Types of Disabilities

Visual, hearing, physical, speech, cognitive/neurological, and age-related disabilities can all affect multimedia accessibility. Multiple disabilities or conditions can also affect someone's ability to access multimedia.

• Visual disabilities can include blindness, color blindness, and low or distorted vision.
• Deafness and hard of hearing are the most common conditions considered hearing disabilities.
• Physical, or motor, disabilities can include limitations of muscle or sensation, joint problems, missing limbs, or degrees of paralysis.
• Difficulty with voice loudness or clarity is typically an indication of a speech-related disability.
• Cognitive and neurological disabilities can include dyslexia or dyscalculia, attention deficit disorder, impairments of intelligence or memory, mental health or seizure disorders.

Related Links (opens a new window)

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) - Different Disabilities that Can Affect Web Accessibility