Disabilities when using apps
It is more difficult for people with disabilities to use apps. It is important that you know what a disability is, what disabilities there are and how they affect apps.
What is a disability?
A disability means that there are skills or senses that cannot be used optimally. Some disabilities are permanent, such as being blind or deaf. Other disabilities are temporary, such as a broken finger. In addition, there are situational disabilities. When you are in a silence compartment, it is not desirable to talk or play sound.
For example, offer subtitles to videos so that deaf people can understand the content.
Provide the option scale text so that older people can read the content.
Make your app easy to understand by making actions as simple as possible.
Make sure people with spasms can control the app via a keyboard.
Provide an alternative to voice control for those who find it difficult.
Allow blind people to operate the app through the screen reader.
What disabilities are there?
We focus on disabilities that make it more difficult to use apps. We have divided them into six groups:
How many Dutch people have a disability?
There is no combined data about how many Dutch people have a disability. In the table below, we have combined data from multiple sources. We have calculated averages for the percentages and amount on the basis of the available data. Percentages are rounded to two significant figures, numbers are rounded to thousands. We have assumed there are 17.4 million Dutch citizens.
Amount of Dutch people with an impairment which effect the usage of apps.
Percentages and sources
| Disability | Percentage | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impairments due to aging | 19,5% | 3.400.000 | Centraal Bureau Statistiek (2020) |
| Low literate | 14,7% | 2.500.000 | Stichting Lezen en Schrijven (2016) |
| Hearing impairment | 4,5% | 767.000 | Stichting Hoormij (2019) |
| Color blind | 4,4% | 742.000 | Oogvereniging (2020) |
| Dyslexia | 4,0% | 680.000 | Regionaal Instituut Dyslexie (2017) |
| ADHD | 2,6% | 442.000 | RIVM (2010) |
| Slight mental handicap | 2,2% | 370.000 | RIVM (2019) |
| Dementia | 1,5% | 262.000 | RIVM (2019) |
| Rheumatism | 1,5% | 259.000 | RIVM (2019) |
| Visual impairment | 1,3% | 222.000 | Oogvereniging (2020) |
| Stuttering | 1,1% | 188.000 | Gezondheidsplein (2019) |
| Autism | 1,0% | 170.000 | Nederlands Jeugdinstituut (2018) |
| Blind | 0,44% | 76.000 | Oogvereniging (2020) |
| Severe intellectual disability | 70.000 | RIVM (2019) | |
| Parkinson's disease | 0,31% | 53.000 | RIVM (2019) |
| Deaf | 0,26% | 45.000 | Stichting Hoormij (2019) |
| Multiple Sclerose (MS) | 0,15% | 25.000 | Nationaal MS Fonds (2020) |
Overview of percentage and amount of Dutch people with a disability.
Permanent, temporary and situational disabilities
