Amplifying Disabled Voices

In "Beyond WCAG: Losing Spoons Online," published on April 20, 2022 on the TPGi Blog, Lē McNamara shares key design considerations for neurodivergent individuals. Lē also provides an overview of the spoon theory and why considering energy levels is important in good design.

"If we work together, we can remove some of the barriers that people with cognitive disabilities experience online, and in doing so, we can also increase basic quality of living, leaving more spoons each day—more energy to be your best friend, your favorite aunt, your amazing dad, or your super cool boss. We have a lot to offer, online and off."
Lē McNamara

The article mainly addresses the fact that we need to design adaptive experiences - give users the choice how to interact with a site. For example, contrast colors that work for the low vision community can have a negative impact on a neurodivergent person.

When we design, we must consider all disabled users in the design process. We must seek out ways to give users more control and to "do no harm;" instead we must give users the choice of how to interact with a site and give them enough spoons to use on the daily moments that matter.