2. Potential Barriers and User Requirements

Contents: Potential barriers, requirements/needs.

The greatest barrier for people with speech and language impairments may be the lack of text-based alternatives to spoken communication:

• the telephone as the sole means of communication;
• web-based services, including web applications that rely exclusively on voice interaction, e.g. automated web-based hotlines.

To remove these barriers, alternative means of interaction must be provided, e.g. text-based chats to communicate with hotline staff, or keyboard commands as an alternative to voice input for operating applications. In addition, alternative means of communication to the telephone, such as email and feedback forms, are helpful.