The increased reporting in Austrian media on the topic of accessibility around the turn of the year, and the way it was primarily interpreted, prompted me to give it some thought. Not all reported facts correspond to reality, or they have been presented one-sidedly or not entirely accurately in context.
What particularly stuck with me was a statement from a high-ranking representative of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKO), who said that "the economy was not clear" what accessibility was, namely where it begins and where it ends. It is far from me to comment on or refute this statement. I simply take it as inspiration for this article.
A 10 Year Review
Before I delve deeper into this, let us briefly go back ten years. On 1 January 2006, the Disability Equality Act came into force in Austria, whose regulations were intended to improve the social participation of people with disabilities. A 10 year transitional period was set for structural measures, which ended on 1 January 2016 and is the actual reason for this current reporting. Thus, the beginning of 2016 marks a small turning point, where it is advisable to pursue a holistic strategy in dealing with accessibility.
Accessibility as a Crosscutting Issue
It is understandable that, given these circumstances, there is generally a certain lack of clarity, especially if one has had little or no involvement with it so far. From a conservative perspective, the situation is complex at first glance and encompasses a crosscutting issue that is not immediately apparent. However, it can be broken down to make it more understandable.
Accessibility
The English term for Barrierefreiheit (accessibility) describes something very essential in its meaning, namely enabling access to facilitate general social participation: accessibility. And this means nothing less than ensuring a minimum level of comfort, so that every person can interact with their environment, move around, and use services or facilities independently and without encountering major difficulties.
Questioning Established Attitudes
A major hindrance to understanding this matter is the fact that the focus on accessibility is usually reduced only to people with disabilities, and the majority of people exclude themselves from this (forgetting that their own nature is not immune to change). This means that they do not feel addressed and do not take it seriously. And this is precisely where the real problems in the whole debate begin, leading to conceptual consequences and essentially forming the core of what generally manifests as media excitement.
The Purpose of Accessibility
What really matters often gets lost: a minimum comfort level that is also as barrier free as possible. And this comfort is nothing less than a certain balance, which only forms within the context of a specific environment (spatial, digital, or communicative), where the conditions are always different, and one should never think in a fixed schema. This means there is indeed a scope for design within the possibilities. However, this is not immediately apparent, as it is often quickly stated that it is not possible. The truth is that, due to habit, one's own inability to understand this topic often comes to light. For often, things that belong together and together create a certain experience (user, customer, and stakeholder experience), of which comfort is the basis, are separated. Detailed explanations and how accessibility, UX, and usability are related in this context have already been explained in this article.
Markets Are Conversations
In marketing language, we speak of lead generation, which means nothing more than attracting prospects and converting them into potential customers. It is precisely in this sense that incorporating accessibility measures should be seen. This brings us back to the economy. A lot of money is spent on measures to increase brand awareness or to offer quality to customers. However, accessibility is often not considered. And all this is simply because – as mentioned above – the focus is reduced to a specific and supposedly homogeneous group of people, completely forgetting how diverse and colourful human nature is. It is not just about a wheelchair user being able to enter a shop, but also about a mother with a pram having a certain level of comfort. The same applies to the web: it is about designing access so that conversations and interactions are possible, because markets are nothing else.
Bridging and Interface Function
It is a cardinal error to view people with disabilities as a homogeneous target group. They are as diverse as society as a whole. And all measures for accessibility are bridges or interfaces that bring artificially separated things back together. This can also include families where the grandmother is in a wheelchair, a child is deaf, and they go shopping together. What they all have in common is that they experience something together and can also act independently. For this to be possible, a certain framework is needed that can be designed. And if this is not available, then it is naturally a question of investment. And whoever does not invest in themselves will eventually be swallowed up by the market. The economy needs fair competitive conditions, there is no question. However, it stands in its own way if it does not see it as an opportunity to improve quality.
Opportunities for Businesses
Of course, there are situations where the challenge for businesses is enormous. Nevertheless, one cannot immediately question everything. Anyone who does that is actually questioning themselves, and people with disabilities and accessibility are nothing more than a projection surface for this. There is much to be said for staying objective here and looking at the possibilities and building on them. Every project is an opportunity, and how we accomplish it is always an individual story. Society, and indeed the economy, develops through experience, for they are the breeding ground for innovation.
Apple as a Pioneer
Apple proves that this works in the digital world. Few people know that accessibility is included in the devices they buy, even if certain things are not needed at all. But it creates a functioning digital ecosystem that as many people as possible can use. It is now undisputed what contribution this approach makes to the world. Accessibility increases the general user experience and ensures better consistency within the digital ecosystem. Nevertheless, it should be noted that there is still plenty to do. Apps or third party digital products are not yet predominantly accessible to everyone; even the web is not exempt from this. But it is steadily improving! The world will thank it through its diversity, leading to innovations that we cannot even imagine yet.
