Difference between revisions of "Category:Complex or Compound Disabilities"

There is no "one disability per person" rule. It's possible to be deaf in one ear and also have cataracts. It's possible to have Deafblindness. It's possible have a vestibular disorder and a broken arm.

Some disabilities compound automatically. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) may begin by causing physical disabilities and progress into speech disabilities. Fibromyalgia can cause both cognitive and physical disability symptoms.

When we design, we can't assume that a user has only one disability, or that there's only one level of profoundness to their disabilities.

Accessibility, then, is rooted to an individual's specific needs.

Examples of multiple disabilities

• Deafblindness

Design Considerations for Complex or Compound Disabilities

Because it's impossible to predict the many ways that disabilities can stack on top of each other, and because we can't design in detail for infinite combinations, the best way we can serve our users is to:

• Ensure that we provide designs with clear Information Architecture and Navigation
• Provide webpages that are based on Semantic HTML, HTML Standards, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, and CSS Standards so that accessibility features built into browsers have the highest opportunity to function.
• Ensure that pages are uncluttered and that content goals are clear and simple.

In other words, the better our overall design and development process, the further we open the door to access.