This is an unpublished draft preview that might include content that is not yet approved. The published website is at w3.org/WAI/.

Diverse Abilities and Barriers

in How People with Disabilities Use the Web

Accessibility: It's about people

Diverse abilities

There are many reasons why people may be experiencing varying degrees of auditory, cognitive, physical, speech, and visual disabilities. For instance, some may have disabilities from birth, an illness, disease, or accident, or they may develop impairments with age. Some may not consider themselves to have disabilities even if they do experience such functional limitations.

Each individual is unique. People have diverse abilities, skills, tools, preferences, and expectations that can impact how they use the digital technology. For instance, consider the following aspects:

Digital technology designed for people with a broad range of abilities benefits everyone, including people without disabilities. It is, therefore, important to consider the broad diversity of functional needs rather than categorize people according to medical classifications.

More on diverse abilities and barriers:

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This is an unpublished draft preview that might include content that is not yet approved. The published website is at w3.org/WAI/.