We're not very good at noticing things that are invisible. We can't quantify something that's not tangible. We need to see it, we need to touch it, to measure it, to put a number on it and then decide if that number is worth our trouble.
We don't pay attention to accessibility because it's hard to quantify.
- How do you know how many people not using your product have a disability?
- How do you know how many customers you've lost because they couldn't use your product?
- How do you calculate your reputation damage when it never shows up in any spreadsheet?
- How can you measure the word-of-mouth losses from frustrated users who tell their friends about your inaccessible product?
You can't. You can't pin down a number unless you pull it out of thin air.
The numbers we do know however are pretty telling. 1 in 4 adults in the US has some form of disability. 15% of the global population experiences some form of disability. People with disabilities control over $490 billion in disposable income in the US alone, approximately $13 trillion worldwide.
The reality is you can't put an exact number on the opportunities you miss. And that's precisely why accessibility matters. It's like an invisible tax on your business that you can't even quantify. And you're paying it without even realising it.
And now here's my question.
Would you rather be the one to know exactly how many customers you're losing, or the one that welcomes everyone in?