Accessibility Advocate Meenakshi Das On Why Digital Accessibility Is Essential For Any Business And How To Make The Process Less Intimidating

Meenakshi ‘Meena’ Das is a software engineer at Microsoft who is passionate about sharing her accessibility expertise through writing and speaking engagements. Her work centers around making technology accessible to users with disabilities. She is the founder of ‘Working with Disabilities’, a support group for disabled working professionals, which has over 3000 members. In recognition of her tech inclusion work, she was honored as a DO-IT Trailblazer by the University of Washington. She
serves as a member of the Accessibility Leadership Committee for the non-profit organization Disability:IN, and her work has been quoted and referenced by esteemed publications and media, such as Forbes, CNET, Salon and ABC News.

Meena has a unique understanding of both tech and disabilities. We sat down to chat with her about why digital accessibility is important for a business, as well as what steps can be taken to start the process.

What advice do you have for companies that are just getting started with digital accessibility?

The most important advice I would give them is not to think of accessibility first and foremost as something to increase profits. Yes, making your digital products and services accessible will certainly be beneficial to your business, as there are over a billion people with disabilities worldwide. In fact, according to a report by Accenture, “Among the companies in our study, the organizations most focused on disability engagement are growing sales 2.9x faster and profits 4.1x faster than their peers.”

However, this should not be the primary reason that you make your business accessible. Accessibility is a fundamental human right. People with disabilities deserve to have a seamless experience when interacting with products and services around them. The truth is that anyone can become disabled at any point in their life. Disabilities are sometimes permanent, but also sometimes temporary or situational. It’s important to know that while accessibility is an absolute necessity for some, it is also beneficial to everyone. Think about captions – while they are crucial for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, they benefit non-disabled people so much as well!

What are some actionable steps that companies can take to ensure their digital products are accessible?

One significant thing a company can do is to shift left in the design and development process. By “shift left” I mean that accessibility testing begins as early as possible and is not left to the very end. At the start of the design phase, companies should get feedback from people with disabilities on their prototypes. If it is a small company with little to no accessibility knowledge base, it is imperative to reach out to consulting agencies such as Knowbility, Equal Entry, Fable, etc, as they can provide advice on how to get started and also provide feedback on the product’s accessibility. Once product development is underway, it is also important to embed accessibility testing as things progress. For example, if it is a desktop or web product, a company can make use of automated accessibility testing tools, such as Microsoft’s Accessibility insights, to catch accessibility errors as soon as possible. However, automated testing is not where it ends! Once the product is ready, manual testing is also necessary – preferably with people with disabilities. Automated testing can only catch a fraction of accessibility issues, which is why manual testing is essential.

What is a major red flag when it comes to digital accessibility?

These days, there are various companies who want to offer quick solutions to web accessibility by using Artificial Intelligence. Some of them claim to offer accessibility compliance by simply adding a single line of code to your web application. These are known as overlays. Do not fall for their false promises! One line of code will NOT solve your accessibility issues; in fact, it might even make them worse. Check out this overlay fact sheet where people with disabilities have highlighted their concerns about such overlays. Companies who offer overlay solutions tend to think of accessibility as something that can be fixed without much effort. However, accessibility is not just a box to check off your list. It is a process that requires significant and intentional effort. It is so much more than just compliance.

What is the greatest myth you see when it comes to digital accessibility?

A huge misconception I see is that people assume that their audience is not disabled, so they don’t need to worry about it. It’s not that simple. More than 50% of disabilities are invisible and, for a variety of reasons, many do not even disclose that they have a disability. When a company does not make their products and services accessible, they are missing out on a big opportunity to help so many people. There is also a common perception that tackling accessibility is ‘hard’. To that I say, every part of product development is ‘hard’! So that’s really not an excuse. By following proper steps of including accessibility in every phase of development, accessibility can definitely become ‘less challenging and complicated’.

What is one digital accessibility battle you would like to see solved?

I’d love to see schools and colleges embed more accessibility into their curriculum. These days, a lot of the accessibility curriculum is just a chapter at the end of a computing course. However, it should really be embedded into lessons throughout the entire course. This should be done not only in computer science courses, but also in design and other related courses. Our future will only be more accessible if we educate the students of today. Teach Access is a great organization that has several initiatives geared towards increasing digital accessibility skills among students.

Accessibility does not have to be a daunting mountain for a company to climb. By recruiting experts like Meena, and turning to those who have disabilities for guidance, accessibility becomes another simple element of business development. And while those who are considered “able-bodied” may not think the issue is so widespread, it is clear that privilege is creating an oversight. The reality is that digital accessibility is a smart business strategy, and the future will be brightest for those who get on board.

Read More News :

Markets expecting FED hike

Gross direct tax collections rise 30% in 2022-23, net direct tax collections up 23%