Theme:Cognitive Disability

From TEITAC

Contents 1 Proposed guidelines 1.1 Proposal for content format guidelines 1.2 Proposal for interaction guidelines 2 Earlier comments 2.1 from Section 255 (where, unlike 508, cognitive disability is already included 2.2 from ISO 9241-20 2.3 from "Francik" (cited by Clayton Lewis)

Proposed guidelines

This is a proposal for an advisory note on creating accessible content. Kate Walser and Whitney Quesenbery

Proposal for content format guidelines

X.X - Content

Authors should follow best practices for creating content that is accessible for people with disabilities. These guidelines include:

1. Organize the content to serve the reader’s needs, considering their tasks and goals.
2. Use everyday words that convey meaning clearly and directly.
3. Uses the present tense and the active voice.
4. Uses short, simple sentences.
5. Includes useful headings.
6. Uses lists and tables to simplify complex material.

Discussion: Clearly written content improves accessibility for people with several disabilities, including people with cognitive and reading disabilities, those whose primary language is American Sign Language and those reading in Braille.

This could go in "6. Electronic Content Provisions"

Proposal for interaction guidelines

X.X - Interaction

Applications should follow best practices for designing interaction paradigms that are accessible for people with disabilities including:

1. Provide a means to undo actions, such as by resetting the form to the original information

1. Provide a way to move backwards one step in a process to fix mistakes or check answers

1. Provide a way to cancel actions before submitting

Discussion: Well-designed interaction enables people to reverse and reset actions in case they have made a mistake or are unable to complete a transaction at the time. It also provides a way for people to explore an interaction without the threat of modifying their data unintentionally. This is particularly helpful for all users, especially in cases where they have triggered an action unintentionally or realize they've made a mistake after they've taken the action.

Earlier comments

No 508 Standards address this now. There is a big overlap between general cognitive usability guidance and that needed by people with cognitive disabilities. But the domain of cognitive disabilities may be a bit more complex than that for sensory and dexterity disabilities. There is not enough expertise on the Committee on this theme. We may need to pull this theme out and/or recruit experts for the subcommittees.

Jared adds: Many on the committee do have some experience in cognitive disabilities, though I agree that we probably could not be labeled as experts. We may have difficulty finding anybody that can address cognitive disabilities and technology access - the research just has not been done yet. This strengthens the argument that we may need a dedicated subcommittee to address these issues (especially the question of testability of cognitive disability standards).

--Cyndi 15:38, October 6, 2006 (MDT)I agree with Jared that there are some on the Committee with some of this experience. I wonder if it would be helpful to the Committee if we were to get this group together and present information about what is known and not known based on available research? Then the Committee could decide how best to move forward. Just a thought.

Tom Brett: What do we mean by the term 'cognitive disability'? I think it would be helpful if there was a working definition of 'cognitive disability'.

from Section 255 (where, unlike 508, cognitive disability is already included

See: http://www.access-board.gov/telecomm/rule.htm

1193.41 (i) Operable with limited cognitive skills. Provide at least one mode that minimizes the cognitive, memory, language, and learning skills required of the user.

Here is what the advisory notes section said about that provision:

Paragraph (i)

Operable with Limited Cognitive Skills

1. Many individuals have reduced cognitive abilities, including reduced memory, sequence tracking, and reading skills. This does not necessarily prevent these persons from using a telecommunications product or feature.

2. The following strategies are extensions of techniques for making products easier for everyone to learn and use:

a. Use standard colors and shapes and group similar functions together. On products which have some controls that are used by everyone and other controls which would only be used by advanced users, it is generally good practice to separate the two, putting the more advanced features behind a door or under a separate menu item.

b. Products which read the contents of the display aloud, or controls which announce their settings, are easier for individuals who have difficulty reading.

c. Design products that are self-adjusting to eliminate additional controls which must be learned, and reduce the visual clutter.

d. On products which have sign-in procedures, allow user settings to be associated with them when they sign in or insert their identification card. The system can then autoconfigure to them. Some new "smart cards" are being designed with user preferences encoded on the card.

e. Where a complex series of steps is required, provide cuing to help lead the person through the process. It is also helpful to provide an "undo" or back up function, so that any mistakes can be easily corrected. Most people will find this function helpful.

f. Where functions are not reversible, request some type of confirmation from the user before proceeding. On labels and instructions, it is helpful to use short and simple phrases or sentences. Avoid abbreviations wherever possible. Eliminate the need to respond within a certain time or to read text within a certain time.

from ISO 9241-20

courtesy Hajime

• 6.2.6 Cognitive capabilities
  • 6.2.6.1 Avoidance of unnecessarily high cognitive demands

ICT equipment and services should avoid unnecessarily high cognitive demands on users by ensuring that the basic activities required to operate the equipment or to use the service are as straight forward and simple as possible.

• NOTE 1 The use of consistency can help to decrease the cognitive demands on users.
• NOTE 2 The ability to review information can help decrease cognitive demands.

