Disabled Groups and how they use the web

Approximately 15% of the world population suffer from some kind of disability or impairment. Since mobile apps increasingly play a major role in our everyday lives, it is peculiar to think that approximately 1 in 7 people might not have the same level of access that other app users have.

Disability Groups

People who use the web have a growing variety of characteristics. As web developers, we can not assume that all our users are accessing our content using the same web browser or operating system as we are, nor can we assume they’re using a traditional monitor for output, or keyboard and mouse for input. Consider these user characteristics:

· Unable to see. Individuals who are blind use either audible output (products called screen readers that read web content using synthesized speech) or tactile output (a refreshable Braille device). They will use the keyboard to enter instructions to the screen reader and will navigate through the page using tab keys, up and down arrows, enter key. Features to help this group include:

· A clear page structure consisting of landmarks to help the user navigate the page effectively i.e. headers and footers, navigation areas, main content, sections etc

· Use of headings H1 – H6 also helps the user navigate the page

· All focusable controls, clickable links and images should be associated with labels so these can be read out by a screen reader

· All clickable controls must also respond to the Enter key

· Elements which are not normally interactive (e.g. a <div>) that have an onClick client-side event must also have an onKeyPress event so they can be activated with the Enter key

· Skip links help skip over repeated headers, to help get to the main content as quickly as possible

· Low vision. Individuals with low vision may also use screen readers and may also use screen magnification software that allows them to zoom into all or a portion of the visual screen. Many others with less than perfect eyesight may enlarge the font on websites using standard browser functions, such as Ctrl + in Windows browsers or Command + in Mac browsers. Features to help this group include:

· Magnification must work without truncating any content or requiring scrolling

· Responsive layout features are needed for zoom to work smoothly

· Color blindness: Features to help this group include:

· The ratio between the text and background colors needs to meet the minimum standard (4.5:1)

· Color should not be used as the only way to convey a specific meaning

· Cognitive disability. These individuals may have difficulty with reading or understanding and can be confused by complex navigation mechanisms or page layouts, or by long sentences or complex words. Features to help this group include:

· Clear and consistent layouts

· Following best practice for line lengths, line heights, word and paragraph separation, number of words per line, font sizes and units etc

· Physical disabilities. Individuals with physical disabilities that effect their use of hands may be unable to use a mouse or have difficulty with swiping or pinching gestures, and instead may rely exclusively on keyboard input. They will navigate through the page using the keyboard – tab keys, up and down arrows, enter key. Features to help this group include:

· All clickable controls must also respond to the Enter key,

· Current focus must be clearly visible

· Elements which are not normally interactive (e.g. a <div>) that have an onClick client-side event must also have an onKeyPress event so they can be activated with the Enter key