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What Do We Mean by Disability?

Image credit: Generated using Microsoft Designer

Originally appeared in LinkedIn AccessABILITY

In my last post I was pretty open about a number of things. While I surely don’t have all of the information on all aspects of these topics, I strive to learn more every day. To recap, the advertising/marketing industry is placing a well-deserved scrutiny upon whether their websites and apps are considering all users and their level of usability by anyone who visits the site or uses the app.

Accessibility in this context means that the digital property’s content, and its functionality, can be used by anyone - regardless of cognitive or physical disability. It should not require a conscious decision to make a property accessible, rather to make sure that it is not inaccessible to anyone.

Users and Disabilities

How do people that have a physical or cognitive disability access and use a website, online application, or service? The answer can vary based on the type and severity of the disability. Individuals with physical or cognitive disabilities use websites, online applications, or services in a variety of ways, depending on the nature and severity of their disability. Accessibility in the digital realm is a multidimensional topic that encompasses a wide range of challenges and solutions tailored to specific needs.

For those with physical limitations, using digital platforms may necessitate the use of specialized assistive technologies such as screen readers, voice recognition software, or alternate input devices such as switches or joysticks. These tools allow users to engage with web material via auditory or tactile feedback, overcoming the limitations of typical mouse and keyboard interfaces. Furthermore, web developers can improve accessibility for people with physical disabilities by including features like keyboard navigation, resizable text, and high-contrast layouts, which allow for smooth engagement regardless of motor constraints.

Cognitive disabilities, on the other hand, provide distinct barriers to digital accessibility, impacting people's comprehension, memory, and problem-solving abilities. To accommodate a wide range of cognitive needs, websites and applications should promote clarity, simplicity, and consistency in design and information presentation. Using straightforward language, offering visual clues and directions, and reducing distractions can all help with learning and retention of information. In addition, text-to-speech functionality, contextual support tools, and configurable settings allow users with cognitive disabilities to personalize their digital experience based on their preferences and cognitive abilities.

However, it is critical to understand that the accessibility journey is not one-size-fits-all. Individuals with disabilities have diverse needs and capacities, necessitating a flexible and inclusive approach to design and development. Let’s look a little closer at physical and cognitive impairments/disabilities.

Physical Disabilities and Limitations

Physical disabilities are usually considered to be those that affect perception using one’s senses, as well as means by which one interacts with, or navigates content. Let’s take a look at some of the different types of physical disabilities.

Auditory: Auditory disorders range from significant and irreversible hearing loss in both ears ("deafness") to mild to moderate hearing loss in one or both ears ("hard of hearing"). When there is background noise, hearing difficulties can sometimes make sounds difficult for a person to grasp completely. This may apply to those who wear hearing aids.

Physical: Physical disabilities (also referred to as "motor disabilities") include joint disorders like arthritis, pain that restricts movement, missing limbs, limitations of sensation, weakness, and limitations of muscular control (such as involuntary movements including tremors, lack of coordination, or paralysis). These can also include “repetitive stress injuries”, or injuries that occur to the muscles, bones, or joints due to repetitive motion.

Speech: One aspect of speech difficulties is the inability to produce speech that voice recognition software or other people can understand. For instance, it could be challenging to comprehend someone based on their voice clarity or volume. The speech category also includes the inability to talk for a variety of causes, such as mental illnesses, cognitive deficits, or a failure to acquire speech, also known as muteness. Dysarthria, the weakening or paralysis of the tongue, lips, lungs, and throat muscles that are used for speaking. And stuttering, or the involuntary repetition of sounds, particularly initial consonants, during speech.

Visual: The broad spectrum of visual impairments includes considerable and irreversible vision loss in both eyes (blindness) as well as mild to moderate vision loss in one or both eyes (low vision). Some people are either more sensitive to bright colors or less sensitive to certain hues (also known as "color blindness"). These differences in brightness and color perception may occur regardless of visual acuity.

Cognitive Disabilities and Skills

This category consists of a range of cognitive, learning, and neurological disorders. To make technology accessible to individuals with such difficulties, we must first have a thorough understanding of the different types of impairments. A mental impairment is a condition that restricts a primary life activity. It is crucial to note, however, that cognitive, learning, and neurological problems do not always affect the intelligence of a person. Communicating, learning, and working are examples of important life activities. Aphasia, autism, attention deficiency, dyslexia, dyscalculia, intellectual and memory loss are all examples of cognitive disorders. Let’s take a brief look at some of the different cognitive disabilities.

Mental health: the ability to focus and keep focused on the current task. This can include things like anxiety, ADHD, delirium, schizophrenia, and certain mood disorders.

Autism spectrum: impairments of social communication and ability to interact. Can also include ‘logic & reasoning” issues, such as the ability to reason, prioritize and plan.

Memory impairments: Memory problems can have a substantial impact on a person's capacity to store and recall knowledge. Short-term memory, which is required for quick processing of information, might be affected, making it difficult to retain facts for short periods of time. Long-term memory, which is required for storing and retrieving information over long periods of time, may also be compromised, making it difficult to recall previously taught material when needed.

Perceptual disabilities: People with perceptual disabilities face significant obstacles, notably in language and math processing. Language processing entails the recognition of letters and words, as well as comprehension of written or spoken language. These tasks can be difficult for people with perceptual problems, limiting their ability to comprehend and communicate effectively. Similarly, arithmetic processing, which includes identifying numbers, symbols, and doing calculations, can be difficult for people with perceptual difficulties, limiting their mathematics comprehension and problem-solving ability.

When it comes to accessibility for people with cognitive disabilities, there are various barriers that may prevent them from accessing content. To begin, the use of tough language and complicated examples in video scripts might create hurdles, as people may struggle to understand the intended message. Furthermore, videos that fail to break down complex guidance into basic steps might be difficult to follow, producing confusion and dissatisfaction among viewers.

The lack of captions in videos is another barrier to accessibility. Captions help not only people with hearing problems, but also people with cognitive disabilities who rely on visual cues to grasp information. Without captions, people may struggle to remember information, understand new words, or follow along with the video's content.

Persistent or forced subtitles, on the other hand, can be distracting for certain people, causing them to lose concentration on the video's message. Furthermore, limitations in video controls, such as the inability to update settings or navigate the player using alternate ways such as voice commands, can make the content inaccessible to some people, depriving them of critical information and learning opportunities.

I promised in this issue to get to WCAG and the four principles. However, this issue has become a little long and WCAG deserves proper focus, so let’s save that as the topic for next time.