Accessibility
The new web site for BFS, which launched on 9 February 2009, was created by Idea15 Web Design in accordance with best practice in web accessibility.
In web accessibility terms, bipolar disorder falls under the category of cognitive/intellectual disabilities, one of the five needs that web accessibility aims to address. We tend to think of web accessibility as ways to help blind or deaf users view the web, but people with cognitive disabilities have particular needs involving memory, comprehension, attention span, and logic skills. Creating a site for people with bipolar disorder, who may or may not be experiencing those issues on any given day, poses a particular challenge: we are designing to accomodate the restrictions within the brain, not the body.
Resources consulted during the development of this site included:
- Cognitive Disabilities and the Web
- From the inside: depression and the cognitive disorder
- Designing Websites with Consideration for People with Cognitive Impairments and Learning Difficulties: Researching Some Solutions
- Developing sites for users with Cognitive disabilities and learning difficulties
We are grateful for the assistance of our focus group of site testers; Lori Berkowitz of Beedragon Web Design for early review and guidance; and the Wise-Women web development community.
Accessibility is a journey, not a destination, and while we have followed best practices in the site’s creation, we know that we can never guarantee full and complete accessibility. BFS therefore encourages and welcomes all feedback on the site’s accessibility and usability and will work to make any changes required throughout the life of the web site.
