Hello. I am Scott Gillard with Digital Access Nova Scotia. We’ve pulled together this course to provide you with the conceptual and practical tools you need to make your digital communications more accessible.
Specifically, in this course, we will cover popular website, social media and other digital communication platforms.
Many online experiences and products are biased towards people who are able-bodied, who can see and hear, and move and respond quickly. For those for whom any of these assumptions are not true, accessing online experiences can be a frustrating and alienating experience.
According to the 2017 Statistics Canada Survey on Disability, 30% of Nova Scotians 15 years of age and over – or about 245,000 people – have one or more disabilities.
To break it down, there are many types of disabilities that affect many Nova Scotians.
Of the total population, 19.8% of us have a pain-related disability while 14.2% of people have a flexibility-related disability. Another 13.3% have a mobility-related disability. And for some of us, all of these are a part of daily life.
You may not be surprised to hear that 11.8% of Nova Scotians have a mental health related disability.
And many of us think of sight and hearing when they think about disability. 6.6% of Nova Scotians experience hearing loss and 6.5% of Nova Scotians experience a sight-related disability.
While I think of it as a gift, I am among the 5.2% with a learning disability, though that number is likely greatly under-reported. 1.3% of the population has a developmental disability. 5.3% struggle with memory.
Disability crosses all age groups
21% of youth between the ages of 15 and 24 have a disability.
29% of working-aged people, 25 to 64, have one or more disabilities.
And 43% of older adults struggle with one or more disabilities.