Evolving Web’s Post

At MindRockets, we understand the importance of accessibility and customization for all of our users. This features will greatly enhance the experience for people with disabilities . Here's a brief overview of how each feature can help: 1. Light Contrast: Some people with visual impairments or cognitive disabilities may have difficulty reading text with high contrast or bright colors. Providing a lighter contrast can make it easier for them to read and navigate through the website. 2. Dark Contrast: Conversely, some users may prefer darker contrast, especially if they have light sensitivity or are using the website in low-light conditions. 3. Invert Colors: Inverting the colors on a website can be helpful for people with certain types of visual impairments, such as color blindness, or for users who prefer high contrast. 4. White Large Cursor: This feature can benefit people with mobility impairments or cognitive disabilities, as it makes the cursor easier to see and track on the screen. 5. Dyslexia: People with dyslexia may benefit from features such as increased line spacing, text-to-speech, and dyslexia-friendly fonts, which can make reading easier and more accessible. 6. ADHD: People with ADHD may benefit from features such as minimal distractions, clear navigation, and simple design, which can help them stay focused and engaged with the content. 7. Seizures and Epilepsy: Websites should avoid flashing or rapidly changing content, which can trigger seizures or cause discomfort for people with epilepsy. 8. Color Blind: People with color blindness may benefit from features such as high contrast, alternative color schemes, and descriptive text, which can make content more accessible and understandable. 9. Cognitive Education and Impaired Mobility: People with cognitive disabilities or mobility impairments may benefit from features such as clear navigation, simple design, and alternative input methods, such as voice commands or keyboard shortcuts, which can make it easier to access and interact with the website. Overall, providing accessibility features can help make a website more inclusive and accessible to a wider range of users, regardless of their abilities or disabilities. #VisualImpairmentSupport #InvertColors #ColorBlindFriendly #AccessibilityTools #AccessibleReading #ColorBlindAccessibility #CognitiveAccessibility #MobilityImpairment #WebAccessibility #InclusiveDesign #AccessibleWeb #DigitalInclusion

Pattern Recognition: How Late-Identified Adults See the World Differently Imagine walking through life, noticing patterns and connections that others overlook, like being in a real-life Beautiful Mind scenario. For many of us late-identified autistic adults, this is just a regular Tuesday. Let’s get into how we perceptive autistics navigate the world, turning everyday moments into intricate paintings of patterns and insights. The Power of Patterns First up is the brain’s built-in detective. We excel at pattern recognition, an ability that transforms mundane experiences with detailed narratives. Whether it’s the sequence of streetlights during a commute or the subtle cues in a colleague’s behavior, these patterns reveal a deeper understanding of the world. Finding Order in Chaos Take my friend Emily. She wasn’t diagnosed autistic until age 35. Emily can walk into a messy room and instantly see an organizational system. It’s like her brain is constantly playing Tetris, finding the perfect fit for every piece. This skill is a superpower in data analysis, project management, spotting inefficiencies in workflows, and more. Decoding Social Interactions Social interactions can feel like a maze of unwritten rules. For us, recognizing patterns in social behavior turns this into a solvable puzzle. My friend Wilfredo, who discovered his autism in his 40s, can predict the dynamics of a meeting within minutes. By observing past behaviors, he’s able to anticipate reactions and outcomes, making him an invaluable mediator in team settings. Everyday Observations Think about the last time you went to a coffee shop. Maybe you noticed the barista’s smile. You may have observed the rhythm of the barista’s movements, the peak hours, and the correlation between weather and coffee choices. These observations are more than interesting—they lead to innovative business strategies and improved customer experiences. Personal Growth and Self-Acceptance For many of us, finding out we’re autistic later in life brings a profound sense of self-understanding and acceptance. It’s like finally getting the right user manual for a complex piece of equipment. Recognizing our unique pattern-recognition skills allows us to appreciate our strengths and seek out environments where we’re likely to thrive. Appreciating Neurodiversity in the Workplace Companies that value neurodiversity are often the ones at the forefront of innovation. By creating spaces where we can leverage our pattern recognition abilities, businesses can unlock new levels of creativity and efficiency. It’s not only about inclusivity but also smart business. # The world viewed through the lens of pattern recognition is one rich with detail and potential. We have a valuable perspective that transforms everyday experiences into important insights. So next time you’re puzzling over a problem, try looking at it from a different angle—you might just see a pattern you’ve never before noticed. — Autistic Ang

