Accessibility personas

Updated May 12, 2026

What are accessibility personas and how can I use them?

Accessibility is about making something usable by as many people as possible.

All our native cloud products should be WCAG 2.1 AA compliant by 2025 (you will find links to the relevant WCAG guidelines within each persona).

Although not every department needs to worry about WCAG, everyone has a responsibility to ensure accessibility is considered.

These accessibility personas can be a starting point in helping us understand our users' accessibility needs. They can help identify the barriers, frustrations and common issues that people with disabilities face when using inaccessible products or services and a great way to start the conversation.

Some ideas of how you could use accessibility personas in your team:

Take time to learn about the personas and the obstacles they face and the technology they use.
Users can become easier to communicate and more meaningful when referred to as an actual name. Learn to replace the word ‘user’ with the persona's name we are helping. Make them part of your conversations.
If you have personas already, feel free to change the name of the accessibility persona to match your persona name as you work with them.
Put the personas into scenarios to understand problems, challenges, and pain points people encounter as they work with our products and services.
Use the personas to explore design solutions. Complete typical tasks from each persona’s point of view. This is a great team activity.
Hold an innovation workshop to think about new ways to meet the needs of each persona.
Create key tasks and conduct a simple walkthrough of competitor products from each persona’s point of view. Note what works well and what does not work well.
Use the personas as recruiting profiles so you involve real users in the testing process.
Use the personas in your presentations to ensure accessibility is part of the conversation.

Limitations and considerations while using the personas in your team:

They are not exhaustive and do not cover every accessibility need (but they are a great starting point).
They provide an example of one persons experience, they may not encompass all of the challenges people with that disability face as everyone's experience is different.
They should not be used as a substitute for talking to 'real users' if that is possible.

If there’s anything you’d like adding to the personas or if you have any questions, please get in touch: [email protected]

How can we help Ayesha

Obstacles	What we can do	Further reading
I cannot see images so I have to rely on image descriptions. If there are no descriptions or they are meaningless (such as, “Image”) I miss that information.	Always provide meaningful Alt text descriptions on images and graphics so Ayesha knows what they look like, don’t leave them empty.	Tutorial on images by W3C.Five golden rules for compliant alt text, blog post on AbilityNet.
If content is hidden from my screen reader I don't know its there.	Avoid hidden content (e.g. an unlabelled hamburger menu or an unlabelled field in a form).	Accessible icon buttons.
I use a keyboard and get annoyed when I'm forced to tab through lots of things before I get to the content I'm looking for.	All content and actions must be available through a keyboard.	Dump your mouse for an hour, on the GDS Accessibility blog.
My screen reader reads out structural information such as headings, column and row headers in tables, list items, links, form controls and so on, so I can jump directly to an item.I find it hard to tell quickly what’s on a page if there aren’t good headings.	Ensure:headings are used to mark each 'section' of content on the pagetables have column and row headers as appropriatelists of items are displayed in listslinks make sense out of contextevery form control and group of controls is properly labelledUse a screen reader to move through the page to ensure content is announced in the right sequence and context.	Using the HTML document outline.Creating valid and accessible links.
When an error occurs or there is a progress or confirmation message it's not always clear what has happened.	Make sure errors and messages are announced and describe what has happened and why.	Help users to recover from validation errors.

Test your product with a screen reader and include people who use a screen reader in your research.

WCAG checklist1.3.1 Info & Relationships1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics1.4.2 Audio Control2.1.1 Keyboard2.1.2 No Keyboard Trap2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts2.4.1 Bypass Blocks2.4.2 Page title3.1.1 Language of Page3.1.2 Language of Parts3.3.1 Error Identification4.1.1 Parsing4.1.2 Name, Role, Value4.1.3 Status Messages	StatisticsThere are different degrees of blindness. Someone who is legally blind may still see colours, shapes and varying degrees of light.Of the 253 million visually impaired people in the world, 36 million are fully blind. Only 10% of people who are blind can read or write braille.

