Accessibility has always been at the forefront of innovation. In fact, many of the tools we use today were originally developed to overcome a specific barrier for people with disabilities.
- Speech to text software, which is used in products like Apple Siri, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, was originally developed to help people with hearing impairments.
- Gesture typing, a feature on Apple and Android mobile devices, was originally created to make typing easier for people with repetitive-strain injuries to their arms.
- Even audiobooks were originally recorded on vinyl records to allow blind people to enjoy listening to books.
Innovation is oriented towards the betterment of a group in a way that extends their reach, improves efficiency, and fosters connection. With accessibility, innovation removes barriers that used to exclude people from our communities or places of business. That’s an exciting prospect, and I’m humbled to play a small role in pushing that goal forward.
Innovation happens by identifying a real, felt problem and working towards a solution that minimizes the impact of that problem or makes it irrelevant. It’s not uncommon for the solution to feel like a superpower for those that have suffered with the problem it addresses.
If innovation is a core value for your business, accessibility should be a part of your strategy. It’s not just about WCAG compliance, it’s about helping more individuals to experience what you offer and creating connection.
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