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Amy Drayer's Intro to Cognitive Accessibility

Contributed by Katie Elder

Cognitive accessibility covers intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, reading disabilities, and some developmental disabilities.

Overview

Amy Drayer gives a presentation on cognitive accessibility, which not many of us think about but is important in web page and information design. She emphasizes that there is no right type of mind or neurocognitive functioning, just as there is no right gender, race, or culture. And, if we are to design and communicate in a manner to include cognitive accessibility, then we need to make sure to include users with cognitive and learning disabilities in the usability and testing groups.

The cognitive process - receiving information, processing it, and then actioning based on the results - has a number of possible restrictions that need to be considered. These are:

  • short term memory
  • different processing speed capabilities
  • language restrictions
  • social and communications issues needing literal language
  • issues keeping or regaining focus
  • dyscalculia

Drayer provides eight objectives for designing and communicating information to an audience that may have these restrictions.

  • Help people understand what things are and how to use them.
  • Help people find what they need.
  • Use clear and understandable content.
  • Help people avoid mistakes and correct them if needed.
  • Help people maintain focus.
  • Ensure processes do not rely on memory
  • Provide help and support.
  • Support adaptation and personalization.

And as an extra tip, make website changes incrementally instead of doing a complete overhaul all at once.

Takeaways

When we as technical communicators design web pages and graphics and communicate and layout information, we must consider that there is no "average" user. Designing for an "average" user is designing for someone who doesn't exist, and it leaves a lot of people out and unable to access or get through the information.

Keeping things simple and obvious increases accessibility to information for everyone; i.e., using a consistent visual design, using common symbols such as a phone icon, an envelope for email, or a lowercase i for information, and keeping language as literal as possible.

Standard website features can be barriers for accessibility, such as requiring complex passwords from memory, CAPTCHA images, and pop-up ads. All those mild annoyances like voice menus on phone calls or web pages that shift around with their ads can become real problems and turn-offs for those users with disabilities.

Reflections

Now that I've gone through a few of these accessibility presentations, I wish I had seen them before we did the client project. The super polished, modern look I was thinking of probably wouldn't have been the best thing to jump to. I wrote those recommendations because I was making the mistake of using myself and users like me as the standard. I thought, "I don't have a problem with this much change, so it's fine."

If I were to try again, I would recommend more gradual changes over time, likely starting with the missing information that was needed and clear contact information. I would have recommended mimicking the original design as much as possible, especially in the form of a sidebar for navigation instead of a horizontal one. Perhaps an email of the intended changes that could be sent out beforehand would be helpful as well. The site definitely could be more modern, but usability and accessibility are also needed features.

When I work in technical communication in the future, I need to remember that I am communicating with a diverse human race. When I design for accessibility, I design for effectiveness.