Global Accessibility Awareness Day
Image Description: Me sitting at a wooden tabletop, wearing a black turtle neck, hair pushed to one side, looking down at my iPhone. Photography by Tishan Baldeo, February 2019.
There are over one billion people with some form of disability worldwide. ONE BILLION. And not all have proper digital access, meaning their user experience is subpar or excluded altogether in the online space. Tech is life-changing for us. It lowers barriers that we encounter in our daily lives, making it easier and comfortable to live an independent + fulfilling life.
Without tech, I don’t know where I’d be. Every day I’m so grateful I have all my senses, and can access a laptop with high-speed internet. Having the space for an online community and tools for self-expression is what keeps me alive as a disabled person; it allows me to feel “normal”, independent, and equal. I can contribute under equal conditions and truly show my value to others. I’m also able to rely on tech for my livelihood in empowering ways that built environments don’t allow for—I get to participate and enjoy a digital society without barriers.
Fortunately #inaccessibility is a design problem and we can work at it through compassion + design thinking. Although disabilities are on a spectrum with different support needs, we can start by remembering to consider others when we do or use something. You don’t have to be a #designer or #developer to start implementing changes. There are little things we can start putting into practice, such as using ALT text each time we post on IG, as this helps describe our image to ppl with visual impairments. Or choosing a sans serif font over a cursive one. Or capitalizing each word in a #hashtag. These seemingly small actions make a huge difference in people’s lives. I hope everyone can start thinking about making digital accessibility + inclusion for disabled people a priority. Speak with them and include them because tech is for every body.
#GAAD #BridgeTheDigitalGap #Inclusion #WebAccessibility #SoftwareAccessibility #MobileAccessibility #DeafBlindAwareness #DisabilityVisibility #AccessForAll #AODA #DisabilityTech #AdaptiveTechnology