The internet and disability

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There is problem that we still aren’t talking about much: the lack of accessibility for people with disabilities on the internet and with new technology. As the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education has consistently pointed out, “Access to apt new technology must be seen as a human rights issue” because the main purpose of these mediums is to promote broader social inclusivity.

The internet and disability: first and foremost a moral duty

According to the World Health Organization, 15% of the global population has some sort of disability. That percentage rises to 20% if we include cases of temporary disability—for example, a person might temporarily struggle to use a computer mouse due to an injury. Additionally, although they are often overlooked, cognitive disabilities—which include people with brain trauma, autism, down syndrome, and dyslexia—affect about 3% of the global population, which necessitates that society accommodates them. Over the past decade, governments of more economically advanced countries have made quite an effort, through tailored legislation, to cooperate with tech giants in making the internet more accessible and in coming up with technology for people with disabilities. But digital accessibility is much more than a legal issue; it is first and foremost the moral duty of a civilized world. Digital accessibility is, for all intents and purposes, an expression of equality. It drives social inclusion, as it allows for full, independent participation in both one’s social and professional life. Making the internet accessible to everyone is a crucial step in creating an inclusive society and ensuring that no one is excluded from being able to enjoy digital content.

The internet and the disabled: instructions for use

On the internet, visual communication is essential, which is why a user who cannot see to some extent or another is rendered extremely limited in accessing all its content. In an effort to make published content accessible to people with disabilities, the use of screen readers is essential. A screen reader is software that identifies and interprets what is displayed on the screen and makes it usable to people who are blind or visually impaired through speech synthesis or by sending output to a Braille screen.

Social networks and disability

Let’s now look at how accessible the main social networks are for people with disabilities.

Facebook envisions an Artificial Intelligence system that automatically writes alternative text for images—utilizing screen reader technology—so as to make up for any difficulty its users might have in accessing its content. In addition, within the platform, under “accessibility,” there is a lot of guidance offered to users with disabilities, applicable to both the “feed” and posts.

Instagram also provides an automatic alternative text system to identify and interpret, through screen readers, what is shown on the screen. The purely visual nature of Instagram’s content makes accessibility critical to this social network.

TikTok is probably the most cutting-edge social network when it comes to accessibility for people with disabilities. It comes with an automatic subtitle setting, which guides the screen readers in their task. Other tools provided are a photosensitive epilepsy switch that allows users to turn off videos that contain creative effects that can be harmful to those with photosensitive epilepsy or those who suffer from light-induced migraines. Another feature is a text-to-speech setting that converts typed text into a voiceover that is played over the text as it appears in the video. This feature is particularly useful for those on the app who are visually impaired or blind.

X (formerly known as Twitter) uses an A.I. system that automatically provides captions for images, so that they are accessible for people with visual impairments. However, the setting first has to be activated by the individual.

YouTube, the Google-owned video publishing platform, is also very attentive to accessibility. In fact, it is fully compatible with screen readers that allow blind people to access videos. However, in our opinion, YouTube has a serious accessibility problem: their advertising system forces users to click on the “Skip Ad” button within a few seconds to quickly move through commercials that sometimes last for minutes. This system unfairly penalizes blind people as well as those with mobility impairments. For example, people with conditions like arthritis or Parkinson’s may struggle to click the button in time.

Essentially, this approach forces disabled users to watch significantly more ads than non-disabled users, which is a clear violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Under Title III of the ADA, private businesses and public facilities must ensure that their services are accessible to all, including those with physical, cognitive, or sensory disabilities. In short, let’s try to get YouTube to find an effective solution to this issue.