Vision impairments
Vision disabilities go far beyond blindness or low vision. They also include color blindness and those who have sensitivities to brightness, motion, cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. For example, astigmatism is a condition that can make it hard to read your message in dark mode.
What you can do:
- Avoid busy backgrounds.
- Provide good contrast. Make sure the contrast between the text and background is greater than or equal to 4.5:1 for small text and 3:1 for large text. If you are unsure if you have provided enough contrast, you can test your color palette for accessible combinations with Accessible Color Palette Builder.
- Do not use color alone to convey meaning. Use icons, written content, and other visual elements to reinforce clear communication of the content. You can test what it’s like to view your designs through a color blindness simulator.
- When creating an email use simple sans serif fonts, e.g., Calibri. Avoid italics, fancy script, or decorative fonts with curly edges. Always use a font size of 12 points or larger. For web pages use the default settings.
- Additionally, you must create alternative text or ALT text for images you include on your web page or in your emails. ALT text is text that accompanies an image and can be read aloud by screen readers to explain the content of the image for those with visual impairments. ALT text differs from a caption because it does not appear under the photo, but rather in the HTML code. Social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn allow users to add ALT text to the photos they share.
Auditory impairments
Auditory disabilities include deafness or hard of hearing. Someone with an auditory disability might have trouble with the volume of sound, frequency of sound, or phantom noises (tinnitus).
What you can do: If you have a message conveyed via sound, you will need captions or a transcript. Providing transcripts and/or captioning helps everyone to easily engage and interact with the content.
Cognitive Issues
People with mental limitations that affect memory, problem-solving, attention, or comprehension may experience cognitive challenges that can impact their ability to engage with your message For example, dyslexia is a common cognitive issue to consider.
What you can do: When building web pages or emails, use a simple layout and presentation, avoid technical language, include clear instructions when necessary, avoid distracting animation, and use the default fonts.
Neurological Conditions
Neurological conditions include those conditions that affect an individual’s central and peripheral nervous system–brain, spinal cord, cranial nerves, etc. This includes things like strokes, epilepsy, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and brain tumors. ADD and ADHD are also neurological disorders that may impact how individuals engage with web pages or emails.
What you can do: Make sure your content is easy to navigate, break up text into smaller sections, and avoid precise actions that would be difficult for someone with tremors or who is using a mouth stick.
Physical Limitations
Individuals with physical disabilities include those who have weaknesses or limitations of motor control. It may also involve problems like tremors, lack of coordination, paralysis, joint disorders such as arthritis, and missing limbs.
What you can do: Ensure that your web page or email can be easily accessed with keyboard navigation and screen readers.
Speech Impairments
This includes people unable to produce speech recognizable by others or by software. Muteness and stuttering are just two examples of speech impairments.
What you can do: Include contact options in your message beyond a phone call. Consider a contact form, live chat box, or a reply-to email address. Avoid using a no-reply “from” address to deliver your emails.