Unexpected audio, repeated alerts, blinking elements, and interface movement can make digital participation difficult for people with sensory accessibility needs. Useful controls let users choose how a website, device, or application behaves and keep those preferences during ordinary use.
Choose options with the person who needs them. These are discussion ideas to adapt, not requirements to apply as a package.
Audio controls that users can choose
Consider settings to disable autoplay and previews, turn off interface sounds, and adjust alerts. Separate controls for different features can be useful when a person wants to keep one kind of sound while stopping another. Offer a usable text or visual alternative to necessary audio information.
Motion, blinking, and visual alerts
Options to reduce nonessential animation, blinking cursors, flashing alerts, or repetitive movement can matter alongside audio settings. Needs differ between people. A visual alert may be useful to one person and unwanted by another, so replacing every sound with a flashing signal is not a universal solution.
Meetings and online participation
Discuss captions, transcripts, written instructions, chat, and accessible microphone and camera controls. Clarify which participation methods suit the activity. If muting a microphone or turning off a camera is agreed, explain how the person can still receive information and contribute.
Predictable settings
Make controls easy to find and explain what they change. Remember preferences where feasible, and check whether they remain effective after sign-in, restart, or an update. A setting that works on the home screen may not cover an embedded video, advertisement, or meeting window.
How SAT-I connects this work
The Sensory Accessible Technology Initiative (SAT-I) is an IMF initiative addressing sensory barriers in technology, including websites, software, interfaces, and hardware. It seeks practical improvements through user feedback, guidance, outreach, and engagement with technology organizations. Its focus includes user control over blinking and motion, unexpected audio, and notifications.
For companies, developers, and accessibility teams
Describe the exact feature, where it appears, what controls exist, and which change you want investigated. Include trade-offs such as essential alerts and different user preferences. Organizations can discuss participation with IMF through the existing SAT-I contact. Participation does not itself establish that a product meets an accessibility standard.
Read about SAT-I and participation. To discuss sensory accessibility work with IMF, contact shaylynn@misophoniafoundation.com.
Example request
“When I turn off interface sounds, the repeated alert in this feature still plays. Could you provide a persistent control for it and an optional text alternative? I need to keep access to essential messages.”
Planning checklist
- Identify the feature and where the barrier occurs.
- Record the available controls and what each actually changes.
- Check sound, motion, and notification preferences separately.
- Test whether preferences persist during normal use.
- Describe a specific request and the alternative access needed.
Further resources
Explore IMF’s free resources or browse the provider directory.
About these options
These ideas draw on the digital services, devices, and online participation section of IMF’s Misophonia Accessibility Input Survey. They are starting points for discussion, not findings from survey responses or a tested treatment protocol. Availability and procedures vary between providers and settings.
