Barriers to accessibility facing those with learning disabilities vary between individuals, but some are especially common. Most can be overcome through careful and considerate design.
when people design and build website, they unfortunately don't always consider all the unique needs users needs have, explains accessibility advocate Seren Davies.
"some examples of berries people can face are poor colour contrast, not being able to read text or tell pass and fail apart as it is just using colour". She shares. "Not being able to highlight text to guide themselves along while reading or have assistive technology read the text to them. Having sites and software not friendly for screen-readers to use, they miss out on lots of content as it is not being read aloud."
Frequent interface changes
It often takes learning disabled users longer to master the use of a platform or interface. Making frequent changes can prove to be a hurdle for those with learning disabilities, since they may have to invest more time to relearn after each change.
Text-Heavy content
Difficulty interpreting written text is one of the telltale symptoms of dyslexia, but it can also be present in other learning disabilities. Websites that rely exclusively on dense text may be more difficulty for these individuals to process.
"Oftentimes websites have so munch information that they cram together on the page," says learning disability influencer Jacquelyn Taylor. "this is not accessible for people with learning disabilities since it's hard us to pick out the important information and we get lost easily when reading. This is why less crowded pages on website would be very helpful."
Front and Colour selections
Individuals with dyslexia, the most widely diagnosed learning disability, frequently face challenges reading certain front styles. The colour selection for the front and and the background can also impact the overall readability for individuals with the condition.
"use good typography". says Davies. "As someone with dyslexia, i find swirly fronts particularly hard to read. Pick a front that is simple and easy to read, this way people can focus on the learning and not making out what it says."
The colour selection for the font and the background can also impact the overall readability for individuals with the condition.
"The easiest way to make tools more accessible is by using colours with enough contrast," she adds.
Lack of Digital Skills
While many individuals with learning disabilities have studied extensively to prepare them to read, write, do math, and conduct other tasks made more difficult by their disorders, digital skills are often overlooked by training programs.
I can vouch for that position.