CPACC Assistive Technologies and Strategies 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following BEST describes the role of a screen magnifier compared to browser zoom?
- Screen magnifiers only work with PDFs, while browser zoom works with web pages
- Screen magnifiers enlarge everything on the entire screen system-wide, including pointers and dialog boxes (Correct answer)
- Browser zoom provides higher magnification levels than screen magnifiers
- Screen magnifiers are exclusively for users who are legally blind
Correct answer: Screen magnifiers enlarge everything on the entire screen system-wide, including pointers and dialog boxes
Dedicated screen magnification software (e.g., ZoomText, Windows Magnifier) operates at the OS level, enlarging all on-screen content including non-browser elements, which browser zoom cannot do.
Question 2: A person with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is losing the ability to speak. Which assistive technology category would MOST directly replace verbal communication?
- Environmental control units (ECU)
- Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices (Correct answer)
- Screen readers
- Cognitive prosthetics
Correct answer: Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices
AAC devices—ranging from speech-generating devices to symbol boards—provide alternative means of communication for individuals who cannot speak or whose speech is severely impaired.
Question 3: What accessibility strategy does 'text-to-speech' primarily support, and which disability groups benefit MOST?
- Braille translation; users who are blind
- Converting on-screen text to synthesized speech; users who are blind, have low vision, dyslexia, or cognitive disabilities (Correct answer)
- Converting speech to text; users who are Deaf
- Enlarging on-screen text; users with low vision only
Correct answer: Converting on-screen text to synthesized speech; users who are blind, have low vision, dyslexia, or cognitive disabilities
Text-to-speech reads digital text aloud via synthetic voice and benefits a wide range of users including those who are blind, have low vision, reading disabilities, or cognitive impairments.
Question 4: Which feature of modern hearing aids specifically helps users in noisy public environments by wirelessly connecting to a microphone worn by a speaker?
- Bone conduction bypass
- FM/Roger system or direct audio streaming (Correct answer)
- Telecoil (T-coil) loop induction
- Frequency compression amplification
Correct answer: FM/Roger system or direct audio streaming
FM systems and digital streaming protocols send a speaker's microphone audio directly to hearing aids, cutting through background noise in classrooms, meetings, or public spaces.
Question 5: A blind developer wants to test whether a website is accessible using a screen reader. Which testing approach is considered MOST valid?
- Running an automated accessibility checker such as axe or WAVE
- Manual testing with an actual screen reader (e.g., NVDA, JAWS) and keyboard only (Correct answer)
- Reviewing the HTML source code for ARIA attributes
- Checking color contrast ratios with a contrast analyzer tool
Correct answer: Manual testing with an actual screen reader (e.g., NVDA, JAWS) and keyboard only
Manual screen reader testing with keyboard-only navigation reveals real user experience issues that automated tools and code review cannot detect, such as confusing reading order or missing announcements.
Question 6: What is the MAIN functional difference between a 'closed' captioning system and an 'open' captioning system?
- Closed captions are always auto-generated; open captions are human-edited
- Closed captions can be turned on or off by the viewer; open captions are permanently burned into the video (Correct answer)
- Open captions only appear in streaming services; closed captions appear on broadcast TV
- Closed captions support multiple languages; open captions are English only
Correct answer: Closed captions can be turned on or off by the viewer; open captions are permanently burned into the video
Closed captions are an optional, toggleable overlay, while open captions are embedded directly into the video frame and always visible regardless of viewer settings.
Question 7: Which assistive technology strategy involves training a user to memorize keyboard shortcuts rather than relying on mouse navigation?
- Cognitive load reduction
- Keyboard access training as a motor compensation strategy (Correct answer)
- Haptic feedback calibration
- Screen reader verbosity adjustment
Correct answer: Keyboard access training as a motor compensation strategy
Teaching keyboard access as a motor compensation strategy helps users with motor impairments operate software efficiently without needing precise mouse movements.
CPACC Assistive Technologies and Strategies 5
Which of the following BEST describes the role of a screen magnifier compared to browser zoom?