Visual
People who are blind typically use a screen reader — software that reads page content aloud. People with low vision may use screen magnifiers or adjusted browser settings. People who are colour blind rely on non-colour cues to interpret information. The barriers they hit most: images without alt text, poor colour contrast, and PDFs that are just scanned images.
Auditory
People who are deaf or hard of hearing can’t access audio content — video, podcasts, webinars — without captions or transcripts. Auto-generated captions have improved dramatically thanks to AI, but they still need editing for accuracy, especially with Australian accents and sector jargon.
Motor
People who can’t use a mouse navigate with keyboards, voice commands, switch devices, or eye tracking. Small click targets, drag-and-drop without alternatives, and forms with tight time limits are common barriers.
Cognitive
This is the broadest group — people with learning disabilities, attention difficulties, autism, acquired brain injury, or age-related cognitive decline. Complex layouts, dense text, inconsistent navigation, and auto-playing media all create barriers. WCAG 2.2 has strengthened its focus here, and rightly so — what helps people with cognitive disabilities tends to help everyone.
