– DRAFT –
Cognitive and Learning Disabilities Accessibility Task Force Teleconference

AG's AccessU survey closes tomorrow, February 10th

<julierawe> https://www.w3.org/wbs/35422/accessu-2026/

julierawe: reminder around the AccessU survey - looking for a sense of who might be going for logistics purposes

Next COGA task force meeting

<Jennie> Can't attend Monday

julierawe: given that next monday is a US holiday, who is planning to be available?

<Abi> -1

<Jennifer0> -1

<Jennie> -1

<julierawe> -1

<Justine> +1

Plus 1 if yes, -1 if not

<Eric_hind> +1

<julierawe> Len +1 (can attend)

<kirkwood> 0

julierawe: will update Lisa to see if she wants to have and run the meeting

COGA style guide: What spacing to use with slashes? "and/or" or "and / or"?

<julierawe> https://docs.google.com/document/d/18rqamyGgYF1DAUHLhsXmR20FtN9AQSaPc9zpFNN1xgM/edit?pli=1&tab=t.0#heading=h.527yvnol81gl

<julierawe> slash section: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18rqamyGgYF1DAUHLhsXmR20FtN9AQSaPc9zpFNN1xgM/edit?pli=1&tab=t.0#heading=h.hbqgluk92tx0

julierawe: Originally, in Making Content Usable, we were inconsistent about how and when we used slashes (with spaces)

<kirkwood> no spaces “conventional use”

julierawe: What should we do in the next version? Examples include and/or versus and / or, if/then versus if / then, etc. From a cognitive accessibility standpoint, what perspectives do we have?

<kirkwood> keep with conventional use

<julierawe> Example of how we use "if/then": https://www.w3.org/TR/coga-usable/#examples-19

Jennie: For if/then especially, it would ideally be expanded.

<kirkwood> “if” should not be in cells of table

julierawe: We might show if/then as a way to make content in something like a table - as a way to map some content

jennie: The use of a symbol like / may be cognitively confusing.

<LenB> I've worked with several people with dyslexia who told me that spaces on either side of the slashes is better for them and their reading experiences

julierawe: For if/then at least, this is intended for a developer and designer instruction on how to deal with an if and then result

<kirkwood> not confusing if used properly

<Jennie> Other possible terms: decision table, conditional logic table, rule table, flow logic

julierawe: Is this confusing for the designers?

Jennifer0: We could write around the if/then, but on a higher level, the use of a / could feel legal-sistic

ACTION: item: Consider if there is a different way to refer to "if/then" tables or statements that does not have to use a slash.

<Jennie> Other possible terms: decision table, conditional logic table, rule table, flow logic

<kirkwood> ai response\: While "and/or" is common in legal or technical writing, it creates significant hurdles for people with cognitive or learning disabilities, such as dyslexia or ADHD, and for those who use screen readers.

tiffanyburtin: I tend to use a space on each site of the slash as a general practice, otherwise, no space can flag code or an operational effect

<kirkwood> we may want to check with screen reader users

julierawe: lenb: the space does help differentiate, notably in dyslexia

<tiffanyburtin> Thank you Len, well said

<Jennie> Proposed process: can the slash be removed by how the sentence is written? If yes, remove.

lenb: we could rewrite the sentence for most instances

<Jennie> Proposed process part 2: if the slash is part of a typical format used by the specific audience for that section: use a lead in sentence without a slash, then use the slash as appropriate.

julierawe: From making content usable, the and/or instances could be changed to spaces without any loss of context. Alterntiavely, could we drop one of and, or or to avoid the need for slash marks

<Jennie> q is me then Eric?

kirkwood: the '/' methodology is a known artifact style, it may make it more difficult for those who are used to it.

<julierawe> kirkwood Are you arguing against "and/or," regardless of spacing?

<julierawe> kirkwood You are arguing in favor of judicious use of "and/or"? That this is a helpful phrase?

kirkwood: point of view is that in some cases the technical stuff will need it (keeping the / as in and/or) - minimal but helpful

abi: if not acceptable, just removing one of the and versus or can be problematic

<Jennie> Proposed process: can the slash be removed by how the sentence is written? If yes, remove.

<Jennie> if the slash is part of a typical format used by the specific audience for that section: use a lead in sentence without a slash, then use the slash as appropriate.

jennie: as far as the style guide, should we have a workflow based on removing slash when possible, if when used typically for a specific group like developers, then a sentence to give context before might be useful.

<julierawe> thank you, Rachael!

jennie: if / is not required for the audience, don't use it, if it need for a specific audience, explain in lead in sentence - meaning the explanatory text before something like a table would be in plain language

<kirkwood> “people with cognitve disabilites and ADHD or people with cognitive disabilites and ADHD” as opposed to “people with cognitive disabilites and/or learning disabiliteis”

<kirkwood> example^^

<Justine> We can leave text spacing to the user rather than forcing a single presentation on people in cases where the slash is absolutely necessary. There are browser-based methods of expanding text spacing.

