Interactive disability simulators for Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). Designed as a kiosk experience -- two laptops at a public table, each running a different simulator, inviting passersby to experience common web accessibility barriers firsthand.
Chris -- Simulates the experience of a user with rheumatoid arthritis who navigates the web using only a keyboard. The mouse cursor is hidden and pointer interactions are disabled.
Claudia -- Simulates the experience of a sight-impaired user who relies on a screen magnifier with high-contrast settings. The screen is magnified 6x and colors are inverted.
Each simulator walks users through a deliberately inaccessible task, then presents an improved version of the same task, highlighting the impact of small accessibility fixes.
npm install
npm run devOpen http://localhost:5173/chris/ or http://localhost:5173/claudia/ and go fullscreen.
npm run build
npm run previewThe dist/ folder can be deployed to any static hosting (GitHub Pages, Netlify, etc.).
These simulators are inspired by and adapted from HMRC's Virtual Empathy Hub and the GDS Accessibility Personas project, originally created by HMRC's Digital Inclusion and Accessibility Standards team based on work by the Government Digital Service (GDS).
Task content has been adapted for a US context.
A simulation is never a true representation of an impairment. It is only a tool that tries to make some things roughly as difficult for someone without that impairment.
Some personas require using assistive technology. For the purpose of these examples, it is acceptable to use the tools that are built in to the operating system.
The purpose of each task is to demonstrate the issues people may face when using poorly designed websites. The initial task pages have been coded in a way that makes it difficult, if not impossible, to correctly complete the task.
Users are expected to only need to use the tools defined on each simulator's task introduction page. Users who require additional assistive technology to access the web may not be able to experience or interact with the tasks as intended.
Simulation concept and original persona content: Open Government Licence v3.0
Built with NYSDS components.