By Sarah Horton and David Sloan — Some people have disabilities that affect cognitive functioning, including the ability to read, learn, process, remember, and communicate information in various formats and in different contexts. The group of people with accessibility needs related to cognitive functioning is large and varied, yet it is one whose needs are less well understood and defined in comparison to other disability groups. Some members of this diverse group have historically experienced discrimination, including institutionalization and loss of basic human and civil rights.
As of the time of writing, there is a significant effort to increase recognition of, respect for, and support for diversity relating to cognitive functioning. Along with this effort is an evolution of the language used to describe certain conditions. Many national and international differences still exist in definition of certain terms, so find and use terminology that best describes cognitive accessibility within your context.
To help distinguish the different circumstances and user needs within the broad category of cognitive disability, we can consider a number of distinct groups of needs. Some people have conditions that mean they are members of multiple groups.
Learning
Some people have difficulty with the process of gathering information presented in content in different formats and using that information to acquire knowledge and make decisions. Sometimes referred to as perceptual disability, examples include dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia, which respectively refer to impairments of reading, working with numbers, and writing. In some countries, this group of conditions may be referred to as a learning disability, learning disorder, or learning difficulty.
User needs to support learning include the ability to:
- Change the display of content to make it easier to read, including changing typeface, text size, line spacing, and letter spacing.
- Access content presented in formats other than text, such as images, video, and animation.
- Simplify the presentation of primary text content by removing images and other potentially distracting content.
- Access content that is presented in consistent layouts, using consistent terminology, and which behaves in predictable ways.
- Receive support when inputting data into forms and when checking for errors.
Memory and Attention
Some people have difficulty remembering information over time. This can occur as a result of a range of conditions that affect short term or working memory. Some people have conditions that make it more difficult concentrating on a specific task and are more susceptible to distraction.
User accessibility needs to support memory and attention include the ability to:
- Access content that is presented in consistent layouts, using consistent terminology, and which behaves in predictable ways.
- Receive support when inputting data into forms and when checking for errors.
- Pause or turn off animations and regularly changing content.
- Simplify the presentation of primary text content by removing images and other potentially distracting content.
Communication
Some people have conditions that affect their ability to communicate in text. They may use symbol‑based communication in place of or in addition to text.
User accessibility needs to support communication include the ability to translate content into symbol‑based language.
Intellectual Disabilities
Intellectual disabilities significantly affect a person’s capacity to learn, including the rate of learning and the ability to learn more complex subjects, and may also impact the ability to use input devices such as a mouse or keyboard. Intellectual disability may be referred to in some countries as developmental disability or learning disability.
User accessibility needs related to intellectual disabilities include the ability to:
- Access content presented in formats other than text, such as images, video, and animation.
- Access content that is written in simple language and avoids metaphor, analogy, and other abstract ways of presenting information.
- Clearly distinguish and easily activate controls with minimal chance of error.
Neurological Conditions
Neurological conditions include seizure disorders such as epilepsy, which can lead to increased risk of a person experiencing a seizure when exposed to content that flickers or flashes at certain frequencies.
User accessibility needs focus on the ability to avoid exposure to flickering or flashing content.
Neurodivergency
Neurodivergency is a term that has emerged from a social justice movement rather than from medical origins and is used to describe a growing recognition that there is a broad diversity in the ways that people think, learn, and behave. This approach challenges a historic assumption that there is a “normal” way and that outliers need to be treated, or “corrected,” in the way they think, learn, and behave. In some cases, neurodivergent people may be disabled most by attitudes of others in society, rather than by their own condition. Neurodivergent people include people with autism spectrum disorders, including Asperger’s syndrome and autism.
User accessibility needs for neurodivergent people focus on minimizing sensory and cognitive overload, reducing demands on short‑term memory, and avoiding complex input methods.
From Horton, S., & Sloan, D. (2024). What Every Engineer Should Know About Digital Accessibility. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida.
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