Who this helps
A11y-Equitas is built for everyone, with extra care for neurodivergent users. This page explains who benefits, why neurodivergent groups are disproportionately underserved, and the WCAG 2.2 AAA rules that help each group most.
Notes: Stats are estimates. Sources differ. “SC” = Success Criterion. “AAA” is WCAG’s strictest level — not legally required, but it helps a lot of people.
The neurodivergent bias in this model
A11y-Equitas has a deliberate neurodivergent (ND) bias. The model prioritizes WCAG criteria that help ND individuals — and includes all ADA disability categories by default. That bias is intentional, and it is explained below.
Why ND groups are ignored in most accessibility work
- Invisible disabilities. You cannot see ADHD, dyslexia, autism, OCD, or DID. There is no assistive device to signal the need. Auditors scanning for screen-reader compatibility or wheelchair ramp equivalents often miss the cognitive and sensory barriers entirely.
- Misunderstood group. ND conditions are still widely mischaracterized — as laziness, attitude, or low intelligence — by people who have not encountered them professionally. That misunderstanding means ND needs do not make it into requirements documents, RFPs, or acceptance criteria.
- Easier to serve one group as cover for ignoring others. Accessible design that fixes visible, measurable barriers (screen reader compatibility, color contrast for low vision) is easier to demonstrate in a compliance audit. It is also easier to use as proof of “accessibility” while leaving cognitive, timing, and sensory barriers untouched.
- Compliance history favored visible barriers. ADA and WCAG implementation have historically handled visible and measurable barriers more easily than cognitive, sensory, and executive-function barriers. The National Council on Disability found that ADA Title I compliance activity focused heavily on architectural modifications and that cognitive accommodations are harder to quantify. W3C’s Cognitive Accessibility at WAI says some cognitive accessibility needs remain outside existing standards and require supplemental guidance, and a 2022 rapid evidence assessment identifies the same gap. Later W3C work — including COGA and WCAG 2.2 additions noted by the U.S. Access Board — addresses some cognitive-disability barriers not covered by earlier standards, but does not fully close the gap.
Why ND employees or staff are reluctant to speak up
- Disclosing an ND condition at work or in a public-facing interaction carries real social and professional risk.
- Many ND employees or staff have learned to mask — to work around barriers quietly rather than report them. They leave the service, not a complaint.
- Formal feedback channels (web forms, accessibility contact pages, helpdesks) are often themselves inaccessible for ND employees or staff — long forms, CAPTCHAs, phone-only support.
- Many ND employees or staff have been told before that their complaint is not a “real” accessibility issue. They stop reporting.
- Casual belittling comments normalize masking. Remarks like “I think I have ADHD sometimes”— used to describe a bad day rather than a genuine neurological difference — minimize the real challenges ND individuals face. Jokes about public figures exhibiting unusual behavior as shorthand for “that’s ADHD” or “that’s autism” do the same. These comments signal to ND employees or staff that their condition is not taken seriously, reinforcing the pressure to mask rather than disclose.
- Rigid accommodation deadlines can create ADA risk. The EEOC reasonable-accommodation guidance requires an interactive process and allows only limited documentation. When an employer imposes deadlines that prevent meaningful interactive-process participation — especially for workers whose disability affects executive function, paperwork, appointments, or follow-up — that deadline can itself become an access barrier. Dwyer et al. (Autism in Adulthood) describes the executive-function demands of multi-office documentation, and the HHS ASPE adult-ADHD report (PDF) covers diagnosis-side barriers (wait times, cost, unnecessary neuropsychological testing). Many ND workers do not submit paperwork on time; requests then close for non-response, and the accommodation process is used against the very people it was designed to protect.
The result is that ND barriers go unfixed, and agencies interpret silence as compliance. A11y-Equitas is built to surface these gaps before an employee or staff member ever has to report them.
Coverage table
Population and age denominators differ across sources. Cells include the age group or population so readers can compare apples to apples. Always treat these figures as estimates — diagnosed prevalence and symptom prevalence are different things, and many ND adults remain undiagnosed.
| Condition | U.S. (with age/population) | International | WCAG criterion | Contrast | How it helps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dyslexia | ~20% general population with some dyslexia symptoms (not all qualifying for special education) per Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity and International Dyslexia Association. | 7–10% (general estimates) | SC 3.1.5 Reading Level (AAA) + SC 1.4.6 Contrast (Enhanced) (AAA) | 7:1 normal · 4.5:1 large | Simpler language plus higher contrast means letters do not blur into the background. |
| ADHD | Children 3–17: 11.4% ever diagnosed (2022) — CDC child ADHD data. Adults: 6.0% current diagnosis (2023) — CDC adult ADHD MMWR. | ~5% children (global estimates vary) | SC 2.2.3 No Timing (AAA) + SC 1.4.6 Contrast (Enhanced) (AAA) | 7:1 alerts and inline text | No countdown timers means no panic. Crisp, high-contrast text is easier to scan. |
| Dyspraxia / DCD | ~5% children (2024 meta-analysis); North America ~6% with substantial heterogeneity — see Frontiers in Pediatrics meta-analysis. | ~5% children (meta-analysis) | SC 2.5.5 Target Size (Enhanced) (AAA) | 3:1 edge of button (SC 1.4.11 AA) | Buttons at least 44×44 px are easier to tap or click for people with motor differences. |
| Autism (ASD) | U.S. children age 8 (ADDM 2022): ~3.2% (1 in 31) — CDC autism data. Broader population estimate: 1–2% per DOL autism employment. | 1–2% (DOL global estimate) | SC 3.3.9 Accessible Authentication (Enhanced) (AAA) | 7:1 on login prompts | No memory or pattern puzzles to log in. High-contrast prompts are read at a glance. |
| DID | ~1.5% globally with diagnostic-delay and misdiagnosis caveats — see NCBI StatPearls. | ~1.5% (international estimate) | SC 3.3.7 Redundant Entry (A) + SC 1.4.6 Contrast (Enhanced) (AAA) | 7:1 on auto-filled review text | Forms carry earlier answers forward so users do not retype during a memory gap. |
| OCD | U.S. adults: 1.2% past-year, 2.3% lifetime prevalence (NCS-R) — NIMH OCD statistics. | 1.1–1.3% (general estimates) | SC 3.3.6 Error Prevention (All) (AAA) | 7:1 on review screen text | Every form has a review step and a way to fix mistakes before submit. |
| Tourette / Tics | Tourette in children: ~0.6%; combined Tourette + chronic tic disorders: ~1.2% — see Tourette Association of America. | 0.5–0.8% (general estimates) | SC 2.4.13 Focus Appearance (AAA) | 3:1 focus outline vs background | A thick, high-contrast focus outline lets users find their place after a tic. |
Why AAA contrast (7:1) matters
The WCAG 2.1 AA bar is 4.5:1 for body text. AAA raises it to 7:1. That extra margin is the difference for someone with vision close to 20/80, or for anyone reading in sunlight glare, late at night when tired, or against a busy background. Text stays readable instead of fading away.
The most important AAA rule: let the user choose
The biggest AAA principle for neurodivergent and dissociative users is user customization. People must be able to switch the font, spacing, and colors to what works for them. WCAG SC 1.4.12 Text Spacing (AA) makes sure your layout does not break when they do.
Default typography matters too. See Default fonts for how this site picks its typeface and why.