Re: reports on action items for sept 9 meeting

At 03:18 PM 9/3/1999 -0500, Wendy A Chisholm wrote:
>Hello all,
>for finishing an item.  This gives you a little less than a week to get it
>done if you haven't started it yet! <grin>

Following are four sets of strategies intended for different input
preferences/needs of persons with cognitive disabilities. I'm sure I left
out some people, but tried to target those who aren't already well included
in accessibility features.

Strategies to increase usability by various cognitively impaired persons. 

	Strategy One: For those who depend on vision for input. 

1. Provide information in "illustrated text". Ideally, a user should be
able to turn off graphics or text, or view it all. 
2. Use graphics with page titles and with subtitles when possible.
3. Provide graphics or icons with text links to other sites.

Strategy Two: For those who depend on sound input

1. Provide illustrations with text rather than separately. Ideally, a user
should be able to listen to text, or view it, as needed.  
2. Provide rich auditory experiences with site content.
3. Use a common icon to identify links to sound files.
4. When the technology permits, include voice interaction to sites. 

Strategy Three: For those who learn best through tactile or kinesthetic input.

1. Include interactivity on sites to be used by tactile or kinesthetic
learners. Interactivity includes quizzes, surveys, games, and other things
for the user to DO.  

Strategy Set Four: For those with limited attention span, memory
difficulties, and limited cognition.

1. Limit size of page to one screen-full when possible. 
2. Include animation or motion, but keep lots of "white space".
3. Use icon or graphic with all links.
4. Limit links to one or two words. 
5. Provide links to the specific page desired, not the homepage of a site.
(sites with content appropriate to cognitively different folks often have
unfriendly or text-only navigation between the homepage and the specific
page.)
6. Use consistent navigation within the site. Symbols with text are better
than symbols only. 

					Anne
Anne L. Pemberton
http://www.pen.k12.va.us/Pav/Academy1
http://www.erols.com/stevepem/Homeschooling
apembert@crosslink.net
Enabling Support Foundation
http://www.enabling.org

Received on Tuesday, 7 September 1999 11:15:54 UTC