THE COGNITIVE AND LEARNING DISABILITIES ACCESSIBILITY TASK FORCE (COGA) Update for WCAG March 2014 Lisa Seeman

THE COGNITIVE AND LEARNING DISABILITIES ACCESSIBILITY TASK FORCE (COGA) The Cognitive and Learning Disabilities Accessibility Task Force is a task force of the Protocols and Formats Working Group (PFWG) and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group. Aim: To improve Web accessibility for people with cognitive and learning disabilities.

CONTENT COGA - The work ahead of us, where we are Some issues What might we end up with?

COGNITIVE DISABILITIES Conditions that impact a persons ability to use a website include: memory reading text problem solving keeping focused (attention span) computation (for example calculations)

COGNITIVE DISABILITIES The largest group of disabilities are people with cognitive disabilities For example: 115 million people with dementia worldwide by 2050 Meanwhile, many systems have become more and more complex Web applications TV interfaces, heating Phone systems

THE COGNITIVE AND LEARNING DISABILITIES ACCESSIBILITY TASK FORCE Creating a roadmap exploring how to make Web content more accessible and usable by different people and groups of people with Cognitive and Learning Disabilities: Review existing techniques and how they can be improved When necessary, develop techniques Develop suggested enhancements to existing W3C specifications Develop engineering approaches and author strategies for further review

CURRENT WORK - GAP ANALYSIS Users Gap AnalysisRoadmap Tech Techniques All on our wiki

User groups Cognitive functions and symptoms Challenges in using ICT/ the Web Persona with use cases (challenges) How they use the web and ICT to include: , apps, voice systems, etc Otimized content and special pages Specific technologies / guidelines Technology Technology overview User group challenges Potential for Cog A11y WCAG issues: Adoption of items relevant to cognitive disabilities and accessibility (Cog A11y) What is testable Use cases covered Potential for inclusion Ideas of how inclusion could be improved Metadata for user to find alternative versions Tools for fast creation of alternative content (simplification tools?) Adaptive content Information resources such as: turning papers into presentations, translations tools Disadvantages and risks (e.g.: lowering reading age can be less precise, makes mistakes, etc.) GAP ANALYSIS

PHASE 1 Dyslexia Dyscalculia ADD/ADHD Brain injury, aphasia Non-vocal Dementia Down Syndrome Autism

WHAT MIGHT WE END UP WITH? Accessibility for Cognitive and LD Simple techniques for everyone Technique structure Techniques for specific user groups Meta data to find the right version Semantics for adaptive interfaces Supportive material

WHAT MIGHT WE END UP WITH? Accessibility for Cognitive and LD Simple techniques for everyone Technique structure Techniques for specific user groups Meta data to find the right version Semantics for adaptive interfaces Supportive material

SOME SIMPLE TECHNIQUES ARE GOOD FOR EVERYONE Include short tooltips on all icons, jargon For non-standard UI, a help link should be viewable Help should be contact sensitive (F1 default?) Pressing 0 on a phone menu always gets you a person These are just ideas….nothing formal

WHAT MIGHT WE END UP WITH? Accessibility for Cognitive and LD Simple techniques for everyone Technique structure Techniques for specific user groups Meta data to find the right version Semantics for adaptive interfaces Supportive material

WHAT MIGHT WE END UP WITH? Accessibility for Cognitive and LD Simple techniques for everyone Technique structure Techniques for specific user groups Meta data to find the right version Semantics for adaptive interfaces Supportive material

SOME TIMES THE RIGHT INTERFACE MAY BE DIFFERENT FOR DIFFERENT USERS Dyslexia or Dyscalculia Alzheimer's or Non-Vocal SAVE

WHAT MIGHT WE END UP WITH? Accessibility for Cognitive and LD Simple techniques for everyone Technique structure Techniques for specific user groups Meta data to find the right version Semantics for adaptive interfaces Supportive material

METADATA AND IMS: HELP PEOPLE FIND THE RIGHT ALTERNATIVE CONTENT User Descriptor Preferences

WHAT MIGHT WE END UP WITH? Accessibility for Cognitive and LD Simple techniques for everyone Technique structure Techniques for specific user groups Meta data to find the right version Semantics for adaptive interfaces Supportive material

SOME TIMES THE RIGHT INTERFACE MAY BE DIFFERENT FOR DIFFERENT USERS SAVE

WHAT MIGHT WE END UP WITH? Accessibility for Cognitive and LD Simple techniques for everyone Technique structure Techniques for specific user groups Meta data to find the right version Semantics for adaptive interfaces Supportive material

FINDING THE RIGHT TECHNIQUES When an authenticated session expires, the user can continue the activity without loss of data after re-authenticating. (Level AAA) Guideline 2.4 Provide ways to help users navigate, find content, and determine where they are. Making links visually distinct ( Advisory Techniques for Guideline 2.4)

ISSUE 1 - AUTHOR FREEDOM Not necessarily be a legal requirement for most content Many people want to increase their market or simply accommodate as many people as possible

ISSUE 2 People with different cognitive disabilities often need different things But Not always We can handle it

WHAT MIGHT WE END UP WITH? Accessibility for Cognitive and LD Simple techniques for everyone Technique structure Techniques for specific user groups Meta data to find the right version Semantics for adaptive interfaces Supportive material

SUPPORTIVE MATERIAL Globish 1500 English words Our own lexicon home – our main web page Facebook – a web site that connect people with friends Instructions on common interface elements Test with user groups

WHAT MIGHT WE END UP WITH? Accessibility for Cognitive and LD Simple techniques for everyone Technique structure Techniques for specific user groups Meta data to find the right version Semantics for adaptive interfaces Supportive material

THE COGNITIVE AND LEARNING DISABILITIES ACCESSIBILITY TASK FORCE (COGA) Thank you…..