Around one billion people or 15 percent of the world’s population experience some form of disability. Unfortunately, many disabled people still encounter obstacles in their lives even if there are already various movements, laws, and regulations that advocate for accessibility. As many of the daily activities transition to digital, disabled populations again face the possibility of being left behind.
Technology companies are trying to make great strides in improving their devices and applications to prevent this from happening. Recently, tech giant Google announced updates to Google Assistant to include more accessibility features. It now integrates with assistive technologies that can be used by people with limited mobility to interact with other smart devices better. Through these, it would be possible for disabled people to easily control their smart homes.
Other organizations and technology stakeholders, however, appear to lag behind in committing to similar efforts. The World Wide Web, for one, remains highly inaccessible. In its study of over 10 million web pages, web accessibility platform accessiBe found that only a very small fraction apply the necessary standards for websites to be usable to people with disabilities. This is despite the availability of solutions such as artificial intelligence-driven platforms that can help site owners audit and remediate their websites easily.
It is high time for companies and site owners to reevaluate their stance on accessibility. Not only are they depriving people of being able to enjoy the conveniences that the Web brings, but these organizations may also be missing out on growth opportunities to engage a sizable demographic.
1. Extending Market Reach
Companies may be missing out on a major market. In the US, households with disabled people account for spending power worth over $1 billion. But because of difficulties in accessing the Internet, around 23 percent of people with disabilities do not go online.
Supporting web accessibility can change this. Public radio broadcast The American Life’s website increased its search traffic by 6.86 percent after transcribing their entire archive of audio recordings, a way to help those with hearing impairments access information. Its unique visitors also increased by 4.18 percent. Companies can expect similar benefits by improving their sites’ accessibility.
2. Promoting Inclusion
Improving accessibility means integrating new features to websites. Sites can integrate special panels that would allow the visually impaired to tweak the site’s colors and content for better readability. Having improved navigability would also enable those that use special input devices to easily interact with such sites.
These may seem like mere quality-of-life features for most, but these are essential for people who live with disabilities. Having them available especially for popular and high traffic sites can help promote inclusion.
3. Avoiding Lawsuits
Ever since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, title iii) was interpreted to also apply to websites, various parties have been using the law to sue companies with inaccessible websites. There has been a steep rise in web accessibility lawsuits filed in federal court over the past years.
Dealing with such lawsuits can be costly and time consuming. Smaller enterprises may not even be able to absorb the financial impact and disruption that these cases can bring.
So, instead of having to deal with such issues, companies would do well to support web accessibility instead and become ADA compliant.
4. Keeping Pace with Developments
Considering how many large tech companies are already embracing accessibility, it may be beneficial for smaller ones to keep pace with such developments. It is possible that they may even start imposing accessibility as a requirement to thrive in their platform.
For example, responsive web design became an important trend as users shifted their web browsing to mobile devices. Eventually, responsive design became a factor in search rankings, forcing site owners to adapt or face the consequences. Something similar might just happen for accessibility.
5. Doing the Right Thing
Beyond the business benefits, supporting accessibility should be in every organization’s agenda just because it’s the right thing to do. As the Internet brings people closer, there is very little reason for a significant segment of the human population to be excluded from enjoying what it has to offer.
Companies should acknowledge that they too have a role to play in society and in making sure that their services are accessible to people with disabilities; this needs no other grand reason.
Creating a Universal Experience
Companies always boast of providing superior experiences to their customers, yet they can fall short providing even the most basic of experiences to people with disabilities. A positive attitude toward inclusion is becoming more prevalent these days. Companies should consider embracing it as well. Besides, the Internet and the Web are resources that all people should be able to access whether they live with a disability or not.
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