• • 6.2.6.2 Understandability

Information should be presented in a manner that will aid understanding.

• NOTE The layout of information and controls will determine how easy they are to read by someone with a visual or cognitive impairment. Factors to consider include physical and logical grouping of information and controls, line length of text, relevance of information and relationship of controls to actions to be undertaken.

• • 6.2.6.3 Vocabulary

The vocabulary used to describe and operate ICT equipment and services should use expressions and terminology that are as easy as possible to understand irrespective of the level of expertise and cognitive capabilities of users.

• NOTE An explanation or glossary can be offered to help users understand expressions and vocabulary that they might not know.

• • 6.2.6.4 Appropriate cues

ICT equipment and services should provide appropriate cues to assist users in paying attention to important information.

• EXAMPLE A banking machine provides a highlighted message: “Please remove your card.”

• • 6.2.6.5 Speed of interaction
    • a) Where possible, the speed of interaction should be adjustable by the user.

• NOTE Users with cognitive difficulties may need additional time to perform certain activities.

• • • b) Whenever moving, blinking, scrolling, or auto-updating information is presented, the user should be enabled to pause or stop the presentation.

• 6.2.7 The need for training

Design of ICT equipment and services should relate to common user experiences to minimize the need for special training.

• 6.2.8 Cultural and linguistic differences

The vocabulary used to describe and operate ICT equipment and services should use expressions that can be understandable by users with differences in culture or language.

• EXAMPLE ICT equipment and services that exclusively make use of the English language have accessibility problems to a user who does not understand English, unless their interactions are mediated by translation to and from the language of the user.

• NOTE The use of icons designed for international use is one method for improving understandability by users with different cultures and languages.

from "Francik" (cited by Clayton Lewis)

Note: This section is only the specific material in Francik that could fit into 255/508-style regulatory provisions. The complete Francik paper is found at http://www.wid.org/archives/telecom/

• Use visual examples (diagrams, icons, drawings) in addition to text descriptions.
• Provide auditory (e.g., spoken) equivalents for all visual information.
• Provide visual (e.g., written) equivalents for all auditory information.
• Do both of these in a way that user may choose the presentation on demand; for example, request that a particular interface element be spoken aloud, instead of requiring a screen reader.
• However, do support screen readers.
• Also support interfaces to alternative devices.
• Describe pictures; caption or transcribe audio tracks; provide audio description of video.
• Use multiple methods to allow users to identify and locate controls: shape, size, texture, color, customized labels, customized keycaps, and/or voice output to announce keys.

• Provide user control of size, placement, and appearance of display elements: high contrast, large print, numbered bullets, strong highlighting, placement of elements on right or left half of display, etc.
• Support Web style sheets.
• Provide user control of pitch, volume, rate, and repetition of auditory information.
• Support screen magnification utilities.
• Use simple screen layouts or one thing at a time presentation.
• Use standard, simple layouts for controls.
• Layer functionality; hide less frequently used functions; let the user customize the environment to foreground frequently used functions. (However, the risk is that some people may not look for “hidden” functions – out of sight, out of mind.)
• Make the product self adjusting.
• Use orientation independent connectors and media. Use wireless connection strategies. Ensure that connectors and media cannot be inserted improperly.
• Provide ways in which the user may recognize, rather than be required to recall, information.
• Avoid flash or display refresh rates that induce seizure.
• Keep all messages on the screen until the user dismisses them.
• Provide a mechanism to speed up, slow down, or repeat information until it is acted upon.
• Provide a non-time-dependent input method or make timing adjustable.
• Avoid functions that require simultaneous actions to activate or operate.
• Use a two-step “select and confirm” to reduce accidental selections, especially for critical functions.
• Let the user set the pace of interaction with the system.
• Reduce system lag and response time.

• Structure tasks, cue sequences, and provide step-by-step instructions.
• Provide definite feedback cues: visual, audio, and/or tactile.
• Provide concrete rather than abstract indicators. Use absolute reference controls rather than relative ones.
• Use goal/action structure for menu prompts.
• Support “wizards” which offer help, simplify configuration, and assist with sequences.
• Automate complex sequences like system backup, application launch, and user registration.
• Provide defaults and make it easy to re-establish them.
• Support integration with calendar or reminder programs.
• Provide calculation assistance, or reduce the need to calculate.

• Provide a Web site map plus path information to the current page.
• Structure text for easy scanning; provide headings. Use sequential numbers for numbered menus or lists.
• Keep language as simple as possible. Highlight key information.
• Use highly descriptive words as hypertext anchors. Avoid the “click here” syndrome.
• Search engines should support spell check.
• Searches should support query by example and similarity search.
• Users should be able to use word prediction and grammar and spell checkers in conjunction with all text entry.
• Users should be able to use speech recognition as an alternative to text entry. Support speech recognition or speech note taking as well as writing or typing, or support interfaces to appropriate devices.