Evaluating an interactive voice response system for persons with disabilities

Access to information empowers people when making decisions in their every day life. In South Africa, one of the most prominent problems that persons with disabilities face, is access to disability-related information. The South African National Accessibility Portal was built to address this need. However, many people do not have access to Internet facilities. Therefore, an Interactive Voice Response engine was connected to the NAP portal, enabling people to access information on the portal via a telephone. This paper highlights the usability evaluation, as well as lessons learned through the usability evaluation by users.