🧠✨ How new technologies help the neurodiverse live more inclusive lives ✨🧠 🌐 Technology has transformed the lives of the neurodiverse community, aiding in inclusivity and independence. 🔬 Assistive apps and devices have emerged to support individuals with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other neurodivergent conditions. 📱 Communication apps facilitate social interactions, helping neurodiverse individuals connect with others and express themselves. 💻 Productivity tools like task managers and time trackers assist with focus and organizational skills. 🎮 Virtual reality technology offers a safe environment for therapy and skill development. 🗺️ GPS and navigation apps provide neurodiverse individuals with independence and confidence when traveling. 🌈 The integration of new technologies empowers the neurodiverse community and fosters inclusivity in work and social environments. ✅ Let's embrace the power of technology to create a more inclusive and supportive world for all. #neurodiversity #inclusivity #techsavvy Link:https://buff.ly/3tzgF5l

💎 Dos and Don'ts When Designing for Autistic People ↓ Information: ℹ️ Nearly 1% of the global population has autism, emphasizing the vital importance of integrating inclusive design [1]. ℹ️ Every autistic person experiences the world uniquely; there's no universal "autistic experience." ℹ️ Preference for "autistic person" or "person with autism" varies by individual. Some choose "autistic person" to emphasize autism as part of their identity (identity-first language), while others prefer "person with autism" to highlight the person over the diagnosis (person-first language), suggesting they are not defined by autism. Dos [2][5]: ✅ Prioritize subdued hues to create a calming environment. ✅ Use direct, simple English for clarity. ✅ Ensure actionable button labels, like “Add to Cart.” ✅ Keep interfaces uniform and intuitive to navigate. Don’ts [2][5]: ❌ Choose lively and varied colors to make things interesting. ❌ Use special words and phrases to make your writing fun. ❌ Use "Click Here" to add surprise. ❌ Introduce unusual scrolling, like parallax, for example. ❌ Implement timers and scarcity elements (📝 Note: In 2024, the trend for elements like email popups[3][4] and scarcity timers are declining due to user adaptation, making them counterproductive for web accessibility.) Great Articles: 📰 Cognitive Accessibility at W3C - https://lnkd.in/eBjrVdPV By W3C 📰 Web design for neurodiversity: Creating a more inclusive web - https://lnkd.in/ePDXCYQx By Kalina Tyrkiel (📝 Note: Although the article does not specifically address autism, it provides a thorough analysis and proposes potential solutions to make the web more inclusive for everyone, including individuals with autism) 📰 Design for Autistic People: Existing Research - https://lnkd.in/eJHxRjct By Irina Rusakova (📝 Note: A great article that helped me a lot to understand the experience of people with autism) 📰 Revealing Autism’s Hidden Strengths - https://lnkd.in/eRTJySCb By Nicholette Zeliadt 📰 User Experience Factors for People with Autism Spectrum Disorder - https://lnkd.in/eW7yNnGt By Katherine Valencia, Cristian Rusu, Federico Botella (📝 Note: Highly recommend this article for its actionable insights on autism-friendly design. Key takeaways include focusing on engagement, predictability, structure, interactivity, adaptability, customization, sensory sensitivity, attention retention, and minimizing frustration. These principles improve usability and effectiveness.) Resources: 💎 How to Talk and Write About Autism (PDF) - https://lnkd.in/efprzKv6 💎 Posters (PDF) - https://lnkd.in/eT7ZRA9z By Karwai Pun (📝 Note: This is just an iconic page. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend checking it out, downloading posters, and placing them in your office, so your coworkers can passively learn about accessibility.) #accessibility #designsystem #ux #ProductDesign #InclusiveDesign #A11y #UXForAll #WebAccessibility

