Accessibility 2.0: Nothing About Us, Without Us

“Accessibility” is like Bianca Del Rio from RuPaul’s Drag Race. It’s just so sexy that everyone wants to talk about it, showcase their interest, and (likely) make up stories of how much they know it — without actually knowing much about it.

From industry professionals to academic researchers to college students to diversity-for-the-sake-of-diversity enthusiasts, the word “accessibility” just somehow makes itself glow so hard that eyes widen, jobs are given, grants are awarded, and diversity ranks are ascended. I don’t question people’s intentions (at least not publicly), but as someone who represents the demographics that “accessibility” is supposed to benefit, all of you, please stop.

And restart.

But before we get to the hows, let’s talk about the whys. Why do we need to restart? What’s wrong with the current systems? “Accessibility 1.0” (it’s not an actual thing; it’s just the way yours truly describes what a fully accessible world currently looks like, with the acknowledgement that most individuals, organizations, and systems are still not at the “Accessibility 1.0” phase) made everyone realize we needed push buttons next to doors. And accessible seating in classrooms, theaters, restaurants. And accessible cabs, buses, trains, planes. And closed-captioning, subtitles, ASL interpreters, CART services. And…