![switch control switch control](https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1WOrUPpXXXXXGaXXXq6xXFXXXt/New-High-Quality-Remote-Control-Switch-Wireless-3-Ways-On-Off-Digital-Remote-Control-Switch-for.jpg)
Typing with switch control is much, much slower than I’m used to. Imagine the difference in independence and quality of life this means for people with severe motor impairments living today compared to - say - 40 years ago.Įven though the technology is awesome, there are still things that could improve a lot to give a more equal access and experience of technology out there. You can surf online, pay bills, order pizza, communicate with friends and unlock doors, all through a single switch. All you need is control of a tiny part of your body so you can activate a switch, and suddenly the whole world opens up through technology. Technology is awesomeĮven though I experienced a few obstacles along the way which I’ll go through below, the main thing that stuck with me is how awesome this technology is. Let me share the insights I got from my day of switch usage with you.
#Switch control android#
It is, of course, possible to use switches on a PC or Android device, but I felt it would be enough of a challenge for me to try it out on one operating system this time. I used the built-in setting Switch Control in iOS products - on an iPhone 7, MacBook and Apple TV. Which I think is pretty cool so I wanted to try that! Also, I know of people who use a single-switch-setup, for instance, the YouTuber Christopher Hills, whose channel I strongly recommend you check out. However, it is possible to use a single switch to fully interact with technology. You can set up multiple switches for different actions – for instance, you could assign one to take you to the home screen, one to move the cursor forward (like pressing the tab-key on a keyboard) and one to click. It should also be mentioned that I used a single switch.
![switch control switch control](https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/c1b37627-748f-4170-b464-d0441383064c_1.fd3397eb4525dcca8d04dac305af9ae4.jpeg)
There are many other variations of switches, but they all work similarly to the original button-switch, so I used a button. On iOS products, you can activate a switch by tilting your head to the side. Stephen Hawking had a sensor attached to his cheek that he activated by a small movement with his cheek up or down. They are “clicked” by sipping and puffing into a straw-like-component. I should mention that there are many other types of switches: This type of switch can be placed in the users’ hands, by their head, elbows, feet or wherever they feel most comfortable with it. It’s the one I’m looking suspiciously at in the first image of this article.
![switch control switch control](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/I70H5xQ6MT0/hqdefault.jpg)
I used a classic type of switch, basically a big colored button.
![switch control switch control](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mICxnDTTIJI/maxresdefault.jpg)
So I used a switch control for a day and I’d like to share the insights it gave me with you! My setup So why do we hear and read so little about switch accessibility? I don’t know! But whatever the reason, I feel it’s time to switch it up! Time to learn more about this assistive technology and what we as developers and designers can do to make our technology switch accessible. Looking at pure numbers, there are far more people around the world who have motor impairments like Cerebral Palsy, ALS and Parkinson’s disease than who are blind. When you think about it, that’s really strange. I know way more about screen readers than I do about switches. But even though I live and breathe accessibility, I realize I have a very limited knowledge about switches. I organize accessibility meetups, run a company focused on accessibility ( Axess Lab), can recite the accessibility guidelines in my sleep and own 6 different accessibility T-shirts. So it’s time to switch the spotlight on switch users! Sadly, the awareness and knowledge about this assistive technology is generally low. Just like Stephen, millions of people around the world with motor impairments use switches to access technology. Switches can look very different, but in the image below I’m holding a classic one – basically, a big button that you press to navigate your computer, smartphone or tablet. Stephen Hawking used something called a switch to communicate, author books and surf the web.