Since newborn, I have never witnessed my father being healthy. He suffered from long-term kidney disease with ongoing hemodialysis and in the last three years of his life he lost fully his sight. Reflecting on this, I think that his ‘odyssey’ and thereby ‘our family odyssey’ did not create me a trauma, instead a way to develop resilience and empathy for people with accesibility issues. Approximately 15% of the world's population (over 1 billion people) live with some form of disability. Types of Accessibility Issues can vary from: ▪️Vision: Blindness, low vision, color blindness ▪️Hearing: Deafness, hard of hearing ▪️Mobility: Difficulty with fine motor control, limb differences, paralysis ▪️Cognitive: Learning disabilities, dyslexia, attention disorders, intellectual disabilities ▪️Other: Chronic illness, mental health conditions, temporary impairments Accessibility matters, not only as a basic human right but also because people with disabilities represent a significant and often overlooked portion of the population; and as technology leaders, startup founders, government leaders we need to ‘build by design’ products, and services and democratize the technology to all. The skill for such an ‘accessibility mindset’ is to foster empathy. Good news!! Empathy is not a genetic attitude, so you can develop empathy by books, workshops and in many other ways. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. It involves both understanding their emotional state and resonating with those emotions as if you were experiencing them yourself. It’s actually being in the ‘‘shoes of the other person’’. I may repeat myself, but being at Google I enjoy each and every day. Not only because I am learning new things, but also because I meet inspirational people and participate in cool workshops. Today, at Google I joined in an empathy workshop for people with visual deficiencies and meet Alex Cucu, from AMAIS.ro 🟢The theoretical part of it, brought me back to my adulthood, when I was helping my dad to deal with his daily routine. 🟢Yet, the practical part was one of the experiences that I will cherish forever : ✅🧑🦯👓 wearing opaque glasses and exploring the surroundings with a white cane. ✅🕶️ 📕using echolocation. 💵My 2 cents: ✔️Be grateful for being alive and do not take it for granted. ✔️ You do not need to have temporary / permanent accessibility issue to respect others.

This is me, in the zoo, with a sunflower cord. A sunflower cord shows people working in the zoo you may need assistance due to a hidden disability. Upon wearing it I felt very conscious, and I felt looked at. I've heard often enough the phrases "you don't look autistic" and "you make eye contact, so you can't be autistic" and similar phrases. And at the airport I've been yelled at for receiving assistance. But this is who I am, and that's okay, in fact, it's a good thing because wouldn't the world be boring if we were all the same? I am autistic. And that is a good thing. Autism brings a unique set of traits that I’ve found to be incredibly advantageous in leading UX teams: • Detail-oriented vision One of the things that come with my autism is an intense focus on details. In UX, where nuance makes or breaks a project, this ability allows me to catch subtleties that might otherwise be missed, leading to richer, more thoughtful design solutions and cleaner processes. • Consistency and reliability I thrive on routine and consistency, and this translates into a leadership style that’s dependable and stable. My team knows what to expect from me day in and day out, which builds trust and a secure team environment. • Deep and passionate focus When I latch onto a project, my dedication is second to none. This deep focus means I’m committed to our goals and can inspire and motivate my team through even the most challenging sprints. • Clear and direct communication I value straightforward communication and often get right to the point. This clarity eliminates guesswork, speeds up processes, and ensures that everyone understands their roles and expectations. • Unique problem-solving skills Seeing the world through a different lens means I approach problems differently. This leads to creative and innovative solutions that may not always be first of mind. Combine that with pattern recognition and us autistics get pretty good at spotting the problems and coming up with solutions fitting the need and context. • Advocacy for inclusivity Being autistic, I’m super aware of the need for diverse perspectives and inclusivity. I find it important to speak up about these values in our team culture, making sure everyone feels valued and heard, which in turn allows for a more safe, creative and collaborative environment. Where sometimes it's scary to talk about my autism, as its the thing that makes you different from the norm, it is who I am and how and why I do the things I do. And finding out I was autistic explained a lot for me and made me better at my job and taking care of myself. I’d love to hear from other neurodivergents —how do your unique traits shape your leadership style? Or what has changed since you found out about it? please let me know in the comments 👇 or if you prefer not to speak about it in the open, in my DM's.

Several of y'all may appreciate this 👀 Related tagdump to increase reach: #ux #neurodiversity #dyslexia #dyscalculia #autism #autismspectrum #colorblindness #colourblindness #accessibility #uxaccessibility #accessibleux

I was browsing through my feed this evening and ran across another fascinating discussion spurred by Vitaly Friedman's post on Neurodiversity & UX. First Vitaly's post is jam-packed, as always, with interesting and practical tools and resources for incorporating neurodiversity into UX. However, the exceptionally lively and thoughtful discussion in the comments was the real icing on the cake! 🍰 A particular shout-out to Trip O'Dell, Maeva E., and Stéphanie Walter for their enlightening exchange about designing with neurodiversity in mind. It's given me so much to think about! (no pun intended...okay, pun SLIGHTLY intended! 😉) Also to Lou Susi, MFA, BA, MFL for introducing me to the concept of NeuroInclusivity. I'm going to be mulling over that term a lot over the coming days! Designing for real people is a challenge and a privilege. How we shape our frameworks matters. How we approach every stage of our research and design matters. And the more we can bring those who are "not-me" into the work we do, the better our work will be. It's not easy--but easy's not the point, is it? #neurodiversity #neuroinclusion #uxbrainy #uxtools #uxresources

One of the great things about the projects we work on are how they often help to broaden our understanding of areas, issues and experiences we have had little exposure to. A recent example involved working with a team at Queen Mary’s University of London who are exploring how autistic young people participate in 'affinity spaces' - online spaces where members connect over shared interests - and how advances in digital communication research can shed light on their unique communication styles, and the nature of social relationships in these groups. We were tasked with creating a website that would set out the project's aims and activities, as well as the team's philosophy and approach, using design and copy in a way that would be inclusive and accessible for autistic young adults.With little previous experience of designing for this audience, we spent a lot of time reading and researching, and listening to observations and experiences from autistic people working on the project, to help us figure out the best approach. While some of the information we found on inclusive digital design practices and content creation was contradictory, or was only focused on children with autism, we found a lot of excellent material from other researchers and designers that really helped. We really recommend Irina Rusakova’s great article (link below), and the wonderful Ellie Middleton talks and posts on LinkedIn really helped us to get a better understanding of how we could create something for young autistic people whilst avoiding the pitfalls of our own neurotypical thinking. When it came to building the site and creating content, we used what we had learned through our research to inform our approach, and ensure both the copy and design would be as inclusive and accessible as possible for a neurodivergent audience. "...right from the start, from the time someone came up with the word ‘autism’, the condition has been judged from the outside, by its appearances, and not from the inside according to how it is experienced." (Donna Williams, 1996) The quote above is one we came across during our research, and one that resonated with the team working on the project. It also sums up what we learned on the project - how important it is to let go of your own preconceptions, ideas and expectations for a project or design, and really pay attention to the experience of the people you are designing for. Taking the time to do our research, and listening closely to the autistic people on the team we were lucky to work with, has helped grow our understanding of what 'inclusive design' really means in practice - something we hope will inform all our ongoing and future projects. Useful links: https://lnkd.in/dMTZTXj - a useful overview of existing research https://lnkd.in/e6Ji_FmE - a guide to participatory autism research https://lnkd.in/d42GJiFN - toolkits for more inclusive digital design https://lnkd.in/dreJj86N - the project website

Let’s talk about #invisibledisabilities because I’m tired of people assuming that I’m neurotypical. A quick Google search will tell you that around 80% of disabilities are invisible. Let that sink in for a moment. It’s important to remember that what you see on a surface level doesn’t always align with someone’s internal experience.