17 April 2011
A summary of tips and technology to help users with Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders access your websites more easily

Here is a collection of articles with links to the latest information and technology to make the internet accessible for children and adults with Autism and ASD. Please contact us if you would like your website to be ASD accessible, as this is a free option to all of our customers.

For other designers - you can make your sites accessible for less than £300 per year, it's a small price to pay to make websites available to a wider community.

SPREAD THE WORD!

http://www.widgit.com/support/point/index.htm

Symbol Websites

Free on-line resources for symbol readers

The Internet offers the greatest source of information that the human race has ever known, but still manages to exclude a huge number of people due to physical and learning disabilities, or because of the differences of languages and culture.

With an increasingly wide audience to the Internet, it is vital that we rethink how material is presented, to make sure that everyone can understand and be part of this growth in technology and communications.

Internet web sites that have clear, simple and accessible contents are a very recent development. By accessible we mean contents that do not require a strong reading ability. Instead, words and concepts have symbols attached to them from recognised symbol sets or photographs and other graphics to make the information clearer.


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The ideal ASD-friendly website should, wherever possible:

Have a clean and uncluttered design

Preferably with some light space (lots of people don't like white and find it too jarring on the eye) around the graphical and textual elements of the page. We refer to this in terms of "low arousal" as people on the spectrum often have heightened sensory awareness. Research has shown that many people with ASDs are 'visual learners' who absorb information more readily in a visual format. Appropriate visual reinforcement of textual material can therefore be a great help to people with an ASD. The design challenge is to keep pages clear and uncluttered.

Use clear and unambiguous language

There's no need to "dumb down" your copy, simply follow the guidelines of the Plain English Campaign and the Plain Language Commission. Avoid the use of metaphors such as "a chip on your shoulder" or "it's raining cats and dogs" as people with ASDs may take these literally. Symbol-assisted text, sound files/screen readers, and video clips may have a place in extending the number of people who can access information. For a real-life example of an issue a user had with a literal interpretation of one of our forms, please read this short document: it's a great illustration of the application of autism-friendly clarity.

Limit the number of links in each area

Some people on the spectrum can get 'information overload' very easily. Simply following the guidelines laid down by the results of human computer interface (HCI) research should be enough: you should have a maximum of seven and certainly no more than nine links in any one navigation section, whenever that is possible. Make things obvious as being links - don't make the user contemplate over what may or may not be a link.
Have no more than three clicks to get to your information destination
The difficulty with this rule is that if you follow the rule above and have a large site, the more clicks your users have to follow to get to the information they seek. Use discretion, logic and copious interlinking with other pages of relevance to help your users find the information they need.

Provide different methods to find information

Some people use the site navigation, some prefer a site map, some use the search box. Also bear in mind the point above.

Consider an element of personalisation

One aspect of the autism spectrum is that a person may be unable to see beyond their own needs and may be unable to empathise with the needs of others. Any web navigational device that can more quickly guide a user to material relevant specifically to him/her will greatly enhance their website experience, reduce their frustration and make them more kindly disposed towards your service.