Accessible authentication: dyslexia and password strategies

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reveal the lived experiences of dyslexics in engaging with all kinds of alphanumeric authentication mechanisms. Design/methodology/approach A significant proportion of the world’s population experiences some degree of dyslexia, which can lead to spelling, processing, sequencing and retention difficulties. Passwords, being essentially sequences of alphanumeric characters, make it likely that dyslexics will struggle with these, even more so than the rest of the population. Here, this study explores the difficulties people with dyslexia face, their general experiences with passwords, the coping strategies they use and the advice they can provide to developers and others who struggle with passwords. This paper collects empirical data through semi-structured interviews with 13 participants. Thematic analysis was used to provide an in-depth view of each participant’s experience. Findings The main contribution of this paper is to provide evidence related to the inaccessibility dimensions of passwords as an authentication mechanism, especially for dyslexics and to recommend a solution direction. Research limitations/implications There is a possible volunteer bias, as this study is dealing with self-reported data including historical and reflective elements and this paper is seeking information only from those with self-declared or diagnosed dyslexia. Furthermore, many expressed interest or curiosity in the relationship between dyslexia and password difficulties, for some a motivation for their participation. Finally, given that the participants told us that dyslexics might hide, it is possible that the experiences of those who do hide are different from those who chose to speak to us and thus were not hiding. Originality/value A few authors have written about the difficulties dyslexics face when it comes to passwords, but no one has asked dyslexics to tell them about their experiences. This paper fills that gap.

“As Usual, I Needed Assistance of a Seeing Person”: Experiences and Challenges of People with Disabilities and Authentication Methods

“…The majority stem from usability issues -such as compatibility problems with assistive technologies (P7), lack of contrast on the smartphone keyboards (P12, P13), non-readable password fields (P1, P10), or solving CAPTCHAs in the enrolment or authentication process (P5, P8, P9) -that have also been identified by other research, e.g., [20], [61]. These also have an effect on security, e.g., similar to people with dyslexia [22], [39], [52], [57] P1, with learning difficulties, finds it hard to create and remember secure passwords, so they reduce the length of the passwords and choose family names or a date of birth as a password to be able to memorize it easily. Such adaptations commonly come at the cost of security, as shown in P1's experience:…”

“…Cognitive Impairments. Recently, researchers started to look more closely at the needs of people with cognitive impairments, such as dyslexia [22], [32], [39], [52], [57]. Hayes et al [32], Renaud et al [57], and Ophoff et al [52] found that difficulties occur in entering passwords, memorizing patterns, PINs, tokens, and identifying objects in pictures (CAPTCHAs).…”

“…Recently, researchers started to look more closely at the needs of people with cognitive impairments, such as dyslexia [22], [32], [39], [52], [57]. Hayes et al [32], Renaud et al [57], and Ophoff et al [52] found that difficulties occur in entering passwords, memorizing patterns, PINs, tokens, and identifying objects in pictures (CAPTCHAs). Participants help themselves with password managers that are fast and easy to use, as they automatically achieve the requirements of passwords, such as minimum length or upper and lower case.…”

Accessible and Inclusive Cyber Security: A Nuanced and Complex Challenge

“…Many older adults experience a measure of cognitive decline [ 56 ]. For example, dyslexia impacts at least 10% of the population, and impacts cyber security behaviours [ 54 , 76 ]. Users with other limitations, such as those with Down syndrome, need more time than other users to carry out tasks [ 52 ].…”

“…This option requires the user to read and correctly transfer the number to the device they are logging in on. These codes expire within seconds/minutes so even a slight delay caused by age-related slowness might invalidate them, which will eventually lock the user out of their account [ 76 ]. (2) approval of a login attempt via a 2FA app .…”