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tl;dr

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• Table of Contents

🪄 The curb cut effect

The curb cut effect is the idea that accessibility features designed for one group can benefit a wider population. It is named after curb cuts, originally designed for wheelchair users but now used by many people (e.g., skateboarders, parents with strollers, etc.).

Closed captioning is also an example of the curb cut effect. According to a Vox poll, subtitles are used by 57% of viewers who do not have hearing impairments.

⭐ Importance of accessibility

1️⃣ Accessibility affects around more than a billion people

• 16% of the world’s population (around 1.3 billion people) have disabilities (WHO)
• 1 in 4 people in the US (over 70 million people) report having disabilities in 2022 (CDC)

2️⃣ The population is aging

• With the rising number of people over 60, age-related accessibility needs are becoming more prevalent.
  • Vision — higher contrast, difficulties with perception, etc.
  • Physical activity — reduced dexterity and fine motor control
  • Hearing — difficulty hearing high-pitched sounds or speech when combined with background audio
  • Cognitive ability — short-term memory, difficulty concentrating, etc.

3️⃣ Digital accessibility provides business benefits

• Digital accessibility improves user experience and brand reputation, and can lead to the following benefits:
  • Increase in market reach and mobile traffic
  • Increased loyalty and conversions — people with disabilities have a higher level of brand loyalty
  • Improved search engine optimization (SEO)
    • Google’s search engine algorithms rank websites with poor accessibility lower
    • Less traffic leads to less business, which leads to less revenue
• Lack of web accessibility has been considered discriminatory against people with disabilities, which have led to costly and brand-damaging lawsuits
  • Example: National federation of the Blind (NFB) v. Target Corporation
    • Target had to pay the NFB $170,000 for certification, give its web developers accessibility training, and pay additional damages

4️⃣ Accessibility reduces development costs in the long run

• Following standardized coding practices and adhering to accessibility guidelines reduces risk of costly rework

⚖️ Accessibility is required BY LAW

Many countries have laws and regulations that require websites and applications to follow accessibility guidelines. In addition, there are international standards for meeting WCAG guidelines.