So what’s the big deal about using inclusive design on social media? Why should you care about maintaining accessibility for your social media posts?
The short answer is that you’d be excluding a lot of people when you don’t use inclusive design for your social media posts. Remember that these are people who could potentially be valuable customers for your brand.
In the United States, more than 40 million people live with a disability. And although there’s a digital divide between individuals with a disability and those without, at least 62% of adults with a disability own a desktop or laptop computer. Meanwhile, 72% also own a smartphone and 72% have access to high-speed internet. Moreover, three-quarters of Americans with disabilities use the internet on a daily basis.
From these numbers, it’s safe to say that a significant portion of social media users are living with some kind of disability. Failing to cater to their needs and take their disability into consideration could lead to exclusion. And you’ll end up losing out on the opportunity to engage a valuable audience group.
To further break these numbers down, let’s consider specific types of disabilities that are relevant to social media use. Here are a few more numbers to give you a better idea.
Considering that we mostly consume content through audio and visuals, the above numbers should be enough to convince you that inclusive design is vital. Not to mention that companies are bound by accessibility laws to ensure that their digital content is accessible to users with disabilities. So when you prioritize inclusive design for social media, it’s a win-win–people get to enjoy and interact with your content regardless of their abilities and you get to maintain compliance all while expanding your reach.
