technology entrepreneur Joe Devon and Ben Ogilvie, head of accessibility at ArcTouch, recently visited Cisco, they talked about how both GenX and Millennials are “aging into disability.”
Those of us in these generations, they explained, could be in for a rude awakening: On the one hand, we’re not digital natives, but we have spent the last couple of decades acclimating to a world of apps and digital services. On the other hand, the digital world more often than not remains inaccessible to those with loss of vision, hearing, and mobility.
Coming generational shift highlights current disparities
The oldest Millennials are now in their early 40s and GenX is in their mid-40s to 60—all prime ages for beginning to experience typical age-related degradation of vision, hearing, and mobility.
If you’re in one of these cohorts, you may already be getting a preview of these challenges courtesy of the experiences of your Greatest Generation and Boomer parents.
The idea of a massive generational shift where digitally savvy users lose access to the tools they have come to rely on brings into stark relief what millions of disabled people already experience today: 98% of websites are not fully accessible and 80% of disabled people say online experiences are failures. [1], [2]
Many digital experiences come with accessibility “tax”
Devon, co-founder of GAAD and chair of the GAAD Foundation, and Ogilvie, a member of the GAAD Foundation board of directors, shared their comments as part of a fireside chat hosted by our Connected Disability Action Network (CDAN) employee group in celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) earlier this month.
As they explained, even when an accessible version of a digital experience is available, it often comes with a tax: extra steps and more complexity to complete tasks.
In situations like that, creators may be able to make a technical claim that their products are accessible. But such experiences fall far short of meeting the needs of all users in a meaningful way.
Office of Accessibility champions access through innovation
Cisco has long had a team and processes dedicated to ensuring our products meet accessibility requirements of regulations such as Section 508 of the US Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Last year, we took a strategic step forward to further close the digital accessibility divide by establishing the Office of Accessibility to accelerate our progress on embedding accessibility throughout our business.
Powering a better experience for all
Since its founding 18 months ago, the Office of Accessibility has become Cisco’s central point for advancing digital accessibility, education and consulting about accessibility, and connecting with stakeholders.
“Cisco’s Office of Accessibility will accelerate our progress on embedding accessibility throughout our business.”
The Office of Accessibility has brought together a team of accessibility subject-matter experts to ensure accessibility is a key consideration in all business decisions—from every stage of the product lifecycle to functions such as procurement, M&A, and the employee experience.
Embracing higher standards
One of the ways we’re doing this is by building a network across our portfolio of hundreds of products that includes engineers, product managers, and designers to unify our approach to accessibility.
This is critical as we recently moved to testing all our web-based products—including desktop and mobile applications—as well as our web pages and digital product documentation against Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2.
WCAG 2.2 is the most up-to-date industry standard for digital accessibility. It covers design guidance that enhances the usability of digital products for people with visual, auditory, or mobility limitations.
Later this year, we will be introducing a new Digital Accessibility Policy that will help standardize how we approach digital accessibility throughout our business—everything from the products we build to the work tools our employees use.
Ambassadors and Champions will amplify our efforts
We have expanded opportunities for all employees to learn more about how to incorporate accessibility practices into their work. For example, all Cisco workers now have access to a comprehensive training suite that offers general accessibility knowledge; lessons on how to create accessible documents, spreadsheets, and presentations; and accessibility practices for both general business and technical job roles.
Additionally, our Accessibility Ambassadors and Accessibility Champions will bring current accessibility best practices to front-line teams across the company, helping us to make the way we work with our customers, partners, and each other more inclusive.
Building accessibility for all
Cisco aims to ensure that our products and tools are accessible for all. Designing accessible experiences in partnership with leading minds in design is a challenge and opportunity we are eagerly embracing, and we look forward to creating a digital future that is accessible to people of all abilities.
Learn more about Accessibility at Cisco.
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