consideration for wcag.next and cognitive

Hi FolksThis might be a consideration for wcag.next extension model


People with cognitive disabilities face a lot of discrimination. When people discriminate against COGA people I don't think they realize they are being discriminatory or unfair. I can give horror stories, but I am sure if you think about it most of us can think of normal practices that would raise an outcry if they were targeting any other group. It is an entrenched attitude.


When our work is published some peoples first reaction might be that it is ridicules or even unfair that they should be expected to accommodate our user groups.  


If it is an extension we can argue that this extension is for people and groups who have decided to accommodate as many people as they can.  And then people and policy makers will need to go away and think where do they stand. They will have to have a conversation. There might be a law case or two (once there is clear guidance on what you could have done and did not do, then there is a legal case to be made for inclusion) . The business case will be considered, and the real numbers and loss of business and distributed cost to the economy will come to light and that the only way forward,  from a moral or from an economic point of view, will be to include coga. I believe policy makers will get there. But I do not think it will be on day one.


The extension model  enables society and policy makers to think it though and have the conversation, and adopt it when they are ready. It means the extension can be about how to make content accessible for people with cognitive disabilities, and not what will content creators be prepared to put up with today. In the medium term I think that will make for better accessibility.


All the best

Lisa Seeman

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