Understanding Accessibility

Cognitive-related & Learning Disabilities

People with cognitive, learning, and neurological disabilities use different types of web browsing methods, depending on their particular needs. For example, some people use text-to-speech software to hear the information while reading it visually or use captions to read the information while hearing it. Some people use tools that resize text and spacing or customize colors to assist reading. Others use grammar and spelling tools to support writing. For these web browsing methods to work, developers need to consider web accessibility requirements which are often shared by people with hearing, physical, speech, and visual disabilities.

Learning and cognitive-related disabilities can be as varied as mobility-related disabilities, perhaps more so. These disabilities can range from a mild reading-related disability to very severe cognitive impairments that may result in limited use of language and difficulty processing complex information. For most of the disabilities in this range, there are some common barriers and others that only affect those with more severe cognitive disabilities.

Common barriers for this group include:

• use of overly complex/advanced language
• inconsistent navigation
• overly complex or excessive amounts of content
• time limits (insufficient time to complete tasks)
• unstructured content (no visible headings, sections, topics, etc.)
• unexpected actions (e.g., redirect when an element receives focus)

More specific disability-related issues include:

• reading: text justification (inconsistent spacing between words)
• reading: images of text (not readable with a text reader)
• visual: visual content with no text description
• math: images of math equations (not readable with a math reader)

Examples of cognitive, learning, and neurological disabilities

• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (formerly “attention deficit disorder (ADD)”) – involves difficulty focusing on a single task, focusing for longer periods, or being easily distracted.
• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (includes “autism,” “Asperger syndrome,” and “pervasive developmental disorder” (PDD)) - involves impairments of social communication and interaction abilities, and sometimes restricted habits and interests.
• Intellectual disabilities (sometimes called “learning disabilities” in Europe and some other countries, and “developmental disabilities” in other regions) – involves impairments of intelligence, learning more slowly, or difficulty understanding complex concepts. Down syndrome is one among many different causes of intellectual disabilities.
• Learning disabilities – is a functional term rather than a medical condition, and is not uniformly defined. In Europe and some other countries, it refers to intellectual disabilities, while in Australia, Canada, the U.S., and some other countries it refers to perceptual disabilities.
• Mental health disabilities – includes anxiety, delirium, depression, paranoia, schizophrenia, and many other disorders. These conditions may cause difficulty focusing on information, processing information, or understanding it. In particular medication for these disorders may have side effects including blurred vision, hand tremors, and other impairments.
• Memory impairments – involves limited short-term memory, missing long-term memory, or limited ability to recall language. Dementia is one among many different causes of memory impairments.
• Multiple sclerosis – causes damage to nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, and can affect auditory, cognitive, physical, or visual abilities, in particular during relapses.
• Neurodiversity – is a societal rather than medical term to describe the natural diversity in neurocognitive functioning, like gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability.
• Perceptual disabilities (sometimes called “learning disabilities” in Australia, Canada, the U.S., and some other countries) – involves difficulty processing auditory, tactile, visual, or other sensory information. This can impact reading (dyslexia), writing (dysgraphia), processing numbers (dyscalculia), or spatial and temporal orientation.
• Seizure disorders – includes different types of epilepsy and migraines, which may be in reaction to visual flickering or audio signals at certain frequencies or patterns.

Stories related to cognitive, learning, and neurological disabilities

• Preety, middle school student with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Dyslexia
• Yun, retiree with low vision, hand tremor, and mild short-term memory loss
• Luis, supermarket assistant with Down syndrome