My introduction to accessibility was when I had drafted a prototype of a new software product. I worked in corporate law. The coworker I was consulting with asked me if this site would have the correct colors so those who were color blind could read it legibly. I didn't hesitate and responded "Sure, of course, that would come much later in the design process."
What I didn't realize then in that stuffy office lined with dormant and over decorated cubicles was that to practice inclusive design you need to factor in accessibility as you start. It's important that your site simply just works. It must be cross platform and responsive resizing behind the scenes while no one is watching. It has to be be compatible with software most of us rarely think about.
Accessibility isn't just as we envision it in our heads. A lot of these issue stem from flexibility and mobility issues. A majority of people with disabilities harbor more than one when it comes to web accessibilty. It is the fact that a mouse although an industrial design masterpiece is tough on the wrist and a keyboard although having been around since 1874 is a precise motor movement. Typing, at one point, was considered a specialized skill. I should know. I took a class in high school.
I can imagine those of us experiencing problematic encounters with computers use work arounds to compensate. For instance, being unable to text on and iPhone and using speech to text. The truth is, a lot of us, myself included have built careers on the backs of computer illiterate baby boomers. We exported their PDFs and jazzed up their presentations. Right now, there are about 46 million people in the U.S.A over the age of 65. That is projected to reach about 90 million by 2050. Our problems are only becoming larger. There isn't a much better time to start using this design system and moving forward with assistive technologies.
It truly is up to us. The students and professors. There seems to be no economic interest in this.