments protect civil rights and seek to remove barriers for people with disabilities.
Its titles address equal opportunity in areas such as:
- Employment.
- Businesses open to the public, including many restaurants, hotels, stores, and other public accommodations.
- Transportation.
- State and local government services.
- Telecommunications, including relay services.
Disability and the Affordable Care Act of 2010
The Affordable Care Act was signed into law on March 23, 2010.
Provisions relevant to people with disabilities include measures that can:
- Expand access to coverage and certain protections.
- Support options for health care and long-term services.
- Promote access to community-based care, subject to applicable programs.
- Improve access to appropriate care; no law guarantees identical availability for every individual.
- Address accessibility of certain preventive and diagnostic services.
- Support the collection of disability-related health data.
Understanding support needs
- No support needed for a particular activity
A person may have a condition without difficulty performing that activity; this is not a universal disability grade.
- Some support needs
A person may face barriers to certain tasks while still performing them with accommodations.
- More substantial support needs
Activities may become harder, while self-care remains possible; needs vary by person and context.
- High support needs
Daily activities may require significant assistance or changes to the environment.
- Ongoing support needs
Some people need lasting accommodations. These descriptive categories are not an official universal five-grade scale or a measure of a person's worth.
Disability data in Mexico
Older international estimates put the share of people living with a disability near 15%; the WHO later estimated 1.3 billion people, or 16% of the world population, experience significant disability.
Definitions and methods affect comparisons over time. Aging and chronic conditions are among the reasons support needs may grow.
Mexico's 2020 census recorded about 6.18 million people with a disability, roughly 4.9% of the population under that census definition; other measures may yield different totals.
Mexico's statistics agency considers difficulty with activities such as seeing, hearing, moving, remembering, self-care, and communication.
A person can have more than one disability; respectful language describes the relevant access need rather than reducing people to a label.
Global disability data
Estimates vary by definition and survey. Disability can affect people of all ages and is shaped by health and environmental barriers.
Participation of people with disabilities
Historical Mexican data cited in the source showed lower economic participation among people with disabilities than among those without reported limitations. Rates depend on the year and definition used.
Participation also differs by age and gender; the source's percentages are historical and should not be treated as current employment rates.
Some studies examine visual disability and access to the workplace , but employment outcomes cannot be ranked reliably without comparable definitions and methods.
People with motor or self-care difficulties can face additional barriers to employment; accessible workplaces and accommodations matter.
Sources of income
Historical INEGI figures in the source compared government benefits and earned income for people with and without disabilities; the figures need their original survey context.
Differences in earned income can point to barriers in hiring, transport, education, and workplace accessibility.
These barriers limit participation in work and community life and warrant practical action.
Women with disabilities can face overlapping barriers related to disability and gender.
Job insecurity
Beyond access to jobs, job quality, benefits, and security also deserve attention.
The source cites historical differences in formal paid employment by disability type; those figures should be checked against the original study before reuse.
The same caution applies to older estimates about paid leave and health insurance.
People with multiple disabilities may encounter additional barriers to written contracts and benefits; organizations should examine their own practices.
Other data
- Older regional estimates suggested that tens of millions of people in Latin America and the Caribbean live with a disability; estimates differ by source and year.
- The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has broad international support. The source's claim of 341 ratifying nations is incorrect; the UN treaty register listed 194 parties in September 2026.
- Regional agreements also address discrimination against people with disabilities; check each treaty's current parties before quoting a number.
- In disasters, people with disabilities can face higher risks when evacuation, communication, and assistance are not accessible.
Health services can be difficult to use because of physical, communication, training, and financial barriers.
Why promote inclusion?
Discrimination restricts opportunity and can harm economic and social participation. Inclusive policies should address the barriers that people actually face.
Awareness and accessible design help build a society in which people with disabilities have equal dignity and opportunities.
You read Web Accessibility: Toward Digital Inclusion, Part Two. We also recommend: What Is Mexico's NMX-025?
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