Anne has autism and ADHD.

| Anne | "Growing up I struggled with some of the challenges that come with having autism, such as communication difficulties and being sensitive to loud sounds, and other sensory-related issues. Now I've found a job I love and can engage with and have developed methods to help me focus."Anne lives in France with her parents and younger brother. She works as a Data Analyst for a leisure company.She was diagnosed with autism when she was 8 and then later diagnosed with ADHD when she was 12. | | --- | --- || Day to day with my disabilityI have autism and ADHD, a condition that affects how I see the world and interact with people. I find that I experience the world at a heightened level of intensity and I’m hypersensitive to things like light, sound, colour, textures, shapes and movements. If I get overwhelmed I experience sensory overload and I need to withdraw.I have a short attention span, I am easily distracted and can have difficulty focusing on things.I can be easily confused by colloquialisms and metaphors. I can also be overwhelmed by sites that offer too many choices.I struggle with face to face communication and prefer communicating online. | Technology I useI use timers to help me stay on taskI find creating task lists helps me focus | | --- | --- |

How can we help Anne

Obstacles	What we can do	Further reading
I don’t like getting lost on sites, I want to know where things are because it’s easier to find things again when I need them.	Use consistent structure and navigation. Put components in the same order on each page.
I prefer web chat to phone so I have time to think about what I’m going to say.	Let Anne specify how she wants to be contacted or let her contact you for help.
I get easily distracted and want to read everything and click every link.	Remove unnecessary words, use meaningful link text so Anne can stay focused and decide whether to follow the links.
I have attention limitations so I can lose where I am on the page.	Use a clear heading structure.	Using the HTML document outline.
I experience sensitivity to sensory information such as colours.	Follow best practise on colour and colour contrast.
I find moving, blinking or scrolling content distracting.	Provide an option to pause moving, blinking or scrolling content that starts automatically or lasts more than 5 seconds. There should be no changes of context when Anne focuses on an interface element or changes to the value of a form field – all changes of context should be expected and deliberately triggered.

Include people with autism and ADHD in your user research.

WCAG checklist2.2.1 Timing Adjustable2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide2.4.4 Link Purpose (in context)2.4.6 Headings and Labels3.2.1 On Focus3.2.2 On Input3.2.3 Consistent Navigation	StatisticsAutism spectrum condition (ASC) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are neurodevelopmental disorders.ASC and ADHD are common conditions, with ASC affecting around one in 100 UK children – and ADHD up to five in every 100.

Manuel is older and has multiple conditions.

(arthritis, hard of hearing and sight deterioration)

| Manuel | "Some sites have text that’s just so small I have to use the magnifier to see it. I struggle to hold the mouse when using the computer so now I just use my keyboard. I've also started using captions while watching TV.”Manuel lives in Spain with his wife. He works as a self-employed financial advisor. He's 66 with no intention of retiring yet.He has a number of age-related conditions which have got worse over last couple of years. | | --- | --- || Day to day with my disabilityI have age-related “macular degeneration” which causes blurred central vision in my left eye. It has got worse over the last few years.I’m hard of hearing so struggle when there is a lot of background noise or if the person does not speak clearly. I tend to use captions when I watch TV and online videos.Like a lot of older people I have arthritis in my hands, it makes using a mouse tricky so I’ve started to use the keyboard more to navigate. | Technology I useI use screen magnification (magnifier for windows).I have my web browser set to zoom in to 200% on all websites.I prefer using a Kindle or tablet to read books over paper books so I can adjust the font size.I use subtitles or transcriptions when watching the TV or online videos.I use a keyboard rather than a mouse with a wrist rest. | | --- | --- |

