Disability takes countless forms and affects millions of people worldwide. For Quinn, a young woman with cerebral palsy (CP), each day brings its own set of challenges. Her experience illustrates just one way in which disability can shape daily life, both in visible and invisible ways.
Quinn uses walking poles to help her get around, but others rely on different mobility aids like wheelchairs or canes. Everyday tasks that most people take for granted—such as buttoning a shirt or walking down the street—can require additional time and effort. For many, symptoms can fluctuate unpredictably, making each day different from the last.
Unpredictability and Perceptions: The Complexity of Disability
Disabilities can vary significantly, even among individuals with the same diagnosis. Conditions like CP or multiple sclerosis often come with an element of unpredictability, which complicates how others perceive those affected (Shapiro, 1994; Yoder et al., 2010). For instance, people may expect consistency from Quinn, but her body doesn’t follow a fixed routine.
Some mornings, Quinn’s symptoms feel manageable, and she can move through her day with relative ease. By evening, however, even the simplest tasks can become overwhelming. What begins as a smooth walk might soon lead to muscle tightness and fatigue. As the strain builds, she’s often forced to slow down, conserve her energy, or take a break to rest.
While Quinn might only need a brief pause, others with similar conditions may experience entirely different challenges, as their limitations can fluctuate in unpredictable ways.
Challenging Assumptions: The Impact of Social Biases
After a long day at work, Quinn returns home—her body exhausted but her mind still sharp and alert. She sets her walking poles aside and begins scrolling through her emails. A job listing catches her attention, perfectly aligned