Accessibility: It’s not just for the disabled

When you hear the word “accessibility,” what comes to mind? Wheelchair ramps? Screen readers? That one annoying designer who uses it as a knockout argument against your brilliant idea? While some of these are perfectly legitimate arguments for accessible design, they often do not paint the whole picture.

by Lilo Hohenberger

What is accessibility anyway?

Definition: Accessible /əkˈsɛsɪbl/ (adjective) – (of a place) able to be reached or entered.

In general, accessibility describes the quality of something being reachable to a person. Things high up on the kitchen cupboards may not be accessible to a person under 160 cm without an accessibility device (e.g. a stepladder or your trusty tall friend). My personal diary, which I keep hidden in my apartment, is inaccessible to someone who doesn’t know its hiding place (thank God!).

In design speak, accessibility mostly refers to the AA and AAA guidelines. These are guidelines published as part of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) that help designers and developers make websites and applications usable to everyone. At their core, the AA guidelines stand for these points:

Text must have enough contrast with the background so it’s easy to read.
Links and buttons should be large enough to be easily clicked.
Web pages should work with screen readers.
Videos should have captions or transcripts.
Images should have alternative descriptive texts behind them.

Now that we’ve covered the basics, we can move on to the fun part; why / how do these guidelines benefit every User, regardless of ability, in their daily interactions with the world.

“But why would a disabled person use my site?”

Although designing to accommodate wheelchair users, the hard of hearing, or the visually impaired is reason enough to prioritize inclusivity, it is often not the main focus of individual projects. Explaining to a vignette seller why they need to bring the contrast on their website up to accessibility standards quickly becomes frustrating when they stick to their argument that “blind people don’t drive anyway…”

Apart from the fact that it is not up to us to decide whether blind people can use our service or not: This is not just about blind people. Every single person will be temporarily handicapped in some way in their lives. If you’ve ever tried to use your phone on a sunny day and the glare on the screen made it hard to read, you’ve already benefited from accessibility contrast standards.

They are the reason you can still check on your emails whilst suntanning on the beach. On days when last night’s pounding headache makes it impossible to catch up on your emails, you can use the screen reader to read them for you.

Have you ever tried to watch a video in a crowded, noisy room? Or watched a movie in a foreign language? Subtitles are your best friend. The fact that they are so widely available to us in every single video we watch is thanks to meticulous legislation to ensure accessibility guidelines across all media.

Of course, this can be extended to other, more physical concepts. Wheelchair ramps? Great if you’re using a wheelchair, great if you’re using a stroller, especially great if you’re an annoying kid like I was who would scream if anyone tried to take away their Bobby Car. Speaking of strollers, if you’ve ever tried to open a heavy door whilst simultaneously trying to push that darn thing into the building, you have probably been infinitely grateful for automatic and wide doorways. Yep, there is legislation for the size of those doors.

Anyway, you get the point. For many clients, however, this is not enough from a business perspective. The cost of retroactively implementing accessibility guidelines into a website is often high, which makes the concerns about revenue quite understandable.

Accessibility: How it can actually make you money

More customers, more revenue

Imagine having 57% of computer users find your website or app easier to navigate just because you followed accessibility guidelines. A UK study (Williams / Brownlow, 2020) showed 71% of disabled users will leave a site that isn’t accessible, which means you’re missing out on a huge audience. According to a report from 2024 (Statistik Austria, 2024), around 1,9 million people in Austria between the ages of 15 and 89 live with restrictions in their everyday life, many of whom could benefit from better design practices. And it’s not just about helping people; it’s about bringing more customers to your platform. An accessible site means fewer people leaving in frustration and potentially thousands in extra revenue.

Save costs by designing smartly

Accessibility isn’t expensive if you start early. Sure, changing a website retroactively can cost a lot, but building accessibility into your project from the beginning saves time, money, and headaches. And yes, it even helps you avoid lawsuits like the six million Dollars Target had to pay for excluding blind users. Accessible design isn’t just ethical— it’s an insurance policy!

Innovation through inclusion

Accessibility fuels creativity. Companies that prioritize inclusion have seen increased productivity and diversity. Giving employees tools to succeed, no matter their abilities, leads to fresh perspectives and new ideas. Plus, accessibility boosts your brand image — think of it as social responsibility that pays off in goodwill and market trust.

In the end, accessibility isn’t just for the disabled — it’s for all of us. It’s about making your product better for everyone, from the mom juggling a stroller to the over-caffeinated employee trying to read emails in glaring sunlight. Accessible design isn’t just a checklist; it’s a way to future-proof your work and build something that lasts.

Sources: