Neurodivergent – it’s one of those terms that you have probably heard or come across on social media at some point. Neurodivergent people think and learn in different ways.
By making your website content more inclusive for neurodivergent users, you are doing the smart thing for your business.
Unfortunately many businesses neglect to make their websites inclusive to their users. This neglects neurodivergent users from accessing websites and services. It alienates businesses from potentially loyal, engaged customers.
In this digital age, making your website content more inclusive should be top of your priority list. If you’re unsure how to make your website more accessible, don’t worry — we’re going to walk you through some practical tips.
What is neurodivergent?
It is a nonmedical term that describes people whose brains function differently in one or more ways.
Neurodiversity refers to people who experience variations in cognition that can affect sociability, learning, attention, and various other mental functions.
Some conditions that are commonly associated with neurodivergent individuals include:
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Dyslexia
- Tourette’s Syndrome
- Autism
- Asperger’s syndrome
Why does web content need to be inclusive to neurodivergent users?
About one in seven people in the U.S. are considered to be neurodivergent. That’s a lot.
By making your website accessible to all users, you can accelerate business growth, provide inclusive environment, and build brand reputation.
Here are seven ways you can make your website more inclusive to neurodivergent users
- Use simple and cohesive colors on your webpage
Neurodivergent people find bright colors to be a visual overload. Use basic and unified color schemes that blend well.
Consider single-hue colors or pastel tones on a regular white background. Choose a maximum of three colors and ensure they are used consistently.
- Write web content in plain, simple language
Avoid using complex language with obscure phrasing, idioms, or examples that may confuse a neurodivergent user.
To make your website content follow these tips:
- Keep your sentences as short as possible. Remove any unnecessary words or phrases.
- Use the active tense.
- Make sure your content follows a logical format.
- Format text into digestible and scannable chunks
Try to break up your content into easily readable bites of information. Avoid large blocks of text which can confuse people and cause mental strain.
- Use bold text sparingly.
- Use bulleted or numbered lists to make your content more accessible.
- Break up big blocks of text by introducing more whitespace.
- Use graphics and imagery to support your content
Use clear and clutter-free images or graphics to convey your message. A simple image can convey a powerful message about your business.
- Use descriptive call-to-action buttons (CTA)
Use descriptive text for your CTA buttons that tell the user about the action and what happens next. Avoid using vague language that can confuse neurodivergent visitors.
- Generate content in additional formats
Provide neurodivergent users with additional content formats to make your website more inclusive.
You can equip your website with different accessibility options. This will enhance the browsing experience for people with hearing or visual impairments.
Here are some additional content formats to consider:
- Audio reader narrates the content to page visitors.
- Website customization bars allows users to change brightness, text size or color schemes.
Pro tip: Always add alt text to images. This will allow audio readers to describe the image to your users.
- Adhere to ADA and WCAG guidelines
The Americans with Disabilities Act’s sets out guidelines to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities. It includes four core principles of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG): perceivable, operable, understandable and robust.
Make sure your website meets all four principles. You can be confident it meets the needs of neurodivergent visitors to your site.
Who we are?
codemantra is a leading Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) Solutions Provider. Its AI-driven platform automates digital document accessibility compliance; captures, classifies, and extracts data; and transforms documents to the desired output format.
How codemantra helps?
codemantra helps businesses make their digital content accessible to neurodivergent people. The platform accessibilityInsight makes PDFs accessible and compliant with PDF U/A and WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards. Our accessibility compliance services helps to make documents in multiple formats (Excel, Word, PPT, e Pub) accessible.
