As an exercise exploring web accessibility, I was able to participate in a model UN Summit where countries were replaced with populations needing specific accommodations, such as color blind people or children under 13. Each demographic gave a presentation on their needs, and we negotiated the priority level of each requirement. This experience was first and foremost an eye opener to the vast amount of people with accessibility needs, but also helped each of us understand the careful process of integrating these needs into our interface design.
Hand Tremors
I chose to research the 5% of people globally that experience hand tremors. My presentation below describes the needs and accommodations of the group, and specifically looks at a website to match Ukrainian refugees to housing. I identified two major issues with this site; incomplete implementation of mouseless browsing and the so-called “Giant Button Problem.”
Negotiations
My allies in this summit negotiation were plentiful. I worked with intellectual disabilities and visual impairments to be sure that mouseless browsing and the tab key functionality was fully available, and the children under 13 group co-sponsored my movement to solve the “Giant Button Problem” by requiring 60px of non-clickable space between each button.
One disagreement that came up was between the readability of text. Groups like dyslexia and visual impairments thought that the most important requirement for copy was that it be in a readable font (sans-serif) and with the appropriate contrast (4.5:1) and colors, but other groups like children under 13 and ESL were more concerned about the reading level of the text. Eventually, groups like PTSD, anxiety, and intellectual disabilities joined the charge for simple words and sentences, and we decided that the higher priority should be given to that requirement. Specifically for this website, where users may be impacted by higher levels of stress and anxiety, temperature extremes, or fatigue, we all eventually agreed that the comprehension of the text was more important for more people.
Conclusion
This exercise not only taught me about the range of people who need accommodations, but also how to deal with a situation where those accommodations conflict with each other. Several groups had requirements about colors; children under 13 needed them to be consistent, color blindness needed the site to not rely on colors to convey meaning, and photosensitivity required both light mode and dark mode. Compiling all of these requirements together may not be the highest priority for every web developer, but when you understand the amount of people who benefit from these requirements, it becomes clear that spending time on these accommodations is worthwhile.