5by5.tv hosts Jeffrey Zeldman’s “The Big Web Show”. Episode #55 from September 1st had on budding web designer Marissa Christina of abledis.com to talk about living with and trying to become a web designer with a vestibular disorder. The program went back on forth on what it is like, becoming a designer and what we as a community can do to make this hidden disability easier to live with while on the internet. I have extracted a few of the important things on building a better web for this group.
First off, you are probably wondering what a vestibular disorder is (I know I was). An excellent resource is the Vestibular Disorder Association and they have this to say:
The vestibular system includes the parts of the inner ear and brain that process sensory information involved with controlling balance and eye movements. If disease or injury damages these processing areas, vestibular disorders can result. Vestibular disorders can also result from or be worsened by genetic or environmental conditions, or occur for unknown reasons.
Vestibular disorders are issues with balance. According to Marissa, it is like being drunk all the time in that you are dizzy, have a loss of balance, and headaches. These family of diseases affect 1% of the population which is roughly 3 million people here in the United States. Currently there are no tools to simulate what it is like to have a vestibular disorder for web designers & developers.
Marissa says that when designing sites to avoid the following:
- Blinking and flashing elements (similar to designing for those with epilepsy)
- No loud noises
- No Flash animations or moving elements
- Avoid backgrounds that can cause optical illusions like checkerboards, swirling patterns or Las Vegas carpet style graphics
Update
Marissa was gracious enough to comment below and included some more accurate numbers from VEDA:
“Approximately four percent (almost eight million) of American adults report a chronic problem (lasting three months or longer) with balance, while an additional 1.1 percent (2.4 million) of American adults report a chronic problem with dizziness alone.”
This blog post is much appreciated! Thank you for desiring to spread the word about vestibular disorders. I headed back to the VEDA site to confirm the statistics I mentioned on the show. I suffer from a chronic vestibular condition and here are the stats for chronic vestibular conditions according to VEDA:
“Approximately four percent (almost eight million) of American adults report a chronic problem (lasting three months or longer) with balance, while an additional 1.1 percent (2.4 million) of American adults report a chronic problem with dizziness alone.”
Gregory, thank you so much! Have an awesome rest of the week.
Much love,
Marissa
@Marissa It’s my pleasure to help spread this. The internet should be an enabler for people who have restrictions in the past and only through learning from incredible people like you will we ever get technology to truly be equal. And thanks for the update in the numbers, I’ll make sure to include those above!
@Gregory You are the best! You totally have a special place in my heart.
Much love,
Marissa
I listened to The Big Web Show episode with Marissa. Her story is as unique as her upbeat and positive attitude towards her disorder. I was surprised how much enthusiasm and energy she showed throughout the interview!
I remember in the Fall of my Sophomore year of college I had a bout with vertigo. It was awful. I couldn’t sleep well. Couldn’t focus in class. I was a wreck. But it only lasted for about two months. When I heard she has been dealing with her vestibular disorder for six years, my hear sank. I couldn’t imagine dealing with those same equilibrium problems for so long. It must be torture. I’m glad you made a post on the interview. It seems that many designers and developers are gravitating to Marissa and her story. Hopefully she’ll get the help she needs and creates a second career in web design.
-Peter
@Peter Thanks for sharing your story. I am a headache sufferer myself, daily chronic headaches for about the last 8 years. About 2x a week these induce vertigo and it is tough. So I have a lot of appreciation for what you and Marissa have had to deal with.
@Peter,
Thank you for sharing your experience living with vertigo! I was blessed to get through college without this condition. I know there are those forced to leave college because it’s too difficult to handle vestibular issues and the demands of college. I am so glad to hear that you are vertigo free! That is so great!
Yes, this condition is torture. Yet, I have had a fair amount of time living with this condition. I recently made a decision not to allow this condition to take more from me than it already has. I realize there are still things I can control, like my attitude. I am going to write a blog post about perception not always being reality. Although I had energy and was upbeat, I was a mess for the next few days. It was worth it! I am so happy that everyone was able to feel my joy and elation. I realized after that interview just how important it is to contribute.
Thanks again for your kind words and for the willingness to share your story and thoughts!
Much love,
Marissa
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