Designing for people

What if we focused on people with disabilities when thinking about designing for people? What if we didn't treat accessibility as a binary, but rather a continuum, where small steps forward count as progress? What if we integrated accessibility into current computer science and design education rather than treating it as a separate topic? What if there were no such thing as accessibility---only good design, and good practice? We are accessible user experience consultants for a US-based accessibility consultancy, The Paciello Group. We work with organizations across sectors, including Google, Pearson, Healthwise, and Stanford University, to improve product accessibility and integrate best practices into organizational culture and practice. This exposure to diverse products and practices has enabled us to see firsthand the challenges organizations face in achieving and sustaining accessibility. In the course of our work we have come to realize that the current approach to accessibility is not working. Accessibility is considered its own entity, assigned to one person or to a consultant to resolve. It is addressed at the end of the product lifecycle, when changes are difficult and costly to implement. People with disabilities are not included in user research activities and their perspective does not inform design decisions. At the same time, obligations around access to digital technologies for people with disabilities are becoming more defined, and organizations are struggling to retrofit existing products for compliance. All the while, web and software development practices are evolving and increasing in complexity to keep pace with technology change. It is no wonder that accessibility is seen as something burdensome that stifles creativity, disrupts project progress, and whose benefits are experienced by only a small number of people. Yet we also know that inclusivity has wide-reaching benefits. We know that including people with disabilities, in our homes, schools, and communities, benefits everyone. We know that addressing the needs of people with disabilities through design results in environments, products, and services that work better for everyone. We know that the attention to detail and structural integrity required for digital accessibility leads to more stable and sustainable technologies. We must change how we approach accessibility and take advantage of the benefits of inclusivity. It's time we turn the tables on current approaches to accessibility and make accessibility simply designing for people. In our talk we will share our views on how Accessible User Experience (AUX) can help us transition from Accessibility and User Experience as separate disciplines to where including people with disabilities is done as a matter of course, as a fundamental aspect of design and development activities. To get there we must inspire and encourage change in the way digital products and services are conceived of, designed, and implemented. We must influence how digital content creators and consumers understand how technology supports the diverse needs of people. Underlying these efforts must be a shared understanding that access to digital products and services is a fundamental human right. From that starting point we can take responsibility for ensuring that our creative use of technology as an innovation---as a means to provide information and services---provides inclusion rather than exclusion for people with disabilities. Academia and industry share responsibility in achieving these milestones. We look forward to engaging with conference delegates to discuss how we can work together to make accessibility a given in any technology project.