CAPTCHA/web-security problems separated by cognitive disability?

Hi All,

As you may know, Lisa asked me to separate, by cognitive disability, the problems people may experience when trying to use CAPTCHA and other web-security techniques. Below is my most-recent list of such problems, which assume no confounding physical disabilities.

I think a significant majority apply to all of the cognitive disabilities upon which our task force has been working. It may be that, in general, the only two cognitive disabilities to which a large subset of such problems may not apply are Non-vocal and ADD. Lisa has suggested that the problem "recognize functional elements, such as buttons, are clickable" may apply only to people with intellectual disabilities, which our group references as "Down Syndrome".

I am therefore unsure that separation by cognitive disability will prove functionally useful. Please express your opinion by responding to this message, and/or during our next, related discussion.

Also, please contribute with any additions or corrections you believe necessary. I have numbered the problems so referencing them will be easier.

  1.  read CAPTCHA text (including numbers) at all because of the intentional distortion of it
  2.  comprehend text (including numbers) that can't be enlarged without additional distortion
  3.  recognize characters if they do not form words, or are shown in different fonts/styles
  4.  have the advantage of comprehending the meaning of words or images
  5.  understand text spoken in a computerized and distorted voice
  6.  complete the multi-step procedure for submitting the CAPTCHA text
  7.  complete a timed CAPTCHA due to slowness in completing all steps
  8.  enter characters in the correct order
  9.  understand the purpose of buttons such as reset, listen, and help
  10. recognize functional elements, such as buttons, are clickable
  11. focus due to irrelevant instructions such as "stop spam" and "read books"
  12. become accustomed to CAPTCHA because there are multiple versions of it

John

John Rochford
UMass Medical School/E.K. Shriver Center
Director, INDEX Program
Instructor, Family Medicine & Community Health
http://www.DisabilityInfo.org
Twitter: @ClearHelper