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Gareth S. shared thisGreat article from HENRY.Gareth S. shared thisI just published my first article on COGAI® | Cognitive Accessibility Institute®. It’s a beginner-friendly introduction to accessibility, what it means, the barriers people can face, and why accessibility should be considered from the start, not added as an afterthought. If you’re new to accessibility, this is a good place to begin. A big thank you to Gareth S. for his guidance and support on how to approach the article. You can read it here: https://lnkd.in/eiceX7YY I’d also love to hear your perspective: what was the first thing that made accessibility “click” for you?
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Gareth S. reposted thisGareth S. reposted thisWorkplace inclusion isn't about patching broken systems one doctor's note at a time. It's about adopting Universal Design as an operational standard, which means removing barriers before employees have to beg for them to be fixed, and creating a culture where sustainable performance is the default. Read my latest article over at COGAI® | Cognitive Accessibility Institute® here: https://lnkd.in/gckBrKeF #UniversalDesign #HumanResources #accommodations #ADA #accessibility #MakingWorkAccessible #AccessibilityAtWork
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Gareth S. shared thisCOGAI release A-26: The Emerging Attention Gap Digital environments and AI are changing the demands placed on human attention. A-26 examines the published evidence and asks what this means for cognitive accessibility, digital design and organisations. Read A-26: https://lnkd.in/ejfgveUY Feedback: Feedback will not be logged here on LinkedIn. Please use the COGAI contact page.
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Gareth S. shared thisCognitive accessibility cannot sit with one team. As accessibility evolves... I believe we need stronger connections between different forms of expertise, not more silos. I’ve shared some thoughts on where cognitive accessibility and COGAI currently fits into that wider picture. https://lnkd.in/erXqbxSq
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Gareth S. shared thisAs a neurodivergent person, I’ve experienced exclusion from an early age and sometimes it’s subtle. You contribute and receive silence, while those around you are acknowledged, responded to and included. I call this "selective non-engagement". I’ve written a short personal reflection on the uncertainty it creates for neurodivergent people, the cognitive load it can carry and why simply being invited to participate isn’t the same as being included. Full article here: https://lnkd.in/ea4vnBGQ
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Gareth S. shared thisWhen people struggle, we should examine the barriers created by our information, services and decisions... not assume the person is the problem.
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Gareth S. shared thisUpdate: COGAI has a new website address. As COGAI continues to develop, we’re making a small but important change to support where we’re heading. You can now find the Cognitive Accessibility Institute at cogainstitute.com. Our previous address coga.institute will continue to redirect automatically. Nothing else has changed, and existing accounts and services remain available as normal. Please update your bookmarks to cogainstitute.com.COGAI® | Cognitive Accessibility Capability and CertificationCOGAI® | Cognitive Accessibility Capability and Certification
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Gareth S. shared thisI’ve worked with Sabrina and can highly recommend her. If anyone in the Bay Area knows of an opportunity, please connect with her.Gareth S. shared thisHi everyone – I am looking for a new role in the Bay area and would appreciate your support. Thank you in advance for any connections, advice, or opportunities you can offer. #OpenToWork
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Gareth S. shared thisCongratulations HENRY ODUNSI Great to have you as part of the growing COGAI community. As AI adoption accelerates, the gap between AI accessibility and cognitive accessibility is becoming increasingly important. CAIS is designed to help professionals understand and address that gap.Gareth S. shared thisI’m happy to share that I’ve obtained a new certification: COGAI® CAIS (Cognitive AI Systems) from COGAI® | Cognitive Accessibility Institute®!
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Gareth S. reacted on thisOur nonprofit has a new look but the same great mission: we create free resources to help neurodivergent kids and adults thrive. I'm so glad Nancy and Fred Poses are sharing the story of why they started Understood.org. They had been searching for information and found chaos instead of clarity. I think we can all relate to that. My colleague Sarah Greenberg summed up my feelings about Understood when she said, "I hope that every family knows—amid the noise of chronic misinformation—that good support exists, that difference is something to celebrate, and that they are not alone. Onward, we go!" #neurodivergence #ADHD #dyslexiaGareth S. reacted on thisUnderstood.org may look different, but our mission is staying the same. More than 30 years ago, Nancy and Fred Poses were looking for clear answers and next steps to support their neurodivergent son, Max. Instead, the information they found was scattered and confusing. And they knew they weren’t the only family trying to make sense of it. Today, Understood reaches approximately 20 million people each year, including parents, educators, and individuals navigating neurodivergence. As our community has grown, so have its needs. And that means we have to keep growing, too. You may notice some changes: a refreshed look and language, expanded resources that serve more of our community, and better ways to find trustworthy information in an increasingly noisy world. What hasn’t changed and won’t: We’re a nonprofit. Our resources are expert-backed and free. And this work is personal to us. Whether you’ve been with us from the beginning or are finding us for the first time, we’re glad you’re here. Nancy and Fred share more on the story behind Understood, what’s been updated, and why this felt like the right moment:Reintroducing Understood.org: A letter from our founders, Nancy and Fred PosesReintroducing Understood.org: A letter from our founders, Nancy and Fred Poses
