Today, digital technologies like websites, mobile apps, and software play vital roles in all facets of life—from education and employment to healthcare, banking, shopping, and staying connected. When these technologies are inaccessible to people with disabilities, it means they face significant barriers to independence, opportunity, and participation.
“Over 1 billion people worldwide have a visual, hearing, motor, or cognitive disability or impairment that affects their ability to use standard digital products.”
Over 1 billion people worldwide have a visual, hearing, motor, or cognitive disability or impairment that affects their ability to use standard digital products, according to the GAAD website.
Some common accessibility barriers include:
- Lack of captions/transcripts for videos, which impacts deaf/hard of hearing users
- Websites with low color contrast that are difficult to read
- No compatibility with screen readers, which makes it inaccessible to blind or visually impaired users
- Lack of keyboard accessibility for those unable to use a mouse
- Confusing, inconsistent navigation, which is a challenge for those with cognitive disabilities
Global Accessibility Awareness Day was started in 2012, and the GAAD Foundation was established in 2021. Its mission is to “disrupt the culture of technology and digital product development to include accessibility as a core requirement.”
Ideas from GAAD to turn awareness into action include:
- Watching a disability awareness video, such as this short disability sensitivity video (audio described version).
- Read about disability language, such as in this style guide.
- Incorporate what you’ve learned into your daily life, which will lead to further steps down the road.
See other ideas on how to participate.
You can also get involved by advocating for accessibility within your company, auditing your digital platforms for accessibility issues, incorporating inclusive design principles into your product roadmaps, and, most importantly, listening to and involving people with disabilities throughout your processes.
