Accessibility: Know before you buy
A product’s accessibility is often a mystery. For those of us with disabilities, that mystery can lead to a painful cycle of Fail-and-Repeat: we’ll buy a product, find that it doesn’t work for us, and then return it — only to repeat the cycle again. Or, we keep the product, but we’re only able to use a handful of the functions that others can use — while paying the same price.
In either case, no one benefits: not the consumers, not the retailers, not the manufacturers.
Scores and labels
Product markings like nutrition labels and Energy Star stickers provide consumers with important information today — at the point of sale in a store. It would make sense, then, to have a physical accessibility label there in the store, or an accessibility rating on the product’s page online.
The score should mean the same thing in every context, whether you’re buying an app or the mobile phone itself; a microwave oven or a television, or even — in the future — a self-driving car.
This is where standards come in.
Standard Accessibility Reporting is developing a set of standards for everyday products to allow consumers to determine if a product will work for them. Because they’re the same for every manufacturer, standardized scoring will allow buyers to make apples-to-apples comparisons. Standards also let industry players understand what disabled consumers need before they design and develop their products. Business bulk purchasers can use the same standards to ensure that products will work for their employees and customers who have disabilities: a city’s website, a school district’s mobile app, thermostats in hotel rooms, express kiosks for a fast-food chain, and so on…
No more guessing games… whether you’re buying for yourself or others, you’ll be better informed about a product’s accessibility before you buy.
How you can help us help you
Accessibility ratings are within reach, but they’re not here just yet. We need the help of consumers like you to make this happen.
It takes a concerted effort, and funds are needed to support those who will be working on the development of the standards as a full-time job. You can help us accelerate the process through your participation and your donations, however large or small.
You can help us get there faster by becoming a donor or member-donor supporting our non-profit’s mission.
We send out updates for the public providing details of what we are achieving with our standards work.
Standard Accessibility Reporting, Inc. is a registered charity under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Service Code.