The end of the year is always a good time to look back and take stock of what progress has been made in the last year, as well as reflect on what goals are most important for the year ahead.

Accessibility is often overlooked in the design process. Most companies build a product or service without having accessibility baked in from the beginning. Forgoing an understanding of accessibility at the beginning of the design process can lead to aches and pains down the line. It may even incur lofty legal or development fees to bring a service into compliance. Despite these setbacks, 2024 has seen significant progress in digital inclusivity. Here are a couple of things I’m incredibly grateful for this year.

1. Smart Technology

“Smart” technology isn’t new, but it’s becoming more mainstream as time passes. It’s not as expensive as it used to be, making it easier for more people to access. This is important because many disabled individuals live with some form of government support, making access to costly technology out of reach financially for many individuals. Increasing access and affordability to smart technology has been an ongoing trend that I hope will continue in 2025. 

While smart gadgets are frequently marketed for their convenience, the application for

disabled people is far more profound. 

For example, as a wheelchair user, I can’t reach the thermostat in my home and wouldn’t be able to operate it even if I could, but thanks to smart home integration, I can simply tell my smart speaker to turn the heat up. I can also preheat my WiFi-connected electric blanket to be nice and warm before using it. Smart technology has also been useful in the kitchen this year, where I use a smart coffee maker to adjust the nuanced settings of the machine, even though the digital display menu may not be accessible. These examples of smart technology in everyday appliances aren’t just convenient — they allow me to live a more independent life.

2. More Accessibility in Retail Environments

Outside of the physical world, there have also been improvements in online retail. Companies have improved by adding truly informative and descriptive alt-text to their product images, which makes such a drastic difference in the shopping experience for blind and visually impaired customers. Alt-text isn’t just useful for describing a product but does a lot to enhance the shopping experience while encouraging us to become return shoppers. 

I have also noticed some well-known brands partnering with accessibility advocates to increase disability awareness both in terms of website accessibility and making adaptive products more widely recognized.

Looking Forward into 2025

For the most part, I think we've moved passed the days of reaching out to customer services about inaccessible websites and getting responses like: "what is a screenreader?" But I still wouldn't say accessibility is a familiar concept to most people. As a culture, we understand the need for buildings to have elevators, but even though most of us rely on technology in our everyday lives, too many people still aren't familiar with terms such as alt text or keyboard navigation.

I hope to see more companies promoting digital accessibility in 2025 as well as a greater awareness in the general public. Accessibility will make even greater advancements if we can work together to make assistive tech more visible in every day life.