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Accessibility and Aesthetics Need Not Conflict

Posted by Matt Birchler
— 1 min read

Accessibility drives aesthetics - UX Collective

Normal is a lazy word. When people say someone is normal, they usually mean able-bodied. Or white. Or cisgender. Or male. Or heterosexual. Normal is an othering tool because it implies marginalized people are abnormal.

In an age where technology is constantly straining our eyes, breaking our posture, and forcing us into sedentary lifestyles, having access needs is normal. When nearly 13% Americans have a disability and nearly 75% use some sort of vision correction, disability is normal (disability source, vision source).

This is absolutely true of so much of not only development, but the US in general (and I'm sure elsewhere, but I'm coming from a US-centric perspective). I constantly find myself trying to get both myself and my team to think beyond people who look, act, and feel like us.