An adaptable user interface to a multimedia telecommunications conversation service for people with disabilities

The emergence of multimedia telecommunications services is potentially particularly attractive for people who have reduced mobility and other disabilities. It is often the case, however, that a user will have a complex range of impairments that require specific and often individual attention. By using a computer as the telecommunications terminal additional media can be made available and special intelligent assistive techniques can be added. These changes have implications for the design and customisation of the user interface. Some initial experiences gained in conducting experiments with a group of users with disabilities employing an adaptable emulated multimedia conversation environment are reported.