Accessibility

The most important thing I learned from the Web Accessibility class was that there are many different types of disabilities that affected one's ability to properly use technology. Visual is the most obvious and common, affecting billions around the world and causing a clear change in someone's ability to see a screen. But the other impairments such as auditory, motor, and cognitive are valid too.

There are many ways to make those who have impairments feel include. Closed captioning, sign language, and adjustable font size are just a few of the ways to help out. The purpose of the WCAG is to ensure that people don't get left out. This is not only important for their sake but also for business.

As someone who has had a disability all my life, I know full well how it feels when the structures surrounding me don't seem to accomadate. It can be very disheartening. On the other hand, it is usually an easy fix that either was not thought of or people got too lazy to implement. I have worked hard over the years to improve my abilities and have managed to do so but my heart goes out to those who have not been able to.

Fortunately, my cerebral palsy has not affected my mobility enough to use any online accomodations. However, I have struggled with shoelaces in the past as well as buttoning shirts. Getting user friendly options has helped immensely. Those user friendly options are simply not available on websites if they are not implemented by creators. It is crucial to push creators to add these very helpful accommodations with guidelines like the WCAG.