Accessibility isn’t just something to throw at your site to appease some nameless, faceless accessibility lobby: it is something that helps people, all people.
Here are some sample scripts you can use when coming up against this pushback:
Scenario 1:
Prioritizing accessibility sends a positive message to customers and stakeholders that the business values inclusivity and accessibility. This can enhance the brand image and reputation of the company, leading to increased customer loyalty and positive word-of-mouth marketing. Also, putting your money where your mouth is is important; it can be embarrassing if your company is celebrating Disability Awareness Day with an inaccessible site, or sharing an epilepsy awareness campaign image with flashing gifs.\xa0
Increased customer base
As an SEO, developer, or consultant, it may seem like it’s not your lane to advocate for accessibility: but it is all our responsibility to make sure accessibility is a priority.\xa0
This doesn’t only allow people with visual disabilities to play the game, but creates new ways for people without disabilities to interact with that world, and makes it an all-around better game for having that conversation.
Another way to ensure ongoing accessibility is to stay up-to-date with accessibility standards and guidelines, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). These guidelines provide a framework for creating accessible digital products and services, and staying compliant with them can help ensure that businesses are meeting legal requirements and creating a more inclusive environment for all customers.
Now, I do want to be careful here: I think there’s a temptation, when talking about accessibility, to frame it entirely about how it benefits everyone, your business, etc. And those are all fair assessments! But I want to be explicit here: You should have an accessible website because it benefits disabled people. Disabled people deserve to have a web experience that is as robust and enjoyable as everyone else.\xa0
\xa0Getting your organization on board with digital accessibility
By prioritizing accessibility, businesses can create a more inclusive environment that welcomes all customers, regardless of their abilities.
You don’t want your organization to get sued! Many countries have laws and regulations that require businesses to provide accessible products or websites.\xa0 By ensuring accessibility, businesses can avoid legal penalties and potential lawsuits and ensure compliance with legal requirements.
Cost savings
Investing in accessibility early on can lead to cost savings for your business in the long run. By building accessibility into products and services from the start, businesses can avoid costly retrofitting later on. In addition, accessible design can reduce user support costs and improve product quality, resulting in cost savings over time. It is harder to make an inaccessible site than it is to make an accessible one. Fancy new sites with tons of JavaScript may look pretty, but they can introduce all sorts of issues for people who use screenreaders or who need other accessibility needs. A plaintext HTML site is accessible from the get-go: keep it that way!
Accessibility advocate: “While your products and services may not be specifically targeted at people with disabilities, it’s important to consider the needs of all customers. By prioritizing accessibility, you can create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all customers, which can enhance your brand reputation and customer loyalty. And, while you may not think your products aren’t targeted at people with disabilities, you’re ignoring that people may shop for gifts for friends and family, have a temporary disability, or even have needs for the product you don’t know.”
\xa0Final thoughts — advocating for digital accessibility
That’s a lot of frickin’ people!\xa0
Accessibility is not just a moral and ethical imperative, but also a smart business decision. Prioritizing accessibility can increase customer loyalty, enhance brand reputation, tap into a growing customer base, improve usability, and provide cost savings in the long run. It is important to keep in mind that accessibility benefits everyone, not just people with disabilities. By designing products and services with accessibility in mind, businesses can create new and innovative solutions that can benefit a wider range of users.
When I was first getting into SEO, I was working in admin and ordering supplies for nurses. The site we ordered these supplies from was supposed to ship directly to the customer. These were explicitly supplies for disabled people, but the website was completely inaccessible. You could not use the website with a screen reader; you had to use a mouse, and you couldn’t even increase the font size. This meant their primary customers could not easily use their site.
Facebook has been around for 20 years. Google has been around for almost a quarter century. There are people who are using sites who started using them when they were in their forties and are now in their sixties. What does this mean? It means people who used to access these sites without any disabilities are now growing older and frankly are becoming disabled.\xa0
According to the World Health Organization, 1.3 billion people worldwide experience significant disabilities. This represents 16% of the world’s population or 1 in 6 of us. And this number doesn’t include people with temporary disabilities, people who are living with disabilities without a diagnosis, or people who are impacted by situational disabilities.\xa0Business owner: “I don’t think accessibility is relevant to our business. Our products aren’t targeted at people with disabilities.”
Accessibility advocate: “While your website may meet some accessibility standards, there may be areas where it can be improved. Accessibility is not just a legal requirement, but also a moral and ethical responsibility. By prioritizing accessibility, you can create a more inclusive and equitable society, and enhance your brand reputation and customer loyalty. In addition, by improving accessibility, you can improve SEO, which can lead to increased web traffic and visibility.”
Scenario 4:
\xa0Dealing with pushback to accessibility initiatives
Finally: a lot of people in the web space are painfully aware of how frail the human body can be. Many tech CEOs have some sort of immortality on their bucket lists, and in a more run-of-the-mill sense, you have the recent proliferation of wearables, supplements, health optimization apps, and so on. We are really, painfully aware of how frail the human body is. Part of the reason for this obsession is because, on some level, we are aware that the world is awful for disabled people to navigate, and awful to disabled people.\xa0But as we age, we will all become disabled at some point: not just temporarily, but permanently. If you don’t care about other people — if you won’t make the world more accessible for them — make it more accessible for yourself. Tomorrow you could be unable to use the product you make today. So make it accessible today.
\xa0The less common arguments for prioritizing accessibility from a business standpoint
Some businesses may resist prioritizing accessibility due to concerns about cost, time, or complexity. While you may be tempted to let accessibility fall by the wayside, it is not a good idea. You should address these concerns by highlighting the long-term benefits of accessibility, such as increased customer loyalty and positive brand reputation, as well as potential cost savings from avoiding costly retrofits later on. Emphasize that accessibility is not just a legal requirement but also a moral and ethical responsibility to ensure equal access to all customers.