Try Walking In Someone Else's Shoes

Access By the Numbers

If you think that you do not know anyone with a disability, it is more likely that the people around you have invisible disabilities. Invisible disabilities are physical, mental, or neurological conditions that can limit or challenge a person’s movements, senses, or activities, and can impact that person’s ability to learn or work, which is why, in the past, I have opted to keep my disability hidden. Failure to implement universal access means businesses are missing out on a quarter of their own employees and the audience you intend to reach.

Chart displaying the percent of adults that use the Internet in the USA.

According to Pew Research, as of 2021, "93% of American adults use the Internet". The CDC estimates that, "1 in 4 adults in the United States have some sort of disability".

Where to Begin

A great place to begin is on the W3C.org website, but as I started digging into the content, I found the amount of information overwhelming. So to start, let's talk about the four principles that the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are arranged, also know by the acronym POUR.

• Perceivable - Information can be presented in different ways; for example, in braille, different text sizes, text-to-speech, or symbols, etc.

• Operable - Functionality can be used in different modalities; for example, keyboard, mouse, sip-and-puff, speech input, touch, etc.

• Understandable - Information and functionality is understandable; for example consistent navigation, simple language, etc.

• Robust - Content can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of browsers, media players, and assistive technologies.

In the following blog series I will begin looking at content design from a beginners viewpoint in the following order: Understandable, Perceivable, Robust, and then Operable. If you are looking to begin your journey into creating accessible user experiences, I hope this blog series will expand your design toolbox to make universal instructional design the rule rather than the exception.