Assistive technology and the Accessibility Help Desk

Intended audience: Assistive technology users

About the Accessibility Help Desk

The AudioEye® Accessibility Help Desk transforms the online experience for users with disabilities by providing 24/7 accessibility support and customizable web personalization tools.

Note that AudioEye applies accessibility fixes to the website independently of the Accessibility Help Desk to resolve the accessibility issues that assistive technology users would otherwise encounter on the page. AudioEye does not support the use of “accessibility modes” that create a separate experience for users with disabilities.

Does the Accessibility Help Desk and Personalization Tools replace a screen reader or other assistive technologies?

No. The Accessibility Help Desk and Personalization Tools are intended to supplement the user experience, not to replace users’ preferred assistive tools. In fact, AudioEye expects that most assistive technology users will not interact with the personalization tools at all, as their assistive technology solutions are already designed to personalize the browsing experience.

However, AudioEye does encourage assistive technology users to report accessibility barriers they experience using the Accessibility Help Desk. By reporting issues that may have been missed in the auditing process or introduced between audits, AudioEye can quickly resolve those issues not only for the user reporting them but also for all users who interact with the page.

How to report accessibility issues using assistive technologies

To report accessibility issues via the AudioEye Accessibility Help Desk:

1. Navigate to and activate the Accessibility options button or use the keyboard command SHIFT =.
2. Use the arrow keys to select the Help Desk tab.
3. Fill out the required fields on the Help Desk form:
   • The Name field is required so our team members can address you appropriately in follow-up emails.
   • The E-mail address field is required in order for AudioEye’s experts to inform you that the accessibility issue was received and is being worked on, to request additional information about the issue if needed, and to confirm with you that the issue is resolved once it has been fixed. Emails submitted through this form are recorded in AudioEye’s secure, HIPAA-compliant support system. Entering your email address on this form will not add you to any marketing mailing lists.
   • It is optional to check the Please check if you use assistive technology checkbox, but it is very helpful for AudioEye’s experts to know if the issue involves assistive technology interacting with the site.
   • The Describe the issue field is required for AudioEye’s subject matter experts to locate the accessibility issue that needs to be fixed. The more detail provided, the easier it will be for our team to find it. In addition to describing the issue, adding details such as which browser it happened in, what actions or keystrokes led up to the issue, and any specific screen reader or other assistive technologies being used can be very helpful.
   • The Phone number field is optional, but we provide it as some users prefer to speak with a live representative.
4. Click/activate the Submit button to send the ticket directly to AudioEye’s accessibility experts. Note that by submitting the form you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy.

How to use the personalization tools with assistive technologies

Some assistive technology users may choose to interact with the personalization tools to supplement their assistive technologies.

To interact with the personalization tools:

1. Navigate to and activate the Accessibility Help Desk button or use the keyboard command SHIFT =.
2. Use the arrow keys to select the Personalization tools tab.
3. To view and use keyboard shortcuts, toggle on the Keyboard shortcuts switch.
4. To interact with the tools, use the designated keyboard shortcuts or navigate to the desired tool’s button and click/activate it. For tools with multiple options, using the designated shortcut or clicking/activating the button additional times will cycle through the available options.

Keyboard shortcuts