Hardware checklist

Provide a physical volume control or provide an interface so that volume can be controlled with software.

Users may not be able to hear or distinguish sounds at certain volumes, so they need the ability to adjust the volume. A user that is hard of hearing can have difficulty hearing auditory output and needs to adjust the volume so they can hear the warnings and messages. A user with a vision impairment may depend on speech output and will need to adjust the volume to accommodate different environmental conditions.

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Use one or more of the following techniques to meet Checkpoint 5.2 from the IBM Hardware Accessibility Checklist:

• Provide a physical volume control.
• Provide a software interface for adjusting the volume so the user can adjust volume through the software.

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The above techniques are required; the following techniques are recommended to enhance accessibility.

• Provide visual and non-visual indicators when the volume is in the off position.
• Provide an audio output jack on the system where appropriate. This feature is important for applications which use audio output as the standard interface so that the user can attach headphones for privacy. It is also an important feature for hearing impaired users who may need to attach an amplification device to increase the volume beyond what is supported by the system.

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Test the hardware to ensure that it complies with accessibility requirements.

Tools

No tools are needed to test this checkpoint:

Techniques