How can we help Manuel

Obstacles	What we can do
My poor eyesight means I struggle to see small text, small links and form elements.	Follow typography and component best practise for font size, spacing and so on.Make sure there’s enough contrast between:text and its backgroundlinks within text and both their surrounding text and backgroundbuttons and their backgrounds and textform fields and other interactive components and their backgroundsImportant interface elements like links, buttons and form controls should have a clear indicator with sufficient contrast when they receive keyboard focus.
When I use screen magnification it is easy to become disoriented.	Place elements close to the element they relate to. This includes feedback such as error messages.
My web browser being zoomed in sometimes means I have to scroll horizontally to view content; sometimes content is missing altogether.	Design our interfaces to respond to the size of the user's viewport or device.
Text in graphics is tricky as they do not zoom or enlarge properly.	Avoid text in graphics unless absolutely necessary (for example, a logo).
I can struggle to find the information I am looking for.	I can struggle to find the information I am looking for.
I am hard of hearing and struggle to hear recorded media or when attending live events.	Include captions of video content. Check the captions for clarity and accuracy. Provide transcripts for audio content.
I struggle to hear on a phone call, especially if there is a lot of background noise.	Let Manuel specify how he wants to be contacted or let him contact you for help, and ensure there's a text-based method.
I typically use a keyboard over a mouse but sometimes I find I get lost and the cursor does not behave as expected.	Make keyboard navigation sequential and logical.All links, buttons, form fields and other controls should work with a keyboard and the user should be able to read all content using the keyboard alone.

Include older people in your user research.

WCAG checklist1.2.1 Audio & Video-Only1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded)1.2.4 Captions Live1.2.5 Audio Descriptions1.4.4 Resize Text1.4.5 Images of Text1.4.10 Reflow1.4.12 Text Spacing2.1.1 Keyboard2.4.3 Focus Order2.4.5 Multiple Ways	StatisticsAn estimated 22.7% (54.4 million) adults have arthritis. Arthritis prevalence increased with age.After age 65, people have a steep increase in disability with over 59% experiencing loss of hearing, vision and/or dexterity.

Mary has dyslexia, dyscalculia and colour blindness.

| Mary | "My spelling’s bad and forms take me ages to fill in, I also struggle with maths. I have to get things right to run my business ... the software I use helps me a lot."Mary lives in the US with her family. She runs a successful small business making and selling cakes.She has been colour blind since birth and was diagnosed with dyslexia and dyscalculia when she was 12. | | --- | --- || Day to day with my disabilityDyslexia means I have difficulty processing and remembering information which I see and hear.Dyscalculia means I have difficulty understanding numbers and I am quite slow to perform calculations. I struggle to do mental arithmetic or remember maths facts and procedures.Tasks which involve reading or writing can be tricky - I avoid writing on paper as much as possible as my handwriting and spelling are poor. I can experience visual stress effect when reading, especially if there is a glare from black print or bright white background. This can make the words unclear, distorted or appear to move.Colour blindness means I see colours differently to most people. I am red-green colour blind and cannot tell the difference between red and green at all. Additionally, I am unable to distinguish some shades of orange, yellow, and green all appear yellow. Most colours appear less bright. | Technology I useI use specialist dyslexia software which reads out documents and web pages, and helps me read and spell.I prefer audiobooks over paper books.I adjust the screen contrast and use coloured filters.I use spell checkers and predictive text.I use a calculator to help me perform maths calculations. | | --- | --- |

How can we help Mary

Obstacles	What we can do
Too much information is hard for my brain to process and remember.	Breaking information into smaller chunks with logical headings.Use short, simple sentences.
It can take time for me to complete some tasks such as filling in forms.	Allow save and return on forms and ensure timeouts are reasonable.
Text can appear to run together and be hard to read.	Use unformatted text in general and bold text for emphasis only.Use sentence case and left align text, without justification.
I cannot see colour correctly.	Do not rely on colour alone to convey functional meaning. Use labels to explain functionality and asterisks and labelled icons to indicate mandatory fields.
Being colour blind means that I see even lower contrast.	Make sure there is enough contrast between the text and the background.Ensure that controls such as buttons, mouse hover and when an item is in focus has sufficient contrast.
I can struggle to find the information I am looking for.	Use a consistent structure and navigation. Put components in the same order on each page.
When I enter information and it's not accepted I struggle to figure out what is wrong	Describe what’s wrong with data and how to fix it.

