Eva is a smart 18-year-old student who loves art and music. She just finished high school and is now looking for an online course that suits her autism disorder.
Eva learned to be independent and communicate well.
She still attends support sessions for sensory unloading.
Eva’s Autonomy
Eva’s parents learned about her disorder when she was 3 years old. Until the age of 10, she attended special institutions such as a kindergarten and a school for children with special needs where teachers helped with her social and communication challenges.
Eva tries to be autonomous and independent, she insists on studying alone and is able to do her own online shopping. She avoids television as the stimuli can be very triggering for her attacks, so she normally reads the news and listens to music on her laptop. The websites she visits are always the same and she completes her tasks in a specific order, every time. “It was hard to find websites that I could navigate through without loosing focus or becoming overwhelmed with all the colours, ads, videos and pop-up messages on the screen.”
When studying online
Now that Eva has finished high school she decided to enrol in an online Art course. “I prefer to interact with others through a digital platforms where the communication is more regulated and predictable. When I told my dad that I wanted to study art online, he helped me choose among the many schools. It was important for me that the website was well designed and easy to use.
I have trouble with too much visual information and my reading skills are affected by my inability to focus. Many websites, when you open them, they start playing videos or a lot of animated ads, and because of this it is difficult for me to concentrate on finding the right information. I easily get lost, and it really affects me because I need to know exactly where I am and where I am going to. Besides that, sometimes I get distracted with something else on the screen and I end up not doing what I needed to do.”
Fortunately, I found an art school where this isn’t an issue because they have a software where students with autism can hide everything but text, so we don’t get distracted or overwhelmed. The platform was also carefully designed with creamy and pastel colours, which helps reduce visual triggers, and all the lessons are written in plain humane language as well as separated by large headings, subheadings and bullet points. It’s really easy to follow and navigate.
Autism shouldn’t be the reason for exclusion or being dependant on others, nor should it stop autistic people from pursuing a professional career or even starting a family.
Look Deeper
It is estimated that worldwide about one in 100 children has autism. This estimate represents an average figure, and reported prevalence varies substantially across studies.
Some well-controlled studies have, however, reported figures that are substantially higher. The prevalence of autism in many low- and middle-income countries is unknown.
The abilities and needs of autistic people vary and can evolve over time.
While some people with autism can live independently, others have severe disabilities and require life-long care and support.
People with autism require accessible health services for general health-care needs like the rest of the population, including promotive and preventive services and treatment of acute and chronic illness. Nevertheless, autistic people have higher rates of unmet health-care needs compared with the general population. They are also more vulnerable during humanitarian emergencies.
A common barrier is created by health-care providers’ inadequate knowledge and understanding of autism. Care for people with autism needs to be accompanied by actions at community and societal levels for greater accessibility, inclusivity and support.
Suggestions
Here are a few resources you can explore to increase the legibility and usability of your services for those who are visually impaired.
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