#43135
Speaker(s)
- Deneb Pulsipher, Captain Accessible, SeaMonster Studios
- Deneb Pulsipher, Captain Accessible, SeaMonster Studios
Session Details
- Length of Session: 2-hr
- Format: Panel
- Expertise Level: Intermediate
- Type of session: General Conference
Summary
Accessibility is often measured by whether content works—not how hard it is to use. This session introduces an evolved Screen Reader Ropes Course framework for evaluating cognitive load in screen reader navigation across web and PDF environments. Participants will learn how technically compliant experiences can still create unnecessary effort, and how to design and test for efficiency, clarity, and real usability in higher education contexts.
Abstract
Accessibility standards and guidelines like Section 508 and WCAG define whether content can be accessed—but they do not fully capture how much effort it takes to use.
For screen reader users, many “accessible” experiences remain cognitively demanding. Tasks that should be simple—finding information, completing forms, navigating course materials—often require excessive navigation, memory, and interpretation. These challenges are especially pronounced in higher education, where users interact with complex systems such as learning management systems, PDFs, and multi-step institutional workflows.
This session builds on the Screen Reader Ropes Course, a structured navigation and testing model that reflects how screen reader users actually experience digital content. We introduce an evolved version of this model that reframes accessibility through the lens of cognitive load. Using the familiar phases of Arrival, Orientation, Survey, Interaction, and Completion, we examine how each step contributes to user effort—and where that effort becomes a barrier. This session builds on prior navigation-based approaches but introduces a new lens focused on user effort and sustainability.
Through structured scenarios and real-world examples, participants will explore how common design and content decisions increase cognitive load despite meeting compliance requirements. The session will also address the growing expectations under Title II and Section 504 to provide not just accessible—but usable—digital experiences.
Attendees will leave with a practical mental model and actionable strategies to evaluate and reduce cognitive load, improving both accessibility and usability across web and document-based content.
Keypoints
- Cognitive load impacts screen reader users and should be mitigated.
- Common patterns on the web and in documents increase user effort despite meeting accessibility standards.
- An adapted Screen Reader Ropes Course model can be used to evaluate usability across web and PDF content.
Disability Areas
Cognitive/Learning, Vision
Topic Areas
Assistive Technology, Uncategorized
Speaker Bio(s)
Deneb Pulsipher
“Captain Accessible” Deneb (DEH-neb) gets excited about the inherent ability the web provides to let everyone access the same information, whether they’re able to see or not, hear or not, use a mouse or not, have no cognitive challenges, or do. The internet can be accessed by nearly everyone through regular technologies like web browsers or assistive technologies like screen readers, as long as we code it right. Deneb’s passion is making sure it’s coded right, which means thoroughly reviewing all of our own sites before we release them into the wild, and also sporadically emailing owners of the sites he happens on while surfing that could use some accessibility improvements.
Deneb Pulsipher
“Captain Accessible” Deneb (DEH-neb) gets excited about the inherent ability the web provides to let everyone access the same information, whether they’re able to see or not, hear or not, use a mouse or not, have no cognitive challenges, or do. The internet can be accessed by nearly everyone through regular technologies like web browsers or assistive technologies like screen readers, as long as we code it right. Deneb’s passion is making sure it’s coded right, which means thoroughly reviewing all of his company’s sites before they release them into the wild, and also providing accessibility experience reviews to owners of notable websites in the public sphere.