LGD Accessibility Meetup: Cognitive Accessibility

​Maria Young, LocalGov Drupal’s Accessibility Lead and Accessibility Specialist at Agile Collective, will introduce the core principles of cognitive accessibility.

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Cognitive accessibility is often overlooked in web design, yet it has a huge impact on people with cognitive and learning disabilities. In this session, Maria will share practical steps and tools for building more inclusive Drupal sites, drawing on the latest guidance from the W3C’s Cognitive and Learning Disabilities Accessibility Task Force (COGA).

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She’ll highlight how personalisation and adaptive features can make websites more responsive to individual needs—and how small design choices can either reduce or increase barriers.

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Key takeaways:

• ​Cognitive differences affect how people process information, focus, and navigate content.

• ​Clear structure, simple language, and minimising distractions are essential for inclusion.

• ​Everyday design decisions can unintentionally exclude users—or open up access for all.