Accessibility is important to ensure software can be used by anyone, regardless of ability. The document outlines four main types of disabilities - hearing, learning, motor, and visual - and provides guidance on how to make software accessible for each. This includes providing text alternatives for audio, ensuring predictable and understandable content, allowing navigation without a keyboard, and ensuring visual elements can be understood in multiple ways. Accessible design benefits all users.

1. Why Accessibility Matters

2. What do you mean by accessibility?
When something is ‘accessible’, it’s another way of saying:
“Something that can be obtained and used by anyone.”

3. Why should we make our software accessible?
If we don’t, we could be held
liable for not making our
software usable for people
with disabilities.

4. Types of disabilities
• Hearing: Partial or complete loss of hearing in one or both ears.
• Learning: Lowered ability to process and comprehend information.
• Motor: Weakness in how one can control their muscles, bones, and/or joints.
• Visual: Moderate or complete loss of vision in one or both eyes.

5. People who are deaf or hard of hearing will use different methods
of communication such as sign language and lip reading.
Hearing disabilities

6. To make software accessible for
people with hearing disabilities:
• Provide text alternatives for non-text content.
• Provide captions and other alternatives for
multimedia.
• Create content that can be presented in different
ways, including by assistive technologies (e.g.
screen readers), without losing meaning.
• Make it easier for users who can't hear but can
see, to access content.
Source: https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/glance/

7. Learning/cognitive disabilities
People with learning and cognitive disabilities are limited in the perception and
processing of information and/or development levels of development functioning.
People with learning difficulties or cognitive disabilities will have one more associated
conditions. These include:
● Attention deficit disorder
● Dyslexia
● Autism
● Down syndrome, etc.

8. To make software accessible for
people with learning disabilities:
• Make content understandable.
• Make content appear in predictable ways.
• Help users avoid and correct their own mistakes.
For more information: https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/glance/

9. Motor disabilities
People with limited physical abilities have limited motor function of the upper or lower
parts of the human body. Some people with decreased motor function will require
assistance in day to day tasks.

10. To make software accessible for
people with motor disabilities:
• Provide ways to help users navigate content.
• Make it possible to use tools other than a keyboard.
For more information: https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/glance/

11. To make software accessible for
people with motor disabilities:
• Make all functionality available via keyboard.
• Give users enough time to read and use content.
• Do not use content that causes seizures or physical
reactions.
For more information: https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/glance/

12. Visual disabilities
People have varied levels of sight. They are usually put in three categories depending
on severity:
• Low vision
• Color blindness
• Total blindness

13. To make software accessible for
people with visual disabilities, we do
the following:
• Ensure that content is easily understood by
people, screen-reading software, and screen
reader tools for the deaf and blind that convert text
into Braille characters on Braille devices
• Ensure that color is not the only means of
conveying information
• Include a written description for any images or
photos
For more information: https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/glance/

14. For more information: https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/glance/
To make software accessible for
people with visual disabilities, we do
the following:
• Users can change the text size (font size) of all
text, without zooming the entire interface.
• Ensure that print documents can be read and
understood by everyone and screen-reading
software.
• Always provide an alternative way for users to
understand images and their purpose

15. Access is for everyone.