Types of Disabilities

Disabilities include visual (blindness, low vision), hearing (deafness, hard of hearing), motor (mobility issues, dexterity), cognitive (learning disabilities, intellectual), neurological (autism, ADHD), and invisible disabilities (chronic illness, mental health).

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Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) - 1990

Federal civil rights law prohibiting discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life. Covers employment (Title I), state/local government (Title II), and public accommodations/private business (Title III).

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Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act - 1998

US federal law requiring federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology (ICT) accessible to employees and the public with disabilities.

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Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Federal law ensuring individuals with disabilities receive vocational rehabilitation and other support services. Section 504 prohibits discrimination based on disability by any organisation receiving federal funding.

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UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) - 2006

International human rights treaty affirming the rights of persons with disabilities to participate fully in society. Establishes accessibility as a human right, not a privilege.

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Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1

International standard for web accessibility published by the W3C. Provides guidelines to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities.

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EN 301 549 - European Accessibility Standard

European standard for accessibility of ICT products and services. Used by EU member states for public procurement and regulatory compliance.

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Social Model vs Medical Model of Disability

Social Model: disability is caused by societal barriers and lack of accessibility, not by individual limitations. Medical Model: disability is a medical condition to be 'fixed' or treated.

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Universal Design Principles

Design philosophy that makes products and environments usable by the widest range of people, regardless of age, ability, or status. Seven core principles guide the approach.

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Assistive Technology (AT) Overview

Tools and devices that help people with disabilities use technology. Includes screen readers, magnifiers, voice control, eye-tracking, switch devices, and AAC (augmentative and alternative communication).

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WCAG Principle 1: Perceivable

Information and user interface components must be perceivable to users. Includes alternative text for images, captions for audio/video, sufficient colour contrast, and distinguishable foreground/background.

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WCAG Principle 2: Operable

User interface components and navigation must be operable. Users must be able to navigate using keyboard, have enough time to read/interact, avoid content that causes seizures, and navigate efficiently.

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WCAG Principle 3: Understandable

Information and operation must be understandable. Text must be readable, language must be clear, pages must be predictable, and users must get help with input errors.

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WCAG Principle 4: Robust

Content must be robust enough to be interpreted by assistive technologies. Requires valid HTML, proper semantic markup, and ARIA labels where needed.

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Alternative Text (Alt Text)

Text description of images that conveys meaning and function. Essential for screen reader users. Decorative images should have empty alt (alt=''), functional images need descriptive alt.

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Captions and Transcripts for Multimedia

Video requires captions (text of all dialogue and sound effects) and transcripts. Audio requires transcripts. Described video provides narration of visual elements for blind users.

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Colour Contrast Requirements

Text must have sufficient contrast with its background. WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text (18pt+). AAA requires 7:1 and 4.5:1 respectively.

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Keyboard Navigation and Focus

All functionality must be accessible via keyboard. Focus must be visible and logical. Tab order must follow logical flow. Avoid keyboard traps where users can't escape via keyboard.

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Accessible Forms

Forms must have properly associated labels, use fieldsets for grouped fields, provide clear error messages, and indicate required fields. Placeholder text alone is insufficient as a label.

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Semantic HTML Markup

Use HTML elements for their intended purpose: headings for structure, nav for navigation, main for primary content, etc. Semantic HTML provides meaning that assistive technologies can interpret.

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ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) Basics

ARIA attributes provide information to assistive technologies when semantic HTML is insufficient. Includes roles (what something is), states (current condition), and properties (characteristics).

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Responsive Design and Mobile Accessibility

Responsive design must work on all screen sizes. Touch targets must be 44x44px minimum. Content must reflow without horizontal scrolling. Users must be able to zoom to 200%.

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Accessible PDF Documents

PDFs must be tagged with proper structure, include alternative text for images, have logical reading order, and make form fields accessible. Scanned PDFs require OCR.

