In this post, I want to dispel some common myths about accessibility and disabilities. You may have heard some of these statements before!
Myth | Reality |
| Disabilities are visible and it is easy to tell if someone is disabled or not. | An estimated 10% or more of people with disabilities have “invisible” disabilities. Not every disabled person uses a wheelchair, cane, or other assistive device. For example, most cognitive disabilities are “invisible” to others. |
| Accessibility is difficult and expensive. | The cost and effort of accessibility is reasonable when compared to the cost of alternatives (lawsuits, negative publicity, etc.) and having an accessible product can help reach a wider audience, leading to greater adoption. |
| My product doesn’t have disabled users. | An estimated 15-20% of people worldwide, or over 1 billion people, are disabled in some way. All users can benefit from an accessible product. |
| Accessibility is a quick, short-term project. | Accessibility should be an ongoing requirement throughout any project and must be considered at every step of the process. |
| Only a small minority of people benefit from accessibility. | Accessibility features benefit not only disabled people, but also people with temporary or situational impairments. Anyone can acquire a disability at any time. People with disabilities are the largest and fastest growing minority group, with an estimated up to 20% of people worldwide and 25% or more people in the United States. |
| Accessibility should be considered at the end of a project. | Designing for accessibility is much easier than retrofitting for accessibility. A last-minute approach usually results in a poor user experience. Delaying accessibility can cause legal liability. |
Feel free to contact me if you have other myths about accessibility and disabilities you’d like me to investigate and add to this post.