Can You Have Accessibility Without DEI?
TL;DR: Accessibility, Yes. Good Accessibility, No.
Accessibility and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are interconnected. Yet, they are often addressed separately. This division weakens the foundation for both efforts. Accessibility can exist without DEI, but it will likely be inadequate in ways that harm the community it is intended to help. For accessibility to work effectively, it must reflect the diversity of human experiences and needs. Without incorporating DEI principles, accessibility can become narrow and ineffective.
Accessibility focuses on ensuring people with disabilities can interact with digital and phyjosical spaces. That means providing wheelchair ramps, captions on videos, screen reader support, and countless other solutions. These steps make spaces usable, but usability alone does not guarantee equity. DEI ensures accessibility moves beyond compliance to create spaces that respect and value differences.
Representation Shapes Outcomes
If the voices shaping accessibility are not diverse, the solutions will reflect those gaps. Accessibility cannot reach its full potential when designed in isolation from diverse lived experiences. This becomes particularly evident in digital spaces.
Consider the design of a mobile app. Without input from individuals with disabilities, developers may miss key barriers. Without understanding intersectionality, the team might neglect challenges faced by someone who is both deaf and visually impaired or someone with a disability who lives in a rural area with limited internet. A diverse team ensures broader perspectives, reducing the risk of exclusion.
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) play a crucial role. ERGs amplify the voices of employees with disabilities and create a synergistic channel for advocating for improved accessibility. ERGs are unlikely to exist without DEI, leaving these essential perspectives absent from organizational decision-making.
The Role of DEI in Accessibility
DEI principles bring essential context to accessibility efforts. When diverse lived experiences inform accessibility decisions, the results are more likely to reflect real-world needs. DEI frameworks emphasize listening, learning, and collaboration skills that lead to more inclusive and effective accessibility solutions.
Here is what happens when DEI is integrated into accessibility:
Equity over equality: Accessibility focuses solely on equality and treats all disabilities as identical. DEI helps differentiate equity from equality. Equity accounts for individual differences, ensuring support is tailored rather than one-size-fits-all.
Intersectionality: Accessibility often falls short when it ignores intersectionality, the overlapping identities that shape how someone experiences the world. DEI ensures that people at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities are included in the conversation.
Synergy: When DEI initiatives align with accessibility efforts, they create a powerful synergy that amplifies both missions. DEI ensures that diverse perspectives are represented, while accessibility removes barriers that might prevent individuals with disabilities from fully participating in conversations and decision-making. Together, these efforts ensure that no voice is left unheard and increase the likelihood of voices being present when critical decisions are made. Integrating these approaches allows organizations to create an environment where critical decisions are informed by a genuinely inclusive set of perspectives, leading to better outcomes for everyone. This collaboration enriches the quality of dialogue and strengthens the organization's commitment to equity at every level.
Cultural relevance: Accessibility solutions that fail to consider cultural norms or regional differences may not be effective. DEI ensures that cultural contexts are part of the process.
The Importance of Psychological Safety and Trust
Psychological safety means creating an environment where people feel secure sharing their experiences and challenges without fear of retaliation or judgment. Trust ensures they believe their input will be valued and acted upon. Without DEI, employees often hesitate to raise accessibility issues in the product or for themselves publicly, fearing backlash, dismissal, or tokenism.
Psychological safety and trust are critical for both accessibility and DEI. Without these elements, people with disabilities may not feel comfortable voicing concerns or offering feedback.
For example, a workplace might claim to prioritize accessibility but dismiss feedback about the accommodations process. This erodes trust and dampens future feedback. On the other hand, a psychologically safe environment actively encourages participation and views feedback as a pathway to improvement.
People Who Hide Disabilities Are Less Engaged and Less Productive
Many people with disabilities choose to hide their disabilities, particularly in environments where psychological safety, trust, and DEI are lacking. This concealment often stems from fear of bias, stigma, and discrimination.
Employees who feel forced to hide their disabilities are less likely to request accommodations that could help them succeed. This leads to higher stress, lower morale, and reduced performance. A lack of transparency makes it harder for organizations to identify and address barriers. When individuals no longer feel the need to hide, their energy shifts from managing stigma to contributing their best work.
