Expert Article Draft

Embracing Accessibility is The Key to Better Business

Inclusive design does more than improve quality of life for people with disabilities, it gives businesses an edge. How being at the forefront of inclusive design...Businesses need to... How companies are missing out?  ( help ) 

Social networking sites and cell phone applications have revolutionized our capacity for communication and have become crucial resources for many aspects of life: education, employment, government, health care, commerce, and more. This impact has increased in recent years, in part due to their role in the emerging sharing economy, "an evolving system in which people who own certain things, like homes or cars, rent them out to others when they are not using them". Apps like Uber and AirBnB have dramatically improved the ease and efficiency of daily life by giving us quick services at a fair price. But unfortunately these are falling short for a large portion of society.

Even with new and improved legislation increasing protection and anti-discrimination for people with disabilities, many of these apps do not have accessible features and it is costing them!

Accessibility refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both "direct access" (i.e. unassisted) and "indirect access" meaning compatibility with a person's assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). 

"Because Airbnb involves people renting out their private homes, the company lives in a sort of regulatory gray area. Homeowners in the United States who use Airbnb are not required to make their properties comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act, although they are prohibited from discriminating against people with disabilities and those who use service animals. A few years ago, Airbnb gave homeowners the option of describing their properties as wheelchair accessible. But in most cases homeowners who are able-bodied tend to believe “wheelchair accessible” means a wheelchair user can get through the front door — and that’s about it. This puts wheelchair users in the exhausting position of having to contact every Airbnb host who has listed a home as wheelchair friendly in their destination to ask questions about roll-in showers, doorway widths, ramps and other items, over and over again."

Fortunately, some smart entrepreneurs have realized the huge need for accessible accommodations around the world. Companies that are doing this:

Microsoft....
Apple....
Banking....

Our goal as a society should be to promote full and unrestricted participation in business and society by persons with disabilities through the use of electronic information technology that is universally accessible. Businesses benefit from this:

• Smart companies understand that many of their customers and employees have evident and hidden sensory, learning, and physical impairments.
• Ensuring that employees, customers and consumers can participate equally in society promotes independence and empowerment
• Providing employees with appropriate technology enhances productivity, improves morale and increases loyalty
• Removing barriers that prevent consumers from accessing products and services, through the use of accessible or assistive technology, ensures higher sales and increased revenue.

 To get an understanding as to how people use these tools online, and the potential issues and annoyances that occur online, when accessibility isn’t considered...believe that by discussing and championing accessibility, we can all become more mindful when designing, building and refactoring features in our digital products.