<Jennie> Proposed process: can the slash be removed by how the sentence is written? If yes, remove.

<Jennie> if the slash is part of a typical format used by the specific audience for that section: use a lead in sentence without a slash, then use the slash as appropriate.

<kirkwood> (sorry my example isn’t correctly writtten)

<Jennie> Add lead in sentence then use where required

jennie: Ultimately this is making sure we have a process or workflow for anyone writing content

kirkwood: we should be wary of removing and/or constructs, it will expand the content and make it more difficult to absorb the extended content

<Jennie> Any method, device or application that can be used to help those who cannot use spoken language and need additional support by means of at least one of the following: symbols, images, text.

lenb: the previous , in the glossary instances of and/or, will make rewriting awkward

Jennifer0: propose that /'s are jargony - maybe bulletted lists would be an alternative

Abi: Maybe switching to 'such as' would reduce the instances too

julierawe: There will be some occasional to use it, but if there's a clear way to express the thought without using it, we should consider doing that; alternatives, lists, etc.

<kirkwood> what if we say and/or significantly simplifies the sentence?

<LenB> that falls in the 'occassional use' category

<kirkwood> +1 to Jennie

Jennie: Our glossary may not be done with good process - the text looks like it could be made easier to use if we had lists or were able to use plain language practices

<Jennifer0> +1 to Jennie's comment and adding bullets to the glossary

julierawe: We aren't sure how the glossary was modelled in 2021.

<Justine> If I recall, we had not considered the use of bullets when the glossary was created in 2021. I do not think excluding bullets was intentional.

julierawe: we may want to go with the technique where there's a short sentence, then notes and examples (as with the wcag 3 technique). Our existing glossary is oriented to paragraph explanation.

<julierawe> https://deploy-preview-414--wcag3.netlify.app/guidelines/#glossary

<Jennie> +1000 to Rachel

Rachael: Support using WCAG 3 format - consistency and all.

Support that future Making content usable, we use the WCAG 3 format?

<LenB> +1

<Jennifer0> +1

<Justine> +1

<Eric_hind> +1

<Jennie> +1

<Abi> +1

<julierawe> +1

<Jan> +1

<julierawe> Eric_hind: If we're updating the content now, is there a recommendation for what to do right now?

julierawe: An update to the glossary would be good - but not sure if anyone has the bandwidth?

Eric_hind: Will try to do a page worth and present to meeting later

ACTION: item: Eric_hind to try converting one-page's worth of glossary entries in a googel doc and then the guidance subgroup will review

COGA style guide: Change to ADHD or stick with AD(H)D?

<julierawe> https://deploy-preview-414--wcag3.netlify.app/guidelines/#glossary

julierawe: In the past, we had (hyperactivity) in parenthesis as a COGA decision.

julierawe: Concern is that the DSM, WHO, other orgs, don't use this format (hyperactivity) - should we move to the more standardized ADHD?

<Abi> +1

<Justine> +1 to removing

julierawe: Remove with +1, keep with -1

<Jan> +1 to removing

<Eric_hind> +1

<Jennie> trying to remember why it was there

<LenB> +1 to removing (after all we no loger see (COVID-19)

<kirkwood> ADD vs. ADHD: What's the Difference?

<kirkwood> ADD (Outdated): Previously used for individuals who struggled with inattention and distractibility but not hyperactivity.

<kirkwood> ADHD (Current): The official diagnosis (since 1987) that covers three subtypes: Primarily Inattentive, Primarily Hyperactive-Impulsive, and Combined Type.

<kirkwood> Commonality: Child Mind Institute states that many still use "ADD" colloquially, but it is not a current medical diagnosis.

<kirkwood> WebMD

<kirkwood> WebMD

<kirkwood> +4

<kirkwood> Is ADD/ADHD a Disability?

<kirkwood> Legal Status: Yes, ADHD can be recognized as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

<kirkwood> Understanding ADHD’s Disability Status - Clive Behavioral Health

<kirkwood> Jennie is correct

Jennie: Thought that at the time of writing, there was this categorization (years ago). This may now be deprecated or out of style

<Jennifer0> +1 to removing. (Interestingly, I see a lot of sites seem to style as Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder -- hard to avoid that slash!)

julierawe: UK is now using the same styling as US, ADHD, no parenthesis

Jennie: Is there a main diagnostic list that we can use - a composite list

Rachael: Not one yet but worth having the conversation

ACTION: item: The AG will consider an agreed-upon diagnostic list