11 Disability Personas

Accessibility Beyond Checklists

Axe checks rules. CBrowser simulates real users.

11 disability personas. Mobile device emulation. Perceptual transport scoring. The gap between WCAG compliance and actual usability.

WCAG Compliance Does Not Equal Accessibility

You pass every axe scan. Your Lighthouse accessibility score is 98. And users with motor tremors still cannot complete checkout. Here is why.

Rule Checkers Miss Real-World Barriers

Axe says your button has an aria-label. It cannot tell you that a user with tremors needs 3 attempts to hit it. Rules check markup. CBrowser simulates behavior.

Mobile Touch Targets Need Device Emulation

A 38px button passes desktop testing. On an iPhone 15, the same button fails WCAG 2.5.8. Without real device viewports, you are testing the wrong surface.

Viewport vs Full-Page Gives Different Results

Above-the-fold might be perfect. Scroll down and the footer has 2:1 contrast ratio links. Scope controls whether you get a landing page score or a compliance score.

11 Disability Personas

Seven disability-specific personas simulate real physical and cognitive barriers. Four general personas cover behavioral patterns that amplify those barriers.

Motor TremorDisability

Hand tremors, reduced click precision, needs larger targets

motor-impairment-tremor

Low VisionDisability

Screen magnification, reduced visual field, high contrast needed

low-vision-magnified

Cognitive ADHDDisability

Attention challenges, easily distracted, needs clear hierarchy

cognitive-adhd

DyslexicDisability

Text processing difficulty, needs clear typography and spacing

dyslexic-user

Deaf / Hard of HearingDisability

No audio perception, needs captions and visual alternatives

deaf-user

Elderly Low VisionDisability

Age-related vision loss, slower processing, conservative interaction

elderly-low-vision

Color Blind (Deuteranopia)Disability

Red-green color blindness, needs non-color indicators

color-blind-deuteranopia

Cautious First-TimerGeneral

Low tech confidence, high anxiety, needs clear guidance

cautious-first-timer

Impatient Power UserGeneral

Low patience, fast processing, expects efficient workflows

impatient-power-user

Analytical ResearcherGeneral

High information need, thorough, reads everything before acting

analytical-researcher

Mobile MultitaskerGeneral

Distracted, on-the-go, needs scannable content and large targets

mobile-multitasker

Mobile WCAG Testing

New

Pass device="mobile" to test with real mobile viewport constraints. Touch targets, responsive layouts, and viewport-specific barriers behave differently on handheld devices.

Touch Target Validation

WCAG 2.5.8 requires 44x44px minimum. Mobile viewports expose undersized targets that pass on desktop.

Responsive Layout Barriers

Hamburger menus, stacked layouts, and content reflow create barrier patterns invisible on desktop.

Device Presets

Test with generic "mobile" or specific devices: iPhone 15, Pixel 7, iPad. Each sets real viewport dimensions.

empathy_audit(
  url: "https://example.com/checkout",
  goal: "complete purchase",
  disabilities: ["motor-impairment-tremor"],
  device: "iPhone 15",
  scope: "full_page",
  wcagLevel: "AA"
)

Scope Control

Two modes for two different questions. Use them together for the full picture.

viewport

Above-the-fold only

Tests only what users see on first load without scrolling. Optimized for landing page evaluation and first-impression analysis.

Use when: Optimizing conversion pages, testing hero sections, measuring initial saliency.

full_page

Scroll entire page

Scrolls through the entire page, testing every element. Required for WCAG compliance audits where every element must pass.

Use when: Running compliance audits, pre-launch accessibility reviews, legal requirement validation.

Perceptual Transport Scoring

Traditional accessibility testing checks whether elements exist. Perceptual transport measures how much information each persona actually loses when viewing your page.

How It Works

CBrowser captures your page, then applies persona-specific visual filters: blur for low vision, color attenuation for color blindness, contrast reduction for elderly users.

It then computes the Wasserstein distance (optimal transport) between the original and filtered views. This produces a single number measuring actual information loss, not just rule violations.

The result: a motor-impaired user might see 100% of visual information but face 100% motor cost. A color-blind user loses 1.1% of visual information but has 0% motor cost. Same page, completely different accessibility profiles.

Example Output

Each audit returns barriers with WCAG criterion references, severity levels, specific elements, and actionable fix instructions.

{
  "persona": "motor-impairment-tremor",
  "url": "https://example.com/checkout",
  "device": "mobile",
  "scope": "full_page",
  "empathy_score": 31,
  "barriers": [
    {
      "severity": "critical",
      "element": "button.submit-order",
      "wcag": "2.5.8 Target Size",
      "issue": "Touch target 32x28px, minimum 44x44px",
      "impact": "Motor-impaired users miss tap on 67% of attempts",
      "fix": "Add padding: min-height 44px, min-width 44px"
    },
    {
      "severity": "high",
      "element": "input.promo-code",
      "wcag": "2.5.5 Target Size (Enhanced)",
      "issue": "Input field 36px height on mobile viewport",
      "impact": "Repeated failed taps cause frustration spiral",
      "fix": "Set min-height: 44px on all form inputs"
    }
  ],
  "wcag_violations": [
    { "criterion": "1.4.3", "level": "AA", "count": 3 },
    { "criterion": "2.5.8", "level": "AA", "count": 7 }
  ],
  "perceptual_transport": {
    "information_loss": "0%",
    "motor_cost": "100%",
    "cognitive_load": "30%",
    "wasserstein_distance": 0.0
  }
}

Tools Used

empathy_audit

Simulates a disability persona navigating your site. Returns barriers, WCAG violations, and an empathy score from 0-100.

agent_ready_audit

Grades your site on structural accessibility: ARIA labels, semantic HTML, keyboard navigation, and machine-readability.

attention_analysis

Generates saliency maps showing where each persona actually looks vs. where critical content is placed.

Audit Your Site With Real Personas

Run an empathy audit with a motor-tremor persona on mobile. See the barriers your axe scans cannot detect.

Audit Your Site

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11 disability personas

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