Intro to Accessibility Overlapping Accommodations

Learning objective: By the end of this lesson students will be able to implement inclusive design strategies that address multiple disabilities, emphasizing minimized animation, concise communication, and predictable interaction patterns.

Accommodating multiple disabilities

Many of the features we implement serve to accommodate individuals with multiple disabilities simultaneously.

Minimizing animation

Animation can lead to cognitive overload, making it more challenging for individuals to interact with your site. Additionally, individuals with epilepsy or other photosensitive conditions can be sensitive to flashing lights, flickering images, or patterns. It’s essential to consider these factors in your design to ensure that everyone can safely access your content.

• Avoid using flashing lights, flickering images, or rapidly changing patterns in our app.
• If your content includes extensive animation that isn’t essential, provide an easy way for users to disable it.
• Offer users the option to disable flashing lights and flickering images if needed.

Keep it concise

When communicating with your users, provide only relevant information and format it in easily digestible chunks. Shorter sentences and paragraphs are preferable, as they reduce cognitive load and enhance the browsing experience, particularly for individuals with visual disabilities.

Break up text into smaller paragraphs and utilize headings and subheadings to organize content. This approach makes your content more readable and scannable.

Be predictable

Don’t reinvent the wheel. The best solutions may not be flashy, complex, or novel. Sticking to the fundamentals unlocks a surprising amount of accessibility.

• Use clear and consistent labels for all interactive elements to ensure that users understand their purpose and how to interact with them.
• Ensure that all interactive elements behave predictably. For example, clicking a button should trigger an expected action.
• Prioritize writing valid semantic HTML and CSS code to ensure the functionality of your website for all users.
• Avoid relying on proprietary browser features. While experimental features may be interesting, they aren’t very useful if they are not widely available to all users.