I've always marveled at people's patience to carefully, and painstakingly I might add, align tile after tile of dominoes during the course of hours or days, only to topple them later. The visual effect is striking at the end for sure. But rarely do we think of the amount of effort they've put in.
With dominoes, a single tile can set off a chain reaction. I think this is eerily similar to accessibility. Implementing one small change can trigger a cascade of positive effects and transform lives, both for individuals with disabilities and for the entire society as a whole.
For example. Adding a ramp to a building entrance. This initially means wheelchair users can get to the entrance by using the ramp. But it also means parents with strollers, delivery personnel carrying heavy carts or elderly people with canes will also benefit.
That one change created the ripple effect. And it doesn't stop there. If more people can physically get to the entrance, that means the business attracts more potential customers, which can lead to higher profits, which encourages other businesses to follow suit and add ramps as well.
Domino effect.
And this domino effect extends beyond physical spaces. When you design your website with accessibility in mind, it becomes usable for people with disabilities, yes. But not only. Alt text for images benefits people with visual impairments, but also literally everyone else when that image fails to load.
Or take closed captions on videos. They were originally intended for people who are deaf and hard of hearing. This extends now to also help non-native speakers understand content better (hey, that's me!), allow viewers to watch videos in noisy environments (also me) and improve SEO for video content.
So more people can find your content, more can see your business, maybe more can apply for a job with your company. So yes, closed captions can lead to better education, job opportunities and social connections.
Domino effect.
Small changes can have far-reaching impacts in accessibility. It's like dominoes. One piece leads to another piece leads to another piece, leads to a world that's fairer and better for everyone - whether it's buildings, websites or workplaces.