I want to ask you a question.
How often do you think about accessibility when building your product?
Well Zain, actually we are building a platform that will increase access.
I love it! Now how is a blind person going to use it? How is a quadriplegic person going to use it?
This is where it falls apart. The answer should not be “well their caregiver of course.” I will be honest and say that I am part of the problem. I like to think that I am an inclusive person but I, just like the rest of the world, only think of these things when I am confronted by them, and that makes me sad.
So it’s time to fix this!
The first step is understanding the problem. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 61 million people in the United States live with a disability. That equates to 26% of the population. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates over a 1 billion people live with a disability. Those are pretty staggering numbers.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed on July 26, 1990. The purpose of this bill was to make America more accessible to people with disabilities. It mandated making buildings more accessible and protection from discrimination during employment to name a few.
Why is design so bad and stagnant?
There is this insightful article I found while researching this topic. It is an interview with multiple design experts and their thoughts on designing for disabilities. There was one quote that really stuck out to me.
One reason that disability has not been more thoroughly integrated into design education is that it is not usually formulated as an exciting challenge. The need to adhere to standards and “check boxes” can instill a sense of somber rectitude that stifles creative thinking about how to provide meaningful access.
I found this part of the article very interesting. I believe there is a need for regulations because we as humans need rules and boundaries to follow. The amount of regulations that's a debate for another time.
This really answers why we see so many innovations everywhere but we don't really see it in accessibility. The advent of speech to text or text to speech wasn't created with disabilities in mind they were created to make the average person's life a little easier.
Digital Products
This isn't a newsletter about architecture. So how can we make our applications more accessible?
There is an amazing article written by Bianca Toledo where she discusses just that topic! Below is one of her infographics illustrating things to consider when designing for people with physical and motor disabilities.
I am not going to go over more because you really should read her article where she does a great job systematically going through multiple disabilities and how to design for them.
Some other things we can do is use existing technology. I recently found out that some hearing aids have Bluetooth! So instead of yelling at those who are heard of hearing, we could create a system where we utilize that. I mean this really could be used anywhere.
We need to start getting creative. Not just think of this as a box to check. Don't just create an ugly accessibility mode. Make your product accessible and pleasing to the eye from the beginning!
We should not be segregating people with disabilities we should be integrating accessibility in every part of our life. So that no one has to think about this anymore.
The best way to achieve any of this is working closely with people that live with these conditions and ask how they would design the solution. Because they will know best!
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I hope you have a great day!