Non-verbal information like pictures, posture, facial expression, and body language are retrieved by reading others’ emotions to label and comprehend them, because emotion plays a great role in trying to understand and connect with others.


How accessibility is retrieved 



Creators and educators providing writing in bigger text with simpler words and pictures can help improve reading comprehension among groups effected by learning and cognitive disabilities. Additionally, providing clear indicators of a person's posture, facial expression, and body language when they speak can help improve comprehension of emotional cues.

Methods to Improve Learning & Cognitive Accessibility

Individuals with learning disabilities have difficulty with language expression and comprehension. As a result, they rely more on non-verbal indicators to process information from others. 


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- Visual Accessibility
- Auditory Accessibility
- Mobility
- Seizures
- Learning and Cognitive Accessibility
- Color Theory for Accessibility


Types of Accessibility

McKenzie, K., Matheson, E., McKaskie, K., Hamilton, L., &amp; Murray, G. C. (2000). Impact of group training on emotion recognition in individuals with a learning disability. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 28(4), 143–147. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1468-3156.2000.00061.x 

Impact of group training on emotion recognition in individuals with a learning disability


To accommodate users who don’t see color differences, you can use other methods to accentuate data, such as high-contrast shading, shape, or texture. 
Applying text labels to data also helps clarify its meaning, while eliminating the need for a legend. 
The right contrast is vital to catching users’ attention in the first place. The vibrancy you choose for your design is likewise crucial to provoking desired emotional responses from users. How they react to color choices depends on factors such as gender, experience, age and culture. In all cases, you should design for accessibility – e.g., regarding red-green color blindness.

Color Theory for Accessibility

When using color, it is important that there is a sufficient color contrast between different elements of your design. Higher contrast makes it easier to see, whereas lower contrasts may make it difficult for users to see in high or low light environments.
W3C recommends the following contrast ratios:
- 3:1 against the background for large text (14 pt bold, 18pt and up)
- 4.5:1 against the background for small text 

Additionally, you should be using visual cues and not just color cues. If you are trying to send an alert whether it is meant to contain an error or not, it is important to have other visual means of conveying a message. This can be done by using words or an icon near the error. Without these other cues, a person who is colorblind may not be able to differentiate between the error field and the fields without errors. 

Visual Accessibility

For people that are hard of hearing or deaf, it is important that sounds are able to be understood through other means. Often times, subtitles or a transcript are included for people that are hard of hearing.

Auditory Accessibility

Triggers for seizures:
- Screens due to the flicker or rolling images.
- Video games/videos/animations containing rapid flashes or alternating patterns of different colors.
- Intense strobe lights 
- Certain visual patterns, especially stripes of contrasting colors.

As designers, we should understand color and patterns that may cause seizures.
There are certain guidelines that can help especially if your design includes videos, gifs, or animations.

Seizure Accessibility

Learning & Cognitive Accessibility  

People with mobility, circulatory, respiratory, or neurological disabilities use many kinds of devices for mobility. Advances in technology have given rise to new devices that some people with disabilities use as mobility devices, including many veterans injured while serving in the military.

- Wheelchairs
- Crutches, walkers
- Joysticks
- Head pointers
- Trackballs
- Eye- or head-trackers
- Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)

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