Accessibility ensures that everyone — regardless of ability — can fully, equally, and independently access information, interact with content, and use services. In the digital era, it means designing proactively so barriers are removed before they appear, rather than scrambling to fix them later.

When something is accessible, it means people with disabilities can access information, participate in activities, and use services with the same effectiveness and independence as others.

Why Accessibility?

Accessible content benefits everyone. It:

• Promotes equity and inclusion by making materials usable for all
• Demonstrates care and responsibility toward the community
• Meets both legal and ethical obligations

Key U.S. Accessibility Laws

• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act — Prohibits disability discrimination in federally funded programs.
• Section 508 — Requires federal electronic and information technology to meet accessibility standards.
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) — Under Title II, state and local governments must make services, programs, and activities accessible to individuals with disabilities. The 2024 Web Accessibility Rule explicitly includes digital accessibility, ensuring equitable access to websites, applications, and online services.

WCAG: The Technical Standard

ADA Title II now codifies the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA as the standard for accessible digital content and mobile apps for state and local governments. WCAG is built on the POUR principles:

• Perceivable — Content can be experienced through multiple senses
• Operable — Interfaces can be navigated and used by all
• Understandable — Information is clear and predictable
• Robust — Works reliably with current and future technologies

Under the DOJ’s 2024 rule, public entities serving 50,000+ people must meet WCAG 2.1 AA by April 24, 2026.

Common Barriers — and How to Address Them

Different disabilities require different design considerations:

• Physical — Adjustable desks, voice recognition, ergonomic devices
• Visual — Alt text, high-contrast design, screen reader–friendly documents, accessible PDFs
• Hearing — Accurate captions, transcripts, assistive listening devices, sign language access
• Cognitive — Clear layouts, plain language, step-by-step instructions
• Learning — Text-to-speech tools, structured templates, flexible formats
• Motor — Keyboard shortcuts, switch or eye-tracking devices, fully navigable digital platforms

Assistive Technology in Action

Tools like screen readers, pointing devices, and specialized keyboards help people with disabilities maintain independence — but only if the content is designed to work with them.

The Curb-Cut Effect

Originally, sidewalk “curb cuts” were built for wheelchair users. They ended up helping parents with strollers, travelers with luggage, cyclists, and more.

Digital parallel: Captions for deaf users also benefit language learners, people in noisy environments, and even search engines. Inclusive design removes barriers for some and improves usability for all.

Accessibility in the Age of AI

Artificial Intelligence offers powerful opportunities to expand accessibility — but without careful design, it can just as easily create new barriers.

The Promise:

• Speech-to-text for real-time captions
• Image-to-text for automatic alt descriptions
• Live translation for multilingual access
• Predictive text and voice assistants for hands-free interaction

The Risks:

• AI captions that are inaccurate or omit nuance
• Alt text that is too generic to be useful
• Voice assistants that fail to recognize diverse speech patterns
• Chatbots that confuse or exclude neurodivergent users

Making AI Accessible

To ensure AI is a force for inclusion, developers and organizations should:

• Train models on diverse inputs — varied speech patterns, languages, cultural contexts
• Validate outputs for accuracy, clarity, and compatibility with assistive technologies
• Offer multiple interaction modes (voice, text, visual) so users can choose what works best
• Embed accessibility in AI design from the start, not as a retrofit

Bottom Line: Accessibility is Everyone’s Responsibility

When accessibility is built in from the beginning, AI can act as a digital curb cut — expanding opportunities and usability for all. When it’s an afterthought, AI risks deepening the digital divide.

The call to action is clear: design AI and all digital experiences to empower, not exclude. Accessibility isn’t just a checklist — it’s a mindset that builds trust, fosters innovation, and ensures technology serves everyone.

This is why it’s a core principle of my AEIOU Ethos: A Framework for Responsible AI, which emphasizes building systems that are Accessible, Equitable, Inclusive, Open, and Universal. When we design with these principles in mind, AI becomes a curb cut for the digital age — expanding opportunities for all.