Despite the fact that most people today use the term “disability” to refer to those with restricted or nonexistent abilities, it will be reduced to the same level as “handicapped” in the near future (in eyesight, speech, intellect, and so on). We are still not there as far as digital accessibility, despite substantial gains over the previous two decades. Views on disability are changing as more people become aware of the issues that disabled persons encounter, such as the need for digital equality.

Even though most people are oblivious to the concept of digital accessibility, business leaders, government officials, and attorneys are increasingly aware of the need to help individuals who require assistive technology make meaningful and productive use of technology.

As technology advances and becomes more widespread in our lives, the gap between people with and without disabilities is shrinking, and digital inclusion makes it simpler for everyone to utilize that technology. Although we cannot claim that personalized technology has solved all of a disabled person’s problems, it has made dealing with day-to-day concerns much easier. All or most disabilities may be eliminated one day as a result of scientific and technological advancements. However, there is still time to make arrangements for those who require them.

The Past

Modifying Symbols

Think about how blind people communicated, traveled, and bought items in the mid-twentieth century to understand how far technology has advanced in the past 50 years.

Braille items, computers, and cell phones were previously in short supply. We spoke through landlines, typed our work on enormous typewriters to create readable text, and had limited access to books, periodicals, and newspapers via mail-order blind libraries. Blind people couldn’t even read the soup cans or medication bottles since there were no Braille signs in the buildings. Even if they couldn’t see what was going on, they could hear it.

Alternative Transportation Modes

If you lived in a city with public transit, cabs were prohibitively costly. It was required to show proof of rail or aircraft travel. We needed navigational equipment or technology to help us figure out where we were. Navigating big interior spaces takes time, needing the use of professional orientation services or government aid.

Purchasing From Real Stores

Even if you had a job and the means to travel, receiving products or services required the aid of a business or store owner. This assistance was only given in exceptional circumstances. Despite their anxiety, some people can go shopping on their own. Shopping, on the other hand, takes longer for persons with impairments, and some may need help to avoid these environments completely.

Fortunately, technology has advanced significantly in the last 50 years! The examples below demonstrate how good, accessible technology and a few new ideas have aided us in a variety of ways 50 years later, increasing our freedom and propelling us farther up the equality ladder.

Present Day

Technology That Enhances Communication

Thanks to Zoom, we can now connect on a variety of devices, including mobile phones and computer workstations. We create reports utilizing word processors, emails, and text messages from any location with Wi-Fi or a mobile signal. Furthermore, we can now read almost any magazine, newspaper, or book that piques our interest. Cans, cartons, and packages are common sizes for prescription bottles and grocery store products.

Assistive technology improvements like screen readers, magnifiers, automatic captioning systems, and instant access to digital information have made this feasible. Because of the emergence of descriptive video services (DVS), we can now view any television show. Most buildings are required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to provide Braille markings on room signage and elevator controls.

Businesses may benefit from being more accessible online, thanks to software companies like QualityLogic. Its expert team could help develop methods and designs that allow the blind, deaf, and intellectually disabled to access goods and information. Access is a human right for them, and no one deserves to struggle. Over the previous 35 years, they have assisted in the creation of thousands of successful programs, so you can be confident that you will receive comparable assistance.

Making Travel Plans Is Easy

Many parts of the world now have safe train and plane travel, and ridesharing via a smartphone makes travel more convenient and doable. GPS has increased our freedom while also making driving and walking more convenient. We could employ augmented reality technology from applications like AIRA and Be My Eyes to provide real-time help from a sighted person to our iPhones, making it simpler to navigate unfamiliar places such as massive skyscrapers.

Online Shopping Is Increasingly Popular

In the last five years, the ability to have practically anything delivered right to your door has made it substantially easier to acquire the goods you want. We may now buy items and services that we would never see in a physical store and have them delivered to us. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic had a big impact on the food supply and how to obtain it.

Whatever changes are made, the situation is likely to improve. It will take a lot of work to make accessibility the norm (expectation). Because they lack critical accessibility components, PDFs and online forms may be inaccessible to people with disabilities. We’d be more willing to take trips if there were more places to go. While completing a transaction, some e-commerce businesses still require customer service. But only twenty years ago, life was far worse.

Accessibility Has Increased

We’ve gone a long way in terms of being able to perform everyday jobs that most people take for granted, thanks to all of these technological advancements. Despite the fact that technology has permitted tremendous development, humans have also worked tirelessly to make the bulk of people’s lives simpler. You may have heard someone say, “One person’s comfort is another person’s access.” This is true- think about how convenient it is for people to have food delivered to them from places where it was once impossible.

As technology progresses, the gap between individuals with and without impairments will continue to narrow. Wearable technology will be able to aid us in seeing, hearing, and comprehending what is going on around us thanks to 5G networks and quick AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning) systems.

Websites, video, mobile apps, and crucial office files are all becoming more freely available, but study into other digital assets is only beginning. Every aspect of our lives is influenced by technology. This encompasses everything from our home’s temperature settings to the touch screens on our appliances and workout equipment. We must have total access to all sorts of digital information in order to realize our aim of full access and inclusion.

While technological progress has improved many aspects of our lives, true digital equality is still a long way off. Whatever you believe, digital access is boundless. Accept it and help it flourish by bringing it to the public’s attention. This necessitates training and collaboration with them so that they are no longer considered as a rare skill set to be avoided but rather as the gold standard for good digital solutions that make our lives easier and more pleasurable.

Click here for more information on QualityLogic’s simple digital accessibility starter kit for your business. They will walk you through the transition to the new accessibility age. They may also help you determine where your website falls short in terms of accessibility before offering you new design assistance. Your consumer base will increase as a result of their services.