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These guides are a great start!
For the Dyslexia one however, there are a couple important things missing that are a bigger deal for many dyslexics than some of the things listed. https://twitter.com/heisereads/status/1294673392877142019
For the Dyslexia one however, there are a couple important things missing that are a bigger deal for many dyslexics than some of the things listed. https://twitter.com/heisereads/status/1294673392877142019
For me, the biggest barrier to accessibility I face as a dyslexic is never going to be caps or italics. Like, maybe don't italicize literally all your text because that's less readable for everyone? But pull quotes and emphasis are fine.
What I need is time.
What I need is time.
Your auto-scrolling carousel with no pause button? I hate it. I understand--I too have had to develop sites for competing stakeholders who all insist that their thing is the thing that needs to be front and center and carousels end arguments. But they don't serve users.
Your goddamn login timeouts? I HATE THEM. And if you design forms that have a time-out you don't even tell me about until I hit submit and get a timeout message and get told to start over? I hate you personally, and you need to learn UX because you're hurting people.
"Don't put too much information in one place" is uh. That and the "keep content short, clear, and simple" are both advices that require nuance and context.
Dyslexia is not low literacy. Dyslexia is not low literacy. Dyslexia is not low literacy. Dyslexia. Is. Not. Low. Literacy.
Dyslexia is not low literacy. Dyslexia is not low literacy. Dyslexia is not low literacy. Dyslexia. Is. Not. Low. Literacy.
I don't care how much content is on the page, and I certainly don't need things simplified for me. I just need it organized and formatted well so that I can find what I'm looking for.
Everything in the screen-reader section is helpful for me--especially structured content and descriptive link text.
As for offering content in other formats, such as audio or video? Sure, certainly doesn't hurt! As long as you are also following the guidelines to make your audio and video accessible, because many Dyslexics prefer written content to audio and some of us have other disabilities.
Like the number of times in school I'd say "I need extra time" and a professor would tell me "you can get the book on tape or get someone to read it to you" cool thanks for that funny story I ALSO HAVE ADHD and audio is really hard for me to focus on so that won't help.
I hammer on the "dyslexia is not low literacy" thing because this is a common error people make. Dyslexics are more likely than the general population to be avid readers. I don't have a citation for that in front of me, but it's a thing.
I was diagnosed in the third grade, because I was struggling with reading and writing, and that's the image most people have of dyslexics: little kids who haven't gotten support yet.
But by fifth grade I was reading at the 9th grade level.
But by fifth grade I was reading at the 9th grade level.
Reading takes more effort for me than it takes for most people, so reducing the cognitive load--with good structure and formatting, with left-justified text, with informative graphics--all useful to me.
But with all due respect there's a good chance I write better than you read.
But with all due respect there's a good chance I write better than you read.
So any time I see advice to "write for dyslexics" by keeping content simple and clear, I'm suspicious. Because that often gets interpreted as "write like you're writing for children," and that's really patronizing.
Keeping content as clear and concise as possible is good UX for everyone! Writing content that is informative and concise is a valuable skill and it will help all your users. But say what you need to say. Use the vocabulary you need to use.