Remember to include people with dyslexia, dyscalculia and colour blindness in your user research.

WCAG checklist1.4.1 Use of Colour1.4.3 Contrast1.4.11 Non Text Contrast3.2.3 Consistent Navigation3.3.3 Error Suggestion	StatisticsGlobally, its estimated that between 5-10% of the population experience dyslexia, which equates to around 700 million people worldwide. Dyslexia is genetic so it runs in families.1 in 20 people have dyscalculia.1 in 12 men have colour blindness and 1 in 200 women.

David has cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

| David | "I've tried many different keyboards and joysticks over the years looking for the right interaction but have found the iPad works best for me."David lives in the UK with his family. He works as a bookkeeper for an accountancy company.He was diagnosed with cerebral palsy from 18 months old and in his teens was diagnosed with co-occurring epilepsy. | | --- | --- || Day to day with my disabilityCerebral palsy affects my muscle control and movement and I have limited use of my hands. I also have difficulty speaking clearly.I also have spasms (where I shake) which are often triggered by my emotions or fatigue. I struggle to walk long distances so use a motorized wheelchair when out and about.Instant messaging and social media are great as I find text a more comfortable way to communicate than speech. Epilepsy causes me to have seizures, they are mostly under control with medication but I have to be careful of triggers such as stress, feeling tired and some video games. | Technology I useI use an iPad as I find touchscreen easier. I have this mounted in landscape orientation so I do not have to hold it or move it.I struggle to use a mouse but when I have to use a keyboard I find sticky keys helpful.I sometimes use Augmented & Alternative Communication (AAC) with speech generator. | | --- | --- |

How can we help David

Obstacles	What we can do	Further reading
I use my iPad in landscape mode but sometimes the app restricts me to only view it in portrait mode.	Allow David to choose the app or website orientation
I struggle to be accurate and sometimes take the wrong action by mistake.	Make buttons and touch points large enough, with space between them to be tapped easily.Let David cancel the operation if he initiates a touch event by accident.
I use an iPad so all content should be available by touch and gestures.	Allow all content can be controlled correctly by touch and gestures.
Due to my poor muscle control I can sometimes accidentally activate sensors such as shake to undo.	Let David switch off sensor features.
My seizures can be triggered by content that flashes at certain frequencies for more than a few flashes.	Follow flash thresholds.	Designing With Reduced Motion For Motion Sensitivities - Article by Smashing Magazine
It can take time for me to complete some tasks such as filling in forms.	Allow save and return on forms and ensure timeouts are reasonable.
I have difficulty speaking clearly so prefer communicating online.	Let David specify how he wants to be contacted or let him contact you for help.

Include people with physical disabilities (such as cerebral palsy) in your research.

WCAG checklist1.3.4 Orientation2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold2.5.1 Pointer Gestures2.5.2 Pointer Cancellation2.5.3 Label in Name2.5.4 Motion Actuation	StatisticsApproximately 18 million people of all ages have cerebral palsy worldwide.Over 600,000 people in the UK have epilepsy. That’s about one in every 100 people. There are around 60 million people with epilepsy in the world.

Accessibility personas

What are accessibility personas and how can I use them?

Some ideas of how you could use accessibility personas in your team:

Limitations and considerations while using the personas in your team:

More reading

Ayesha is blind.

How can we help Ayesha

More reading

Anne has autism and ADHD.

How can we help Anne

More reading

Manuel is older and has multiple conditions.

(arthritis, hard of hearing and sight deterioration)

How can we help Manuel

More reading

Mary has dyslexia, dyscalculia and colour blindness.

How can we help Mary

More reading

David has cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

How can we help David

More reading