Accessibility Maturity Is Unlikely to Improve Without DEI
Organizations without DEI lack the political will to move beyond the early stages of accessibility maturity. Without DEI, accessibility efforts often focus on minimal compliance, making only minor product tweaks instead of addressing systemic disability inequities across the organization. They focus on checking regulatory boxes instead of creating environments where everyone feels valued.
For accessibility programs to mature, they must embrace a growth mindset that involves continuous learning informed by diverse lived experiences. DEI provides the framework for that growth. Improving accessibility maturity requires thoroughly reviewing the entire organization, including HR, procurement, training, documentation, and customer support. A strong DEI program increases the chances the accessibility team will receive support in improving maturity in areas outside the product.
Who Will Be Most Impacted?
The absence of DEI in accessibility initiatives is most likely to affect:
Small organizations: These businesses often lack the resources to prioritize accessibility or DEI, resulting in limited progress.
Companies without business in geographic regions with accessibility regulations: Firms that do not operate under stricter accessibility regulations like the EU Accessibility Act or the Unruh Act may deprioritize accessibility and DEI.
Startups: Startups' “move fast and break things” mentality frequently leads to violations of accessibility regulations. A DEI presence might call out this behavior.
Organizations with poor leadership accountability are more likely to fail to address accessibility gaps if they lack a clear commitment to DEI.
For accessibility employees at these organizations, the next four years may feel like an uphill battle. However, there are ways to focus on progress and maintain momentum:
1. Shift internal advocacy to business cases: Push for integrating DEI principles into accessibility initiatives by demonstrating the financial benefits of inclusion. Highlight how improved accessibility and DEI attract customers, strengthen brand loyalty, and reduce legal risk. Show how diverse teams create innovative solutions that drive better business outcomes. Harley Davidson may have conceded to activist shareholder demand to drop DEI. However, their share prices have concurrently dropped 25 % as Gen Z and Millenials value inclusion and are voting with their pocketbooks. The only vote that should matter is whether customers spend money at a company or instead are looking for competitors who better match their values. Target must have a very short memory as their donations to anti-LGBTQ causes in 2023 cost them 5 % of their revenue. I for one will not be shopping there for the foreseeable future.
2. Gather metrics for your business argument: Measure the effects of limited accessibility and connect the data to key performance indicators such as employee retention, customer satisfaction, or market share. Use these insights to contribute to the business case, showing how accessibility paired with DEI adds measurable value to the organization.
3. Align accessibility with business goals: Accessibility reduces legal and reputational risks by ensuring compliance with regulations and demonstrating a commitment to equity. Internally, accessibility boosts employee productivity and engagement by creating workplaces where everyone can thrive. When accessibility is seen as a driver of inclusivity and profitability, it becomes a key component of sustainable business success, a competitive advantage that fuels revenue growth and innovation.
4. Consider leaving for a more forward-thinking organization: People who work in the field of accessibility must balance advocacy with self-preservation and their mental health. If the organization shows no progress, consider seeking a role where accessibility and DEI are integral to the business strategy. Companies that embrace these priorities often experience stronger financial performance and a more engaged workforce. Finding a role in such an environment supports your career and ensures your work aligns with your values.
5.Find a therapist or support group: The next four years will be a stressful, rollercoaster ride. Engaging with a therapist can provide a confidential space to process these emotions, develop coping strategies, and maintain mental well-being. Therapists can also assist in navigating the challenges posed by the rollback of DEI initiatives, helping individuals manage feelings of frustration or helplessness. This professional support is crucial for sustaining personal resilience and continuing advocacy efforts in the face of adversity.
6.Develop an intense hobby: Immersing oneself in activities such as painting, writing, gardening, or sports can provide a constructive outlet for stress and a means to channel energy positively. Hobbies distract people from external challenges and can create a sense of accomplishment and control. By dedicating time to personal interests, individuals can maintain their mental health and preserve the motivation to advocate for DEI and accessibility, even amidst political opposition.
Final Thoughts
Can accessibility exist without DEI? Technically, yes. However, it won’t be good accessibility, and the accessibility employees will probably be frustrated and stressed. Without DEI, accessibility risks being narrow, shallow, and exclusionary. Accessibility informed by DEI, on the other hand, has the potential to be transformative. It reflects the complexity of human experience, addresses intersectionality, and prioritizes equity over superficial solutions.
Good accessibility is not just about compliance. It is about creating spaces where everyone can belong and thrive. DEI must be part of the equation for that to happen.