Enhancing Accessibility and Effectiveness on Social Networking Sites for Visually Impaired (VI) and Hearing-Impaired (HI) Users through the Use of AI Technology

Abstract

Access to social networking sites forms an integral part of contemporary communication and interaction, but it becomes a terrific challenge for those with visual as well as auditory impairments. This paper investigates the ways in which Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology can help improve social media accessibility while enhancing effectiveness for the impaired. Access can be made possible through AI-based features such as speech recognition, automatic captioning, image descriptions, and personalized changes in the interface. The research assesses the user experience of these AI technologies at this time, in order to point out areas where they need improvement, to improve their efficacy. The researchers adopted a survey on the perceptions of the accessibility features "enriched" with AI by the users. The outcome indicates wide-ranging user satisfaction, as most users find the currently available technologies useful, but questions surrounding usability and awareness remain. The study suggests that despite being more accessible, it would be realized only in the ongoing innovation, user participation, and community-driven development that is realized for its inclusive networking of a social network of all users. The insights gained by them could help in the formulating of more responsive, user-centric AI solutions that address specific needs of people with visual and auditory impairments.