100 points to know about...
Digital accessibility

Since it's hard to detect and diagnose SLDs, web designers and content creators often fail to consider how their digital projects may exclude users with these disorders.

Let's take a look at three different scenarios in which users with SLDs can experience accessibility issues online.

Peter attempts to read a news post

Peter is reading a post on a news website about a new mall in his city. He's having difficulty reading past the first paragraph because there are many strange and long words. Besides that, the font, frequent italics and justified alignment make the text blend together. Peter looks for headings that could break up the long text, but finds none.

He is ready to give up altogether, but then he sees a pie chart. However, the chart does not come with any explanations, and he can't remember how to calculate the different parts of the chart. Peter's fingers grow tired of scrolling past the long text, so he exits the website and turns to the TV to hear the news there instead.

Accessibility issue: The design is not adapted to SLD users' difficulties with reading, maths and fine motor skills.

Maria shops for a handbag online

Maria is searching for a new handbag online. She thinks it would be quickest to type "handbag" into the website's search bar. However, it’s not in the top right like she is used to seeing, so she turns to the menu. The vertical menu has a lot of options to choose from, and she’s not quite sure which is best. Near the bottom, she spots an option labelled "Other", with an icon of a sock next to it. The icon confuses Maria, but she clicks on it anyway.

A collection of handbags appear on the page, along with different items: socks, belts, scarves, and others. She browses from page to page, searching for the perfect bag when, suddenly, she finds herself on a page with just wallets. The page offers no clues on how she got there, so Maria has to return to the first page to get back to the handbags.

After finally settling on a handbag, she types in her credit card information to complete her purchase. Unfortunately, the website returns an error message: "Some details are missing". Maria tries again, but the website informs her that her session has expired and redirects her to the home page. Frustrated, she decides to take her business elsewhere and buys a handbag at the local mall instead.

Accessibility issue: The design is not adapted to SLD users' difficulties with memory, time management and problem-solving.

Lana searches for the perfect pizza recipe

Lana is looking for a recipe online because she wants to surprise her family with a delicious homemade pizza. The page she's stumbled upon seems promising, but she notices that the background is very similar to the colour of the text. Lana also sees several pictures, but they have nothing to do with the recipe and, instead, show pictures of a family and their kitchen. The page is also littered with advertisements and newsletter pop-ups that she has difficulty closing.

Suddenly, she hears a faint noise in the background. She scrolls down and notices that a video has been on auto-play the entire time. Even though she has to rewind the video to the beginning, Lana is hopeful that maybe it will help her better than the barely visible text. The presenter has a strange voice, so she looks for captions but can't find any. With her family only half an hour away, she orders a pizza instead.

Accessibility issue: The design is not adapted to SLD users' difficulties staying focused and not being overwhelmed with distractions.