Accessibility is a key component of inclusion. Without accessibility, some people may feel excluded. Accessibility brings benefits to businesses, for example leading to increased innovation and productivity, an increase in the customer base and new opportunities to discover talent. On top of all this, ensuring accessibility is ethical and the right thing to do.
Innovation growth
A number of innovations that many people use on a daily basis have been originally thought and designed as products and services targeting people with disabilities. For example, text-to-speech, which is now a built-in feature on smartphones, has been designed to make it easier for people with vision problems. Audiobooks and the subtitling of videos in the same language as spoken are also among these innovations. The electric toothbrush was designed for people with limited mobility, and the technology eventually proved superior to previous models of toothbrushes and became widespread.
Customer base growth
Brands that improve the customer experience through efforts to improve accessibility create a sense of proximity and understanding of consumer issues, thereby reaching a wider audience.
In 2017, American company Tommy Hilfiger launched its Adaptive Fashion line to provide fashion apparel that aims to make dressing easier through special designs. The move expands their customer base to people living with a permanent disability as well as those with a temporary disability such as a broken arm or leg, for example.
More talent
Making the workplace accessible, both physically and digitally, leads to more opportunities for new and motivated talent, for whom this wasn’t available before, to join the team. The different physical abilities represented in the teams are part of an effort towards diversity that has significant economic benefits. Numerous studies of leading organizations have shown that diverse organizations perform better, have higher employee satisfaction, have better financial returns, and are more innovative than companies that have performed worst in terms of diversity. In addition, companies where diversity is clearly communicated are more attractive as an employer brand.
Companies benefit from accessibility in a number of ways, including greater productivity and creativity, a larger customer base, and new opportunities to find talent.
