Accessibility Across Borders

TL;DR

This paper emphasizes the importance of understanding cultural differences in digital accessibility design worldwide, aiming to investigate how designers from diverse regions consider accessibility and whether existing resources align with their practices.

Contribution

It highlights the need to study global accessibility design practices and the cultural factors influencing their adoption and development.

Findings

Identifies cultural influences on accessibility preferences

Questions the universality of current accessibility resources

Proposes future research on global accessibility design practices

Abstract

Since prior work has identified that cultural differences influence user design preferences and interaction methods, as well as emphasizing the need to reflect on the appropriateness of popular HCI principles, we believe that it is equally important to apply this inquiry to digital accessibility and how accessibility fits within the design process around the world. Our long-term plan is to build upon work in this area by investigating how digital designers in different parts of the world consider accessibility and whether current accessibility resources (often developed in the west) meet or conflict with their approach to design.