Nearly 11 million people in America have cognitive impairments which can affect language, learning, memory, awareness and decision-making. Mental retardation, traumatic brain injury, some learning disabilities and Alzheimer's disease are just a few examples of cognitive disabilities. The following hints offer ideas of how to achieve that access for people with cognitive disabilities. Becoming accessible to everyone is a win-win outcome. Employers gain the benefit of having diversity of skills, abilities, perceptions, and experiences within their labor pools.
Government agencies gain the same benefits from such diversity.
And businesses who accommodate differences among people increase their customer and markets. The ADA makes possible the dream of real community participation for all citizens with disabilities. Those features of any environment which require good reading, writing, money, communication or decision-making skills can pose barriers to people with cognitive disabilities. For example, reading a complex menu, being rushed to place an order at a fast food restaurant, or finding an item in a large department store may be difficult tasks for someone with a cognitive disability. A child care center policy requires that children be toilet trained to be admitted to its program.