Digital Accessibility Can Make a Lasting Difference for People with Disabilities
By Rick Hoel
Published March 4, 2021
There are an estimated one billion people in the world who experience disability in some form. That is 15% of the global population with a greater prevalence of disability appearing in developing nations. The coronavirus pandemic has brought a new awareness of this issue as everyone has now been forced into situations where restricted access curtails the ability to fully participate in daily activity, circumstances people with disabilities have dealt without throughout their lives. This greater attention creates a moment in time when significant change may be possible. Alternatively, if the disabled community is not included in new remote initiatives, people with disabilities may be left further behind.
Our daily lives are already increasingly dependent upon digital access. The short-term limitations imposed by lack of access to websites and apps are readily apparent. Core daily activities – work, shopping, banking, entertainment – are made more difficult without widespread remote accessibility. The long-term positive impacts [...]