Being Deaf is not necessarily considered an impairment or disability by members of the Deaf community. English is often a second language with New Zealand Sign Language being their first language. In NZ we have about 22,000 people who are NZSL users, half of which state that NZSL is their first language.
Hearing impairment also affects up to 35% of men over 65 in New Zealand, often work related. Temporary or situational hearing impairments might be working in a noisy environment, having an ear infection or trying to watch that YouTube video while at work.
Because technology relies heavily on sound to communicate information, the Deaf and hearing impaired can be blocked from accessing information if it is only auditory. The impact of having auditory access needs includes requiring auditory content in written format, having clear and concise language.
People with vestibular issues can become nauseous from too much animation and movement on a screen. This is caused by a problem in the vestibular or inner ear system. These are typically the people who experienced motion sickness and had to sit up front on long bus or car rides. The impact of having vestibular access needs includes ensuing that animations can be turned off and that the design supports the interface when it is turned off.
"Access Advisors is a pan-disability digital accessibility consultancy. Our mission is to help New Zealand become more digitally inclusive. Access Advisors was initiated by Blind Low Vision NZ (BLVNZ) in July 2017. Making products and services more accessible will make it easier for people with access needs to do the things others take for granted. Access Advisors wants to help so that disabled people can enjoy the same opportunities as everyone else."