Accessibility is too often seen as a chore. But there are many reasons to be excited about making things usable for everyone.<\/p>\n
I know it’s clich\u00e9, but helping people does<\/em> feel good. Making your website work with screen-readers is not the same as volunteering your time to read for the blind and dyslexic<\/a>. But it still helps…<\/p>\n More cynically, accessibility means your work reaches more people<\/strong>. Even if it’s just an extra 0.6%, it still feels good to know<\/em> you are having a bigger impact.<\/p>\n As Keith Lang points out<\/a>, “we are all impaired to some amount (or sometimes)”. Everyone is “deaf” in a library, because they can’t use speakers there. Similarly, if you try showing a video on your phone to a dozen people, many of them will be “blind”, because they can’t see the tiny screen.<\/p>\n Consequently, accessibility means designing for everyone<\/em>, not just a disabled super-minority.<\/p>\n Usability improves when accessibility is improved. For example, a bus announcing stops with speakers and<\/em> signs means you can keep listening to your iPod, or looking at your book, and still catch your stop. It makes buses easier to ride.<\/p>\n Maximally accessible design engages multiple senses. Done well that means a more powerful experience.<\/p>\n The flip-side of accessibility improving usability is that bad design is hard to make accessible. How easy it is to make something comply with accessibility guidelines<\/a> is a test of the soundness of the design<\/strong>.<\/p>\n I don’t care about accessibility. Because when Web design is practiced as a craft, and not a consolation, accessibility comes for free.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n —Jeffrey Veen<\/a><\/p>\n Accessibility compliance should<\/em> be like running a spellcheck — something quick and easy that catches mistakes. When it’s not, it’s a warning that something is fundamentally wrong. That’s never fun, but the sooner a mistake is caught, the cheaper it is to correct it.<\/p>\n Accessibility might be the best “excuse” you’ll ever get to do fundamental<\/em> UX research.<\/p>\n I think for people who are interested in user interface disability research is another area that gets you out of the Mcluhan fishbowl(??) and into a context where you have to go back to first principles and re-examine things<\/strong>. So I think the future there is very bright but we need more people working on it.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\nWe Are All Impaired<\/h3>\n
Accessible Design is Better Design<\/h3>\n
Early Warning<\/h3>\n
Challenge the Establishment<\/h3>\n