• Introduction
• Blindness
• Low Vision
• Motor Skills
• Cognitive
• Hearing
• Standards

Common Issues

Cognitive disabilities can exist in many forms and degrees. These types of disabilities can result from a serious injury, genetics or a unique neurological structure within a person’s brain. Dyslexia is a very common example of such a disability and affects the way a person reads or interprets information while reading. Many other people suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, which hinders a person’s ability to focus on a single task, like reading content on a website. Because of how common these disabilities are to people of all ages and ethnicities, it is essential that web designers to adopt accessible design practices in all their projects to ensure that everyone can easily interpret the web’s content. Fortunately, the most effective methods of designing for this kind of disability are fairly straightforward and universal.

The most common methods of designing for neurological deficiencies involve the organization of the content. Whether you’re designing for a Flash application or an HTML based one, it is essential to keep navigational schemes consistent and logical. If your information must be divided up into various categories, take care to ensure that all content ends up in appropriate categories or areas of the site. This rule can be applied to all areas and functions of the site; put things where users expect to find them. Beyond that, use language that will appeal to that specific target audience and generally, keep most sentences simpler whenever possible.

Poorly designed Flash websites however, tend to use of the timeline and animation capabilities within Flash inappropriately. These aspects are truly beneficial and unique to the Flash environment but must be used carefully. Especially when utilizing the timeline, designers can essentially force a user through the application. A user should have the control to progress through the interface and content at their own page. Flash is a powerful animation tool as well. Again, however, using this ability improperly will lead to an unsuccessful application. Excessive animation can increase file size, disrupt the flow of content and can even cause harm to people with more serious cognitive disabilities. Effects that animate to quickly or produce a wide array of varying colors or graphics can put a sensitive person at risk of experiencing a seizure.