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Accessible Office Documents

Office documents must use proper heading styles, include alt text for images, use table headers, and have logical reading order. Avoid formatting for meaning (bold instead of styles).

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Manual Accessibility Testing

Testing without automated tools — using keyboard to navigate, using screen readers to verify content, and manually checking against WCAG guidelines.

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Automated Accessibility Testing Tools

Tools like axe, Lighthouse, and WAVE automatically scan for common accessibility issues. Can catch technical errors quickly but miss context-dependent issues.

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Screen Reader Testing

Testing with actual screen readers (NVDA, JAWS on Windows; VoiceOver on Mac/iOS; TalkBack on Android). Requires learning screen reader controls and testing with real users.

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WCAG Compliance Audit Process

Systematic evaluation of a website or application against WCAG criteria. Involves sampling pages, testing against guidelines, documenting issues, and assigning severity levels.

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Testing with Real Users (Disabled Users)

Testing with actual people with disabilities — the gold standard. Reveals issues that automated tools and experts miss. Participants use their own assistive technology and workflows.

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WCAG Conformance Levels (A, AA, AAA)

WCAG has three conformance levels. Level A = minimum (18 criteria), AA = standard (22 additional criteria, ~28 total), AAA = enhanced (11 additional criteria, ~39 total).

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WCAG 2.1 Success Criteria Overview

78 specific, testable success criteria across 13 guidelines and 4 principles. Each criterion has a level (A, AA, or AAA) and sufficient techniques for compliance.

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Screen Readers

Software that reads text aloud and enables Braille output. Converts visual content to auditory or tactile. Used by blind and low-vision users.

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Magnification Software

Software that enlarges screen content. Used by people with low vision to see text and images. Can magnify up to 60x or more.

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Voice Control and Speech Recognition

Software allowing users to control computers via voice commands and dictation. Used by people with motor disabilities, chronic pain, or repetitive strain injuries.

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Switch Control and Alternative Input Devices

Hardware and software for users with severe motor disabilities. Single switches, eye-gaze trackers, and head pointers enable computer control without traditional keyboard/mouse.

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Live Captioning and Real-Time Text

Real-time text conversion of spoken content. CART (Communications Access Realtime Translation) is used for meetings/presentations. Live captions appear on devices in real-time.

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Colour Blindness and Vision Simulation Tools

Tools simulating colour blindness types to help designers test colour dependence. Also filter/adjustment tools for people with colour vision deficiency.

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Accessibility Statements and Conformance Claims

Public declaration of accessibility compliance and any known limitations. Provides contact information for accessibility issues. Shows organisational commitment.

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Accessibility Policies and Standards

Organisational policies mandating accessibility in all projects. Includes procurement standards, development guidelines, and testing requirements.

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Accessibility Team Structure and Roles

Organisational structure for managing accessibility. May include accessibility coordinators, auditors, training leads, and developer advocacy. Requires clear ownership.

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Accessibility Training and Awareness

Ongoing education ensuring all staff understand accessibility importance. Includes role-specific training (designers learn WCAG design, developers learn HTML/ARIA, etc.).

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Accessibility Budget and Resource Planning

Allocating budget for accessibility — tools, training, staffing, and remediation. Building accessibility in from the start is cheaper than retrofitting.

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Legal Liability and Litigation Trends

Legal risk of inaccessible websites under ADA and other laws. Growing litigation trend in US. Non-compliance can result in lawsuits and significant penalties.

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Measuring Accessibility Progress and Metrics

Defining metrics to track accessibility maturity. May include: % pages audited, issues resolved, user satisfaction, WCAG conformance level achieved.

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Managing Vendor and Third-Party Accessibility

Ensuring third-party tools, plugins, and services meet accessibility standards. Requires contractual requirements and evaluation before integration.

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International Accessibility Standards and Regulations

Accessibility standards vary globally. EU has EN 301 549, Canada has AODA, Australia has DDA. CRPD influences many countries. International organisations must navigate multiple standards.

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