Lately, life has reshaped the way we live, work, shop and interact. Quarantine and lock-downs are forcing us to adopt a digitally-dependent lifestyle which, for most of us, has been a fairly easy transition. Shopping, groceries and mundane errands can be done in a couple of snaps, easy peasy.
However, imagine what life would be like without access to the digital apps and services you’ve come to count on. No food delivery apps to summon your dinner, no technology to enable a virtual working day, and no social apps to connect you with friends and family.
This is what life could feel like for people with disabilities.
What many people don’t know is that most of the digital world is still inaccessible to too many. The sudden shift to digital life has amplified the disconnect, since most apps and websites aren’t built for people living with vision or mobility impairments. Especially now that many bricks and mortar locations are closed, people with impairments are cut off from a number of essential services. Of course, in a utopian world, inaccessibility lives in the past. In this pandemic called COVID we have learned that organizations have to adapt to a more accessible world and react faster than usual. The new normal!
Equal access to information and services shouldn’t be extra, it should be fundamental, with one out of every 5 individuals having some form of disability. So, hold on, what is digital accessibility?
Digital accessibility is the process of making digital products (websites, mobile apps and other digital tools and technologies) accessible to everyone. It is about providing all users access to the same information, regardless of the impairments they may have.
How can you attribute it to the new normal?
It’s not hard, and you’ll make millions of lives better by starting with these simple things you can do to make your business more accessible:
These are just some simple tips that you could begin with! “In Europe, 10-15% of the population are people with disabilities. That represents approximately 50 – 75 million people in the 27 EU member states. Source: EU Research
With today’s technology, you can easily break down this barrier, Begin now!