Inclusive Design Language | Accessibility Exercises

1 / 5

Microsoft's Inclusive Design framework describes "permanent, temporary, and situational" disability.

How does this model change how teams approach accessibility?

The persona spectrum model expands who benefits from accessibility features:

Disability type	One arm example
Permanent	Born with one arm
Temporary	Arm in a cast after injury
Situational	Holding a baby, carrying shopping

Curb cut effect: features designed for permanent disabilities benefit far more poeple — curb cuts designed for wheelchair users also help cyclists, parents with strollers, and delivery workers. Key vocabulary: "persona spectrum", "curb cut effect", "situational disability", "design for the margins benefits the mainstream".

2 / 5

"We should design for the margins, not the average user."

What does this principle mean in product design?

"Design for the margins" (Kat Holmes, Mismatch) — excluding people reveals design rigidity:

Edge case user	What their constraint reveals	Who else benefits
Low-bandwidth user	Unnecessary payload, slow render	All users on slow connections
Elderly / low digital literacy	Confusing UX patterns	Users in stressful contexts
Non-native speaker	Unclear copy and microcopy	All users unfamiliar with UI

Key vocabulary: "design justice", "exclusion mapping", "mismatch (Kat Holmes)", "constraint-driven innovation".

3 / 5

The team is discussing cognitive accessibility for users with ADHD and dyslexia.

Which of the following design choices most directly supports cognitive accessibility?

Cognitive accessibility addresses a different set of user needs from sensory or motor accessibility:

Technique	Helps with
Plain language	Reading differences (dyslexia), non-native speakers
Consistent navigation	Memory-related conditions, ADHD
Clear error messages with recovery steps	Reduces anxiety, supports all users
Chunked content + visible progress	ADHD, fatigue, cognitive overload
No time pressure	Processing speed differences

Key vocabulary: "cognitive load", "plain language", "clear error recovery", "SC 2.5.8 Target Size", "COGA supplemental guidance".

4 / 5

An engineer says: "We'll add accessibility later once the feature is stable."

Why is retrofitting accessibility after launch typically more expensive than building it in?

Shift-left accessibility — fixing accessibility issues earlier is dramatically cheaper:

Phase	Relative cost	What needs changing
Design	1×	Spec update — add accessible name, keyboard behaviour
Development	5×	Code changes during active work — manageable
After launch	20×	Structural rework of component tree, DOM, interaction model

If a component tree was built with div-based interactions, retrofitting ARIA and keyboard handling requires structural changes. Key vocabulary: "accessibility debt", "shift-left accessibility", "component API contract for accessibility", "retrofit cost".

5 / 5

The design system team is building an accessible-by-default component library.

What does "accessible by default" mean for a component library?

An accessible-by-default component library encapsulates accessibility complexity so feature teams don't have to re-implement it:

Component	Built-in accessibility
`<Button />`	Correct role, keyboard activation, focus ring, disabled state
`<Modal />`	ARIA dialog pattern, focus trap on open, Escape to close, returns focus on close
`<Select />`	Listbox pattern, arrow key navigation, type-ahead search

Benefits: accessibility at scale, reduced individual team expertise requirement, consistent screen reader experience. Key vocabulary: "WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices", "design system accessibility contract", "accessibility token".