The basics

The Digital Accessibility Revolution

Have you ever heard someone described as “wheelchair-bound”? That phrase implies the wheelchair limits the person, when in fact it does the opposite: it enables mobility. A wheelchair is not the problem; it’s part of the solution. People who use wheelchairs are “wheelchair-enabled.”

This distinction isn’t just political correctness. It’s an accurate way to understand how assistive technologies work.

The Web Is Part of the Solution, Not the Source of the Problem

The same misunderstanding sometimes happens with digital accessibility. When first learning about accessibility, some developers initially see the web as a barrier, when it is actually a powerful enabler. The web and other digital technologies are an important part of the solution, not limitations. Here are some ways in which the web creates access.

Using the web and a screen reader, blind people can now access news, blogs, social media, and other online content independently. A few decades ago, this wasn’t possible. Blind people often relied on friends, family, or paid workers for assistance. Even if they had help, they were dependent.

Independence matters. It can be the difference between a life of limited freedom and one where a person can access information on their own terms. The web offers a level of independence and freedom that is unprecedented.

Now imagine you have quadriplegia. Going to a store isn’t just a quick errand. It starts with coordinating personal care and transfers, arranging transportation that can safely accommodate your wheelchair, and planning for barriers you may encounter when you arrive, from entrances and layouts to restrooms and payment.

Even when everything works, each step takes time, energy, and coordination that have nothing to do with shopping itself, and the entire process has to be repeated to get home. Ordering online removes many of those hidden steps at once. What’s routine for most people (choosing an item and completing a purchase) can happen without the layers of preparation, logistics, and uncertainty that in-person shopping often requires.

Accessibility Matters

You may come across the term “print disabilities.” While it isn’t widely used in everyday language, it appears in copyright and accessibility laws. The term refers to conditions that make it difficult or impossible to read standard printed text.

For example, without assistive technology or human assistance (such as braille labels or tactile signage), blind people may not be able to access information found in:

  • Signs on buildings
  • Product packaging (like medication labels)
  • Business cards
  • Postal mail
  • Other printed materials

Printed materials are everywhere, so print disabilities can be a big problem.

How Do Blind People Read Newspapers?

Blind people generally cannot access standard printed materials without an alternative format. Historically, newspapers and similar content have been made accessible in several ways:

  • A friend or family member reads the content aloud.
  • Audio recordings are produced and distributed.
  • Braille editions are embossed and circulated.
  • Radio or television news provides coverage of similar topics.

While each of these approaches can improve access, they also have limitations:

  • Access depends on another person’s availability.
  • Audio recordings may not exist for specific articles or interests.
  • Production delays can make information outdated.
  • Braille editions are expensive to produce and distribute.
  • Many blind people do not read braille.
  • Broadcast coverage may omit stories or lack the depth of the original reporting.

Importantly, all of the above methods depend on other people.

Accessibility focuses on allowing people independent access and freedom.

Digital Text and Screen Readers Solve the Problem

As text moved into digital formats, assistive technologies such as screen readers made it possible for blind people to access written content independently.

A screen reader is software that reads what’s on the screen out loud and lets someone move through content using the keyboard instead of a mouse. It also makes it possible to navigate websites and apps using headings, links, and other structural cues.

Today, many blind users can access a wide range of information online without relying on others. When digital content is designed accessibly, it can remove many of the barriers associated with print and provide faster access to information.

…But Only If the Content Is Accessible

But none of this matters if digital content isn’t accessible.

For many people with disabilities, that is still the reality. The technology to provide access clearly exists, but a large amount of digital content is created without accessibility in mind. As a result, people who are blind and people with other disabilities are often excluded.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Assistive Technologies

Some people use tools and devices to make everyday tasks easier or to access the world more independently. When these are designed specifically for people with disabilities, they’re called assistive technologies. A common example everyone knows is a wheelchair.

Another common assistive technology is the hearing aid.

Blind people frequently use canes as assistive technologies.

Assistive Technologies All Around Us

Have you ever used an assistive technology? You might think of wheelchairs, screen readers, or hearing aids, tools specifically designed for people with disabilities. But even if you don’t consider yourself to have a disability, you might use assistive technologies in everyday life.

For example, if your vision isn’t perfect, like for most people, you might wear glasses or contact lenses.

Those are assistive technologies too, helping you navigate the world more easily.

Glasses and contacts are so common that most people think of them as “regular objects” rather than as assistive technologies. Vision can vary widely, and while minor differences may not feel limiting, uncorrected vision can qualify as a disability.

Assistive Technologies and the Web

People have created technologies that help people with disabilities access computers and the internet. Without getting into too much detail just yet, here are a few examples.

Disability Assistive Technologies

Blindness
  • Screen readers
  • Refreshable braille devices
Low Vision
  • Screen magnifiers
  • Screen readers
Color Blindness
  • Color enhancement overlays or glasses
Deafness
  • Captions
  • Transcripts
Motor/Mobility Disabilities
  • Head wand
  • Mouth stick
  • Alternative keyboards
  • Eye gaze tracking
  • Voice activation
Cognitive Disabilities
  • Screen readers
  • Screen overlays
  • Augmentative communication aids

Assistive Technologies Don’t Solve Everything

It’s important to remember that assistive technologies don’t completely eliminate the challenges of a disability. In many ways, they work like wheelchairs do in the physical world: they make access possible, but the environment itself still matters.

Just as a wheelchair user can be limited by stairs or narrow doorways, someone using web-based assistive technologies can be limited by poorly designed websites or apps. Assistive technologies are incredibly valuable, but their effectiveness depends on designers and developers creating digital environments with accessibility in mind.

Our Diverse Abilities

Roughly 1 in every 5 people (about 20%) has a disability of some kind. You yourself might have one. Disabilities are quite common, and they always have been. They are a normal part of the human experience.

Recognizable Disabilities

Some disabilities are immediately visible, while others are not. In some cases, people are well known both for their work and for having a visible disability. For example, Stevie Wonder is a renowned R&B musician who is blind. Because blindness often affects how a person navigates their surroundings or interacts with others, it can be noticeable in everyday interactions, making it an example of a visible disability.

Christopher Reeve was widely known as an actor before a horse-riding accident left him paralyzed from the neck down. This is another example of a visible disability, one that is readily apparent in many social or public settings.

Another example of a visible disability is being born without arms or legs. Nick Vujicic, who was born without arms or legs, is an evangelist, motivational speaker, and author.

Nick is also a swimmer and a surfer.

Or you may recognize Kyle Maynard, an author, speaker, and athlete who was born without hands or feet. He won 36 varsity wrestling matches during his senior year in high school and was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2005.

In 2012, Kyle became the first person without limbs and without using prosthetics to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Here he is training in Colorado.
Kyle Maynard climbing a mountain

Hidden Disabilities

Other disabilities are not always immediately obvious. For example, how would you know if the stranger reading a book across from you at the airport is deaf?

How would you know if the person driving ahead of you on the highway has bipolar disorder?

How would you know if the person next to you in the check-out line at the grocery store has epilepsy?

You can’t know. Many disabilities are hidden until circumstances arise that would reveal them.

Temporary Disabilities

Sometimes disabilities are temporary, like when an injury or surgery reduces a person’s mobility.

Many of us, if we are lucky enough to live to an old age, will experience one or more types of disabilities related to the aging process. As we get older, we tend to lose our sight, hearing, mobility, and cognition.

Our abilities diminish, and that too is normal. It’s part of what it means to be human.

Disabilities on the Web

Not all disabilities impact a person’s ability to use the web. For instance, a person with paralysis in the legs, or without legs, can usually use a computer effectively. Disabilities that most commonly affect web access involve the eyes, ears, hands, or cognitive functioning.