A few days ago, I was reading through a group email exchange centered on a person who was frantically trying to purchase presale tickets online. He was blind and needed help getting past the application designed to prove that he was a human and not a robot. Members of the online community responded to his plea with suggestions to troubleshoot the problem. Even a representative from the company that created the application chimed-in and tried to help. But nothing worked. The tickets sold out.
Now admittedly, I’ve gotten bent out of shape over a slow Internet connection on a flight (I know, not my proudest moment). So I can only imagine the frustration of trying to perform the simple task of completing an online purchase at home without success. And as if being denied this basic access wasn’t bad enough, no presale tickets were available by telephone. The guy was totally out of luck.
This is just one of the countless examples of challenges that some of the approximately 56.7 million Americans with disabilities experience when trying to access information and communications technology (ICT). Although not everyone who lives with a disability faces these types of issues, a lot do. More than 8 million Americans have limited or no vision. An estimated 7.6 million Americans are Deaf or hard of hearing. About 20 million people have difficulty lifting or grasping. And about 10.6 million adults have a condition that limits mental or cognitive functioning. This means that electronic content needs to account for folks who rely on transcripts, captions, screen magnifiers, screen readers, navigational assistance, alternatives to mouse and keyboard access, simpler language, and other supports in order to be inclusive. Overlooking such needs can create barriers for people with disabilities and lead to technological pessimism, even for the most advanced users.
And this issue goes beyond the 56.7 million people living with a disability today. Access barriers can have a huge impact on those aging into disability—especially those who aren’t ready to retire at age 62 and need to use ICT as part of their everyday job function.
When my grandmother, who was born in 1917, aged into disability, her need for access to ICT was limited to a remote control. She loved to watch her ball games on television, but lived too early to get hooked on online content. My 74-year old mother, on the other hand, is a different story. Although retired, she can usually be found tethered to her smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Like many of her peers, my mom depends on these devices to access online content and to use apps that make her life easier. She has a pretty good grasp on reality and knows that she may experience reduced function as she gets older. She’s also aware that her devices have built-in accessibility features. Like everything else she needs an answer for, I suspect she’ll just Google “How to…” if she needs to figure out how to activate any of the access features. Despite this outlook, my mom will still be at the mercy of accessible online content and apps should she age into disability.
The opportunities and expectations that come with using technology have encouraged people to become more tech-nimble, regardless of disability or age. Gone are the days where we can live with blinking numbers on a VCR. Consumers now have the confidence to confront the technology that permeates our society. If you can’t figure out how to work a Smart TV after a bit of fiddling, the answer is probably just a click or phone call away. There’s almost always a solution. But access barriers to technology take this power away from many people with disabilities by creating situations for which there are no practical solutions. Inaccessible technology puts this population at a severe disadvantage throughout so many facets of life--when applying for jobs, shopping, taking classes, and engaging in a host of other activities online. And in many instances, inaccessible online content conflicts with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Although the U.S. Department of Justice has not yet released rulemaking addressing Internet regulations related to Title II of the ADA (which speaks to local and state public entities) and Title III of the ADA (which addresses public accommodations like stores, hotels, and restaurants), the Department has entered into numerous settlement agreements that offer guidance on meeting the letter and spirit of the ADA when it comes to online content.
So given the need for accessible technology products and services, why do the barriers exist? Well, many technology companies actually do have people that consider access by following Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 and other guidelines to create products that can be used by people with disabilities. Many tech companies also engage this population in user experience (UX) research. But unless such practices are ingrained both corporate-and industry-wide, access barriers will persist. Even technology that is developed, tested, and marketed as accessible can be vulnerable to third-party integration errors. Another reason that many people with disabilities experience barriers to technology, one that many don’t realize but is incredibly significant, is that the tech industry doesn’t understand this population as well as it needs to. Sure, inclusive UX research offers insight on how people with disabilities perform a specific task. But with the disability voice underrepresented throughout the technology industry, the lived experiences of people with disabilities remain overlooked.
What can be done?
Educating engineers on guidelines like WCAG 2.0 and UX researchers on inclusive methodologies is critical to promoting technology that is responsive to people with disabilities (see Teach Access to learn more). But equally as important, the technology industry must get a better handle of the needs, experiences, and interests of people with disabilities when engaging with technology products and services--and when they don’t. This means including more people with disabilities in the workforce today, and preparing more people with disabilities to enter the workforce in the future. It also means more research. Not just research directed toward technology, but more research that focuses on people with disabilities to understand how and why they use, and don’t use, technology products and services.
Back in 2003, Microsoft commissioned a two-part study to measure the current and potential U.S. market of accessible technology and to understand how accessible technology is used. Although the report was limited to working-aged individuals, it revealed what we know to be true today--the technology industry should acknowledge the growth in the accessible technology market and respond to this need by making accessible technology easier to find and use by all computer users. Technology has evolved over the past 10+ years. Unfortunately, research hasn’t kept pace with this evolution. The technology industry should invest in more research involving people with disabilities to understand the diverse needs, experiences, and adoption of technology among this population. Given the progress that must be made in this area, the tech industry should also develop outlets for knowledge sharing to help build capacity of the field as a whole.
The technology industry has been fairly predictable when it comes to accessibility. New tech companies enter the market, and in an effort to offer the most innovative products or services, they often create unintentional access barriers. Once discovered, surprise, embarrassment, backpedaling, PR specialists, and even lawyers quickly follow. This is a systemic failure that requires a systemic solution. As someone who can freely access most ICT, I love the fact that the technology industry continues to offer solutions to everyday inconveniences, like buying tickets online without the hassle of waiting in line. But before the industry advances too far, it’s important that it pause and establish real solutions—solutions that engage people with disabilities--to ensure that “innovation” does not interfere with equitable access for all.