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Gareth S. liked thisGareth S. liked thisWhy is it that in an age of advanced technology I still can’t seem to just open my laptop and get straight to work? Here I am, writing a LinkedIn post on my phone using 4G because I’ve spent the last hour or so just trying to get started after a productive morning of meetings. WiFi won’t connect. Notes app won’t sync, so my second brain is offline. Device batteries are draining fast, and frankly so are mine. Problems of privilege, I know. I’ve been working hard to build more stability and resilience into my work routine. After travelling around Europe and the Balkans last year, where unfamiliar environments compounded such issues and constantly disrupted my flow, I really appreciated the stability and familiarity of being back on home turf. But days like today, where the friction of unnecessary hurdles make it difficult to just to get started, are a considerable knock to my momentum. At home, stuff tends to “just work” but it’s increasingly important for me to get out of the home office to focus and be amongst people. I find co-working spaces and cafes great for this – provided technology is working with you rather than against you! (Cue Jon Tan’s voice in my head, saying that I’m very good at messing with my technology until it breaks!) So, here’s an opportunity for some group tech therapy! 😆 What are your biggest tech gripes that cause unnecessary friction in your work? How do you reset when your technology decides to fight you? #RemoteWorking #Coworking
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Gareth S. liked thisHits the nail on the head 💯 Asking for written instructions and useful written and/or visual context can be a red flag that signals incompetence. It can single the asker out. It can lead to an erosion in trust. It provides a place to put the blame. It’s how the neurodivergent folk in a team can quickly become the scapegoats for the impacts of the naturally occurring systemic chaos we all work in. When a neurodivergent person asks for written instructions and context it is not to change or question anything, it is an act of survival.Gareth S. liked thisWhat if “professionalism” is sometimes just a familiar way of excluding neurodivergent people? A request for written instructions can be read as poor attention. A request for a different workflow can be read as entitlement. A request for an accommodation can be read as evidence of reduced competence. In each case, an access question becomes a character judgment. And once the problem is framed as effort, attitude, or professionalism, the environment no longer has to change. Because neutral is not neutral for everyone. I call this Recognition Resistance: the reluctance to let a recognized need revise an existing judgment, expectation, or arrangement. Awareness matters. But awareness is not access. My new article explores Recognition Resistance, Default Blindness, Compliance Resentment, the Accommodation Paradox, and what institutions must change for access to become reliable. What if the hardest part of inclusion is questioning the “normal” our institutions quietly treat as neutral?
Experience & Education
Publications
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Reframing Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria: A Theoretical Model of IFH (Inward-Facing Hyperfocus) in ADHD
Academia Edu
See publicationRejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) is commonly described as an acute emotional reaction to perceived rejection or criticism, particularly in individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). While often framed as emotional hypersensitivity, this paper proposes an alternative model: that RSD may stem from the cognitive phenomenon of hyperfocus a well-documented ADHD trait when directed inward toward ambiguous or unresolved social cues. This inward-facing hyperfocus traps the…
Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) is commonly described as an acute emotional reaction to perceived rejection or criticism, particularly in individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). While often framed as emotional hypersensitivity, this paper proposes an alternative model: that RSD may stem from the cognitive phenomenon of hyperfocus a well-documented ADHD trait when directed inward toward ambiguous or unresolved social cues. This inward-facing hyperfocus traps the individual in a cognitively demanding simulation loop, lacking the dopamine reinforcement typical of external task-based focus, and instead provoking stress responses. This paper outlines the neurocognitive mechanisms behind this phenomenon and offers a framework for understanding RSD as a problem-solving loop in the absence of actionable input. Implications for therapy, self-management, and further empirical research are discussed.
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NIL: A Neuroadaptive Framework for Understanding Imposter Syndrome in ADHD and Autism
Academia Edu
See publicationThis paper introduces NIL (Neuroadaptive Imposter Loop) a theoretical model that reinterprets Imposter Syndrome not as a personal failing, but as a neurologically adaptive response often seen in neurodivergent individuals, particularly those with ADHD and autism.
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Cognitive Saturation
Academia Edu
See publicationA Neurological Threshold Model for UX Performance and Accessibility
Organizations
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W3C
Invited Expert - Cognitive Accessibility Expert
- PresentW3C Member and Invited Expert in the COGA Task Force, I contribute to the future of WCAG with a focus on cognitive and neurological accessibility. https://www.w3.org/invited-experts/list/?initial=s#gslinn
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COGAI
Founder
- PresentCOGAI® supports cognitive accessibility as an organisational capability helping organisations evidence responsibility, governance, and readiness across regulation, ESG, and emerging standards. https://coga.institute/
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Ross Mullen
It was really good to be back presenting at Inclusive Design 24, on how voice interfaces can better support people with speech dysfluency. More diverse speech datasets are important, but recognising what someone says is only part of the experience. An interface needs to give people time to speak, let them correct misunderstandings and support changing input methods without starting again. These are interaction design and speech recognition challenges. We’ve developed seven principles for inclusive voice UX to help teams design for real speech, not just fluent speech. Understand some of the principles in our PDF guide, or watch the presentation for more on designing interactions that accommodate different ways of speaking. Read the guide: https://lnkd.in/gacs7miV Watch the presentation: https://lnkd.in/gcv6tiRh #a11y #accessibility #voiceUX
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