Americans With Disabilities Act passed 33 years ago. Digital world needs to catch up
July 26 is National Disability Independence Day which commemorates the passage of the Americans with Disabilities
Act, the U.S. law prohibiting discrimination against those with disabilities. In the 33 years since this law was enacted, life in America has drastically improved for everyone with a disability. From ramps on city streets and at the entrances to buildings, to assistive listening devices at events and more inclusion in the workplace, there are more accommodations than ever for persons with disabilities.
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the digital world. In fact, digital accessibility is practically non-existent and having a good user experience with many websites, apps and other online programs can be frustrating and overwhelming. This is reprehensible and embarrassing as we live in the so-called “digital age.”
For perspective into how significant an issue this is, consider this:
More than 96% of websites and apps are not accessible to those with disabilities.
There are 1.3 billion people living with a significant disability. That’s 16% of the world’s population.
Persons with disabilities account for more than a $1.9 trillion dollar market opportunity.
There is already prominent case law against the likes of Beyonce, Domino’s Pizza and Harvard University.
There will never be 100% compliance when it comes to digital accessibility. Unfortunately, consumers and businesses alike are being deceived by companies that claim their plug-ins can quickly and costeffectively solve the problem. It’s just not so; however, not all hope is lost.
Digital accessibility can improve in many ways starting with closing the gaps in compliance. Laws and guidelines exist, but compliance with digital accessibility standards
AAAAis not universal.
There’s also a lack of awareness. Many developers, designers and content creators are not well-informed about digital accessibility and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which ensure that websites are perceivable, operable, understandable and robust for all users.
This includes things like providing alternative text for images, captions for videos, clear navigation and proper heading structure. Mobile accessibility is often overlooked for digital compliance by developers as well.
We know from other industries that practice makes perfect. Regular user testing with individuals with disabilities can help identify accessibility barriers and usability issues. Actively seeking and incorporating user feedback can lead to improvements and better overall accessibility. Successful ADA compliant companies already incorporate this into their digital programs.
Finally, digital accessibility is an ongoing process. Embracing the principles of continuous improvement allows for the identification and remediation of accessibility issues over time. Regular audits, monitoring and updates to address emerging technologies and changing user needs are necessary.
Disabilities are oftentimes chronic. As we rely more on digital technology like websites and apps to live our lives and complete professional tasks, it’s imperative we do better and make sure digital accessibility is at the forefront of the national conversation. It’s not just about the elderly, those with a hearing impairment, paraplegics or any other group. Digital accessibility is everyone’s responsibility.
The ADA wasn’t passed with digital accessibility in mind, but in 2023 — with how heavily we rely on digital products — it’s time for change.
Mark Pound is the CEO of CurbCutOS, an organization making the digital world more accessible for people with disabilities. He’s a former high school football star turned quadriplegic from an in-game collision, but recovered against all odds. A near-fatal car accident years later reaggravated his injuries.
A handful of college students caught a record-breaking 19-foot Burmese python in Florida recently. That’s longer than the width of an NFL goal post.
Jake Waleri, an amateur hunter, said he wanted to show his friends “the true Florida experience.” He took them into Big Cypress National Preserve in the middle of the night to hunt the giant snakes. If I’m up at 2 a.m. in Florida, I better be at the Fontainebleau Hotel’s LIV club with a drink in my hand, but that’s just me.
The recently snared behemoth supplants the previous record of 18 feet, 9 inches, set in 2020 by professional trappers.
Since 2000, these slithering reptiles have decimated wildlife in the Everglades and, now because of climate change, they are migrating north. They’ve popped out of toilets. One trapped female was 200 pounds and with 60 eggs. Another had 111 eggs. Did I mention they are apex predators?
Florida’s slithering struggles are an issue for the state’s residents. However, add in the sea otter that harasses surfers in Santa Cruz and steals their boards; the orcas with a thing for sinking yachts in European waters; and the dingoes in Australia that hunted down a jogger the way they hunt wallabies. It starts to feel as if the animal kingdom is over us. Not that I can blame them.
There’s a 620,000-squaremile island of trash — roughly the size of Alaska — currently floating in the Pacific. That’s on humans. As are the Burmese pythons that are destroying Florida’s ecosystem. It seems we have misconstrued being on top of the food chain with being detached from the rest of the food chain. But we are not immune from the impact of our actions.
In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott has placed a string of buoys in the
Rio Grande in an effort to prevent asylum-seekers and migrants from entering the country. Besides the possibility of drownings and breaking international treaties, the floating wall may also be redirecting the flow of the river and affecting fish and other species that need to move upstream or downstream.
The most unnerving aspect of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds,” which came out in 1963, was that the violent attacks were never explained. Sixty years later, I think we get it. We’re not good stewards of the planet. Arctic sea ice is disappearing in front of us — taking life such as polar bears with it — and we still have elected officials questioning climate change.
Worse yet, it seems we can’t help but make things worse. An analysis of a mineral-rich area in the Pacific has unearthed 5,000 sea animals that science had no idea existed. So while the goal of weaning ourselves off of fossil fuels is admirable, what price is too high to pay? If making modern batteries requires us to stripmine the ocean for ingredients, shouldn’t science assess in advance what toll that might take on an ecosystem we just found out about? Or we could just keep winging it and hope the orcas don’t notice.
The whales are unionizing in the east, pythons are migrating north, and out west a sea otter is terrorizing surfers. I don’t know about y’all, but if the monkeys start talking, I’m going off the grid. I’ve seen that movie, and it does not turn out well for us.
LZ Granderson is an op-ed columnist for the Los Angeles Times. ©2023 Los Angeles Times