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You probably do not understand accessibility
Let's talk about what accessibility is, what it isn't, and why you should learn to not be afraid of it
This article was originally written for the first issue of the Singapore Product Design’s digital magazine.
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Imagine that a massive concrete wall suddenly materialised between you and your favourite spot in town. There is no going around it or climbing over it: it is an impenetrable barrier, and you just happen to be on the wrong side of it.
In the real world, walls rarely appear by themselves, but their digital analogues get erected every day. From time to time, we throw a rope or a ladder to those stuck beyond the barrier, but while we do so, another wall gets built, taller and thicker than before. Eventually, we give up, turn around, and close our eyes, hoping that someday, all barriers will magically vanish, and unless someone commands us to tear them down, we stay firmly with our eyes shut.
We view accessibility as the horrifying process of demolishing barriers to no avail, an expensive battle against standards, requirements, and demands with no immediate results. We hope that in the future, when our hands and minds are free and our resources are plenty, we might get back to this challenging task. Until then, we offer nothing beyond thoughts and prayers.
This is because we do not understand accessibility.
Universal design’s biggest secret
Singapore is a fine example of a city that embraces the core principles of universal design. A home to 6 million people, it constantly renovates and rebuilds, offers new services, introduces new concepts — and with every upgrade and every facelift gets more accessible.
Universal design is meant to be invisible and convenient. We all enjoy riding a bike or pushing a trolley over a pram ramp instead of lifting them up onto the pavement. We like low-floor buses and spacious lifts that save us from climbing a flight of stairs. We appreciate large and easy to read street signs, visible from afar, and apparently, prefer watching films with closed captions on.
From a certain point of view, all of the above are examples of accessible design, if you choose to perceive accessibility is a set of standards that ensure access to products and services for people with disabilities. Technically speaking, you can view captions as a basic requirement that serves to remove barriers for a certain category of users.
Conceptually, however, accessibility is broader than a set of formalities, and more impactful than a bundle of technical improvements. Universal design as a philosophy stands for eliminating discrimination and “ensuring participation for all members of society”: it is not focused on removing barriers, but on not erecting them in the first place.
Universal design is a process of incorporating consideration for different users in different scenarios, a true user-centric approach to problem-solving, where people are not merely divided into categories of “able-bodied” and “disabled”. It expands the standards of accessible design, embraces diversity, and invites users to participate in creating welcoming and pleasant environments for everyone.
Universal design is good, and good design is universal.
Big tech and accessibility
In the real world, we have long stopped challenging the need for drop curbs or Braille, and learnt to appreciate flat surfaces and wide pavements.
At the same time, big (and moderately-sized) tech continues to fight the need for universal design, choosing to see it as a good-to-have afterthought that never gets addressed. Does it have anything to do with the lack of executives who openly identify as having a disability? Well, out of 753 submissions to the Disability Equality Index Report, only 11% of companies reported to have a person with disability serving as a member of the board, so the lack of representation is certainly a factor.
Regulation (or lack thereof) plays a role, too. While the potential to increase revenue may seem vague and far off to a board, a risk of being fined for neglecting the requirements is real, especially for companies that operate in the regions that enforce compliance. In 2025, the European Accessibility Act will take effect, ensuring that every service provider and platform owner complies with the standards of equal, barrier-free access.
But as we said, accessibility is not just about eliminating the barriers. Teams that see accessibility as formal and technical, do not understand it, thus, cannot design truly accessible products. Companies that are not encouraged to be inclusive in research and delivery will continue erecting walls. Engineers and designers who think solely of people with disabilities when the word “accessibility” is uttered, will continue neglecting a bulk of their current and prospective users.
Accessibility is about you
Thanks to the technological progress and the modern medicine (among other things), the world is getting older. The rapidly ageing population of the developed nations requires inclusive environments, reasonable adjustments, and accessible services to survive and contribute to the economy. The Internet is no longer a wild space for young enthusiasts: it is a digital realm, deeply integrated into the real world, and the user base is as diverse as the global population.
You, reading this text right now, may not have been around to witness the great monitor resolution war, where web masters would optimise their Internet pages for 800x600 or 1024x768 displays. In the golden age of Web 1.0, the proud owners of older monitors would have to endure a frustrating experience of “having to horizontally scroll around as well as vertically scroll”.
Somehow, we realised that discriminating users based on the hardware choices was not good for business. Our websites today work well on a range of devices: from large professional monitors to tiny smartphones. Why don’t we think of, say, screen reader experience the same way?
You, reading this text, will one day grow old (if you haven’t already). You will find yourself—an active, tech-savvy professional—setting, say, a slightly larger text size on your mobile phone. How frustrated would you then be if your favourite apps neglected your preference?
Accessible design is not a chore, nor is it a set of formal requirements or good-to-have improvements that are constantly deprioritised. It is an inclusive mindset, a design culture that embraces diversity, respects the user, and empowers them to stay active and do things their way.
It is a culture that encourages you to think about the present, where different people use your products and services in different ways, and the future, where even more users come on board, each with their own needs and requirements.
Accessibility is not about tearing down as many walls as you can for a small group of people. It is about choosing to not erect them in the first place.