Digital inaccessibility: Blind and low-vision people have powerful technology but still face barriers to the digital world

There are 8 million people with blindness or low vision in the US. More than 4.23 million of them are working age, but only about half of that working-age population are employed. Employment rates for people with blindness or low vision have historically been much lower than for the general population. An overwhelming majority of jobs across all industries require digital skills. Assistive technologies such as screen readers, screen magnifiers and braille notetakers provide people who are blind or have low vision a chance to succeed in school and the workplace. But despite the abundance of assistive technology, people who don’t rely on it are typically unaware of how it’s being used at work and the challenges users experience with it. Digital content is sometimes technically accessible but unusable by people who use assistive technology. People who are blind or have low vision have been harder to place in jobs than people with other types of disabilities due to inaccessible company software. Although the Americans with Disabilities Act does not mention the digital environment explicitly, the Justice Department has taken the position that Title III of the ADA, which covers public accommodation for people with disabilities, applies to websites and mobile apps. Despite laws requiring and guidelines supporting an accessible digital environment, much if not most digital content is still not fully accessible.

[Michele McDonnall is a Research Professor of Rehabilitation Education and Research at Mississippi State University]