Accessibility: An Opportunity to Innovate
Summary
Many organizations struggle with justifying and prioritizing accessibility. One of the primary reasons is because they’re thinking about accessibility all wrong. Instead of a checklist, a list of legal requirements, or a set of shackles holding designers and developers back, it’s time to start thinking of accessibility as what it is: an opportunity to innovate! In this presentation, Fable will draw from our expertise helping organizations like yours start the accessibility journey, to change the way you think about disability, assistive technology, and accessibility. We will demonstrate that accessible products are more flexible, customizable, and useful for all users. We’ll also show you how accessibility is directly tied to the creation of many of the most exciting and innovative technologies of the last 50 years, and how it’s changed the entire world for everyone. This presentation will inspire you with the information and ideas you need to accelerate your accessibility journey.
Key Insights
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Features like dark mode and voice assistants started as accessibility tools but are now mainstream innovations.
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Disability includes permanent, temporary, and situational states, all requiring accessible design.
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Accessible design benefits everyone, including future selves as we age and face new challenges.
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Diverse teams build products that better address a wide range of user needs.
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Accessibility should be integrated early in design to avoid costly retrofitting.
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Compliance checklists alone lead to bare minimum solutions, while inclusive design focuses on great experiences.
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Myths about inaccessible new design paradigms have historically been proven wrong through flexibility.
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Innovation often arises from solving edge cases, exemplified by accessible features becoming broadly useful.
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Involving people with disabilities in product testing and design unlocks unique insights and usability.
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Cultural and linguistic diversity in teams and design research is key to truly inclusive products.
Notable Quotes
"Nothing about us without us."
"When you design for the edges you get the middle for free."
"Accessibility is a process, not a project."
"Disability is a normal part of the human experience."
"If we create inaccessible products, we are locking out our future selves."
"Accessibility requires flexible designs, not limited or simplified designs."
"The electric toothbrush started as an accessibility solution but became better for everyone."
"Diverse teams create diverse products because we each only understand our own needs."
"Compliance is a framework, not just a checklist to tick off."
"Including people with disabilities from day one builds a strong accessible foundation."
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