An Accessible Christmas?
Christmas is ‘the most wonderful time of the year,’ with shows to attend, great things to watch on television, and time spent with family and friends. Whether you celebrate the true meaning of Christmas or just enjoy what the festive period provides, it is quite different to the rest of the year.
Nowadays, there are shows that are very accessible for people with disabilities, which seem to cater for all. These feature:
- Audio Description (AD) to assist blind or visually impaired attendees.
- British Sign Language (BSL) or captions for Deaf or hard of hearing viewers.
- Special performances for people with cognitive disabilities.
There’s transport to go wherever you want to in the country or world to meet up with family and friends. Whether it be by coach, train, or plane, there is assistance available to support people who need it to get from A to B. And, of course, there is also so many gifts to give and receive.
Christmas Is Denied
Sadly, for people with disabilities, access can be denied at Christmas time.
I’m sure you’re asking why, after I have just given you some examples of how people with disabilities can be involved. Well, this is due to most things nowadays needing to be found and booked online.
- You hear of a show, then you must look it up online and go through the booking system.
- Going to see friends and family, you must decide on what method of transport you need and go online to find the details, and then go through the booking process.
- Buying gifts, yes you could pop to the shop and buy something from there, but one shop does not have the same choices of what the internet offers. Not only do you get a bigger selection, but you can shop around for the best price or deals. You can also shop cleverly, by having the gift sent straight to the person it is attended for, saving you from having to carry them with you on your journey.
Not All Websites Are Accessible
Not every website is accessible. In fact, only 3% of the web is.
How frustrated do you feel when you are buying something on the internet and you select the item, go through to the process of buying it, only to find out when entering your payment details that the product is now out of stock? Now, consider that the product is not out of stock. Instead, the person discovers that the rest of the process is inaccessible on the device they use to finish paying for the item. This would result in the customer having to leave the store and abandon their shopping cart. So near, yet so far.
Tongue in cheek here, but, as a person who uses a screen reader, I think I would prefer that when you enter a website it just stated that ‘if you have any disabilities and use assistive technology, then this site is not for you.’ At least then I would know not to spend any time on that platform and go to another online shop that I am able to use and get what I was shopping for.
Keeping on with the Christmas gifts, let’s revert to the examples that I gave at the beginning with Audio Description and the assistance available for travel at a station or airport. If the platforms aren’t accessible to be able to access information or book a ticket, it is like wrapping up a gift for someone and using super glue. “Here is a gift for you, but you cannot get into it.”
Summary
There are so many areas of life where others have thought of how everyone can have equal access and enjoy themselves. However, the method of obtaining these experiences or purchasing them online is still very problematic.
This is why at Accessibility Services, our team is dedicated to assisting clients in making their websites accessible for all. Access all areas, not access denied.
