Empathy Ally
Color blindness
Information conveyed only through colour (e.g. status indicators, charts, warnings) can become invisible or ambiguous.
Library
42 disabilities, in depth.
Long-form articles for designers, developers, and product teams. What each disability feels like, how it shapes interaction, which WCAG criteria it touches, and the design patterns that work.
Vision
8 disabilitiesFeatured Upcoming Blindness
Navigating the digital world without visual input - entirely through screen readers, keyboard, and audio.
UpcomingUpcoming Cataracts
Cataracts presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
UpcomingUpcoming Glaucoma
Gradual narrowing of the field of vision into tunnel-like sight where peripheral information disappears.
UpcomingUpcoming Low vision
Permanently blurred, dimmed, or fragmented sight: not blind, but far from clear.
UpcomingUpcoming Nystagmus
Nystagmus presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
UpcomingUpcoming Retinitis pigmentosa
Retinitis pigmentosa presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
UpcomingUpcoming Visual disabilities
Visual disabilities presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
Upcoming
Hearing
8 disabilitiesUpcoming Auditory disabilities
Auditory disabilities presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
UpcomingUpcoming Congenital hearing loss
Congenital hearing loss presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
UpcomingUpcoming Deafness
Audio simply doesn't exist. Uncaptioned video, audio-only announcements, phone verification are all dead ends.
UpcomingUpcoming Hard of hearing
Sound is partial, distorted, or unreliable. Background noise and missing frequencies turn audio into a puzzle.
UpcomingUpcoming Noise-induced hearing loss
Noise-induced hearing loss presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
UpcomingUpcoming Presbycusis
Presbycusis presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
UpcomingUpcoming Sudden hearing loss
Sudden hearing loss presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
UpcomingUpcoming Tinnitus
Constant ringing, buzzing, or hissing in silence. Affects concentration, focus, and audio comprehension.
Upcoming
Motor
10 disabilitiesUpcoming Amputation
Amputation presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
UpcomingUpcoming Arthritis
Chronic pain, swelling, and stiffness. Repetitive clicks and scrolls can range from uncomfortable to impossible.
UpcomingUpcoming Cerebral palsy
Affects muscle control and coordination. Movements may be involuntary, imprecise, or slow.
UpcomingUpcoming Limited mobility
Reduced range of motion. Swiping, zooming, and precise tapping become unreliable.
UpcomingUpcoming Mobility disabilities
Mobility disabilities presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
UpcomingUpcoming Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
UpcomingUpcoming Muscular dystrophy
Muscular dystrophy presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
UpcomingUpcoming Paralysis
Limited (or missing) voluntary movement. Interactions may depend on a single finger, eye-tracking, or voice alone.
UpcomingUpcoming Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
UpcomingUpcoming Spina bifida
Spina bifida presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
Upcoming
Cognitive
9 disabilitiesUpcoming Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
UpcomingUpcoming Attention deficit disorder
Attention deficit disorder presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
UpcomingUpcoming Autism spectrum disorder
Autism spectrum disorder presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
UpcomingUpcoming Cognitive disorders
Cognitive disorders presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
UpcomingUpcoming Dementia
Progressive memory loss and cognitive decline. Familiar interfaces become unfamiliar; tasks require external scaffolding.
UpcomingUpcoming Down syndrome
Down syndrome presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
UpcomingUpcoming Dyslexia
Affects reading, writing, and spelling. Dense text, inconsistent layout, and long words raise the cognitive load.
UpcomingUpcoming Intellectual disabilities
Intellectual disabilities presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
UpcomingUpcoming Traumatic brain injury
Traumatic brain injury presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
Upcoming
Speech
7 disabilitiesUpcoming Aphasia
Disrupts language production and comprehension after brain injury. The thoughts are there; the words won't come.
UpcomingUpcoming Apraxia of speech
Apraxia of speech presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
UpcomingUpcoming Dysarthria
Dysarthria presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
UpcomingUpcoming Selective mutism
Selective mutism presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
UpcomingUpcoming Speech disabilities
Speech disabilities presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
UpcomingUpcoming Stuttering
Repetitions, prolongations, or blocks in speech. Time-pressured verbal interactions become deeply stressful.
UpcomingUpcoming Voice disorders
Voice disorders presents unique challenges in digital interaction.
Upcoming
1.3B
People with significant disability worldwide
16%
Of the global population - 1 in 6
96%
Of the top 1M websites have at least one WCAG failure
$13T
Annual disposable income of disabled adults & their families