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Don’t assume that your users don’t have assistive technology needs.

Even if your product serves a small subset of users, any one individual may experience situational (working in a loud environment) or temporary disability (having an arm in a cast), or develop a more permanent one.

  • Dorota is the Chief Executive of an Australian Government department. Dorota is time-poor and needs to grasp information quickly. Dorota doesn't have time to read complex information.
  • Kala has a learning disability. Kala needs to be able to understand information about their university admission. People with learning disability need access to all types of information. Not just disability-specific information.
  • Kendra has a newborn and her attention is often divided; Kendra needs to be able to understand a site’s contents at a glance.

Steps to take

  1. Include people with disability and older people in your research and usability testing.
  2. Understand diversity - be mindful that everyone has a wide range of preferences and abilities.
  3. Build accessibility into your project workflow.
  4. Watch World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) series of short videos. They cover the impact of web accessibility for people with disability, and the benefits for everyone in a variety of situations (7 minutes 36 seconds):
Page last updated: 22 June 2021