New W3C-WAI Guidance on Making Content Usable for People with Cognitive and Learning Disabilities

Handouts

Presented at 2:15pm in Governors Square 12 on Wednesday, November 17, 2021.

#33988

Speaker(s)

  • Lisa Seeman, Athena ICT
  • Rain Michaels, , Google
  • John Kirkwood, , City Mouse

Session Details

  • Length of Session: 1-hr
  • Format: Panel
  • Expertise Level: Beginner
  • Type of session: General Conference

Summary

The Cognitive and Learning Disabilities Accessibility Task Force of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) has published "Making Content Usable for People with Cognitive and Learning Disabilities". This panel will discuss aspects of the document, such as: Objectives for usable content, personas (examples) and user needs.

Abstract

The Cognitive and Learning Disabilities Accessibility Task Force (Coga TF) of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) has published "Making Content Usable for People with Cognitive and Learning Disabilities". It is a W3C note and supplement to WCAG. Hopefully it is a significant step towards digital equality for people with learning and cognitive disabilities. See https://www.w3.org/TR/coga-usable/

This Panel will discuss aspects of the document, such as * Personas (examples) and user needs for people with cognitive and learning disabilities * Objectives for usable content * User stories and user needs for each objective * Some design patterns (ways) to make content usable * Including users in research, design and testing activities

Keypoints

  1. Access for Cognitive and Learning Disabilities is a key part of Web/Media Access affects millions.
  2. Access for People with Cognitive and Learning Disabilities has been ignored by the legal cases.
  3. New Guidance for inclusion of Cognitive and Learning Disabilities save lives and improve the quality of life.

Disability Areas

Cognitive/Learning, Psychological

Topic Areas

Legal, Other, Uncategorized, Web/Media/App Access

Speaker Bio(s)

Lisa Seeman

Lisa is the co-facilitator of the Cognitive and Learning Disabilities Accessibility Task Force (COGA) - a task force of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) who make the international accessibility standards. Lisa is a pioneer on inclusive design across barriers of abilities and neuro-diversity such as Cognitive and Learning Disabilities and improving usability for the aging population. She is also the co-facilitator of the Personalization Task Force of the Accessible Platforms Architecture Group of the web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) or the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium).

Ms. Seeman has been an invited expert for the W3C and WCAG since 1999. In 2006 she became the original author and editor of the Roles for Accessible Rich Internet Applications specification and the States and Properties that became Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) for the W3C. She is also a named contributor to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. and WCAG 2.1.

Previously, Ms. Seeman headed a chief scientist funded incubator project that culminated into an independent company (UB Access). She closed the initial investments for UB Access in 2002, and negotiated the successful closing of the sale of UB Access to Aequus Technologies Corp. in 2006. Lisa acted as CEO For the company until 2009. She currently runs a research and consulting company, Athena ICT, that is currently part of two research consortiums funded by the Horizon 2020 of the European Commission and has consulting and co-development projects with many fortune 500 tech companies.

Rain Michaels

John Kirkwood

Handout(s)