Digital accessibility for ageing

The practice of designing digital technologies that remain usable as people experience age-related changes in vision (presbyopia, contrast sensitivity loss, cataracts), hearing (presbycusis), motor control (reduced dexterity, tremor), cognition (slower processing, working memory decline, mild cognitive impairment), and comfort with technology. Ageing is not a disability, but age-related functional changes overlap significantly with disability categories addressed by accessibility standards. The W3C's Web Accessibility for Older Users guidance notes that WCAG compliance addresses many age-related needs including larger text, sufficient contrast, keyboard accessibility, and simple navigation. With populations ageing globally, designing for age-related accessibility benefits a rapidly growing user base and reinforces the principle that accessibility is a continuum rather than a binary.