Accessibility For Designers
Web accessibility ensures that digital content is usable and accessible to all users, including those with disabilities, by addressing various impairments such as visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive challenges.
What Are The Different Disabilities?
Each disability has different solutions when designing a website. Here are a few of the many disabilities that you should be aware of.
Physical
These disabilities affect a person’s mobility or physical functioning. Examples include paralysis, limb loss, cerebral palsy, and muscular dystrophy.
How
Motor disabilities can impact website usage by making it difficult for users to use a mouse or keyboard, this means they rely on voice commands or assistive technology. Websites should have accessible features and commands to make things easier for the user.
Design Examples
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Visibility
These disabilities affect a person’s vision or ability to see. They include blindness, low vision, color blindness, and various eye conditions that affect visual acuity.
How
It’s important to consider visual impairment when designing a website, as users may require the assistance of screen readers or magnification software. To accommodate these users, websites should be well-structured and allow for options such as different types of contrast and font sizes.
Design Examples
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Hearing
These disabilities affect a person’s ability to hear or perceive sound. They include deafness, hearing loss, and auditory processing disorders.
How
Hearing disabilities can affect website usage by creating challenging access to audio content without captions—visual cues and text-based information work best. Websites should always keep this in mind when thinking about hearing disabilities.
Design Examples
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Cognitive
These disabilities affect a person’s cognitive abilities, such as memory, attention, learning, and problem-solving skills. Examples include intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and learning disabilities like dyslexia.
How
Enhancing cognitive accessibility involves employing simple language, designing easy-to-follow navigation, and reducing distractions, thus fostering inclusivity in online experiences for individuals with cognitive difficulties and all users alike.
Design Examples
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Neurological
These disabilities affect the functioning of the nervous system and may involve neurological conditions such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and traumatic brain injury.
How
Individuals with neurological disabilities utilize various web browsing methods tailored to their specific requirements. For instance, some may employ text-to-speech software to listen to information instead of reading it visually, while others may rely on captions to read information while simultaneously hearing it.
Design Examples
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Psychiatric
These disabilities affect a person’s mental health and emotional well-being. Examples include depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
How
Exploring the internet for insights on mental health issues, their symptoms, and available treatment options can be empowering. Delving into your experiences through research, such as investigating the advantages and potential drawbacks of medications, can offer valuable knowledge and empowerment.
Design Examples
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Speech and Language
These disabilities affect a person’s ability to communicate verbally or express themselves effectively. Examples include speech disorders, stuttering, and language processing disorders.
How
A website ought to incorporate engagement avenues that extend beyond solely relying on voice input. Typically, individuals with speech and language disorders find text-based services and applications—such as chat, email, and feedback forms—more comfortable for communication.
Design Examples
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Developmental
These disabilities affect a person’s development and may involve delays or impairments in physical, cognitive, emotional, or social development. Examples include Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, and cerebral palsy.
How
Ensure that images include descriptive alt tags, which substitute for the image when accessed by screen readers. Maintain adequate contrast between text and background colors. Additionally, ensure the website permits users to enlarge text fonts by up to 200 percent.
Design Examples
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Chronic Health
These conditions involve long-term health issues that may impact a person’s daily functioning and quality of life. Examples include diabetes, asthma, heart disease, chronic pain conditions, and autoimmune disorders.
How
Ensuring that the right information is provided with the topic. There are many different types of chronic health disabilities but making things easy and understanding on a website is a great place to start.
Design Examples
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