Types of learning or cognitive disabilities can differ to a great extent, and range from severe to pretty mild. Learning disability refers to a reduced ability to understand complex or new information, learn new skills and/or cope independently. Down Syndrome and Autism come under this form of disability. There are thousands of people in the world having cognitive impairments or learning disabilities, and therefore website developers must take steps to make online content adequately accessible for them. AccessiBe offers a range of tech-bases web accessibility solutions for people with disabilities, including focusing assistants for users with cognitive disabilities or reading challenges.
AccessiBe underlines certain ways to make websites accessible for those with learning disabilities or cognitive impairments
There are several individuals who face difficulty with memory, focus, problem solving, reading, and more, which interferes with their ability to easily consume web content. Hence, it is better to choose easy and short words as much as possible when creating written content for the web. Too complex terminology must be avoided, unless it is absolutely necessary. Simple content can reach the maximum number of online users. Steering clear of buzzwords and jargon would always be better, as they can lead to misinterpretation and confusion.
Heading structure is important for web content in order to categorize information. A lot of people depend on headings to break up information on a page into manageable chunks that can be orderly understood. Headings make content easy to skim over, more readable, and simple to follow.
Linking in and out of the website is a common trend today. Apart from having SEO benefits, it also aids in backing up what is in the content. Many people scan pages for links, but they may become confused if a link does not describe where it is sending them. Therefore, it is vital to be descriptive with the links.
When it comes to images, it is imperative to include the clearly decipherable ones on the website. Images having processing difficulties may raise issues for people with learning disabilities or cognitive impairments. In case a complex image has to be used, it is better to add a caption or description with it. In many websites, graphs and tables are also used as images. While they can be informative, tables and graphs also may interrupt the flow of the users. Many users also may find it difficult to read or understand what a graph is supposed to display. Therefore, it is better to describe what is shown in a graph or provide alternate ways to access the information displayed.
To make a website accessible to all, the use of proper icons within the webpage is vital. These icons contribute to improving the clarity of the website and offer a visual representation of where the user shall be going after clicking on it. Developers must see to it that all the icons are clear and understandable enough. Vague icons may confuse the users and they might face problems in navigating the page. AI based tools offered by AccessiBe help in making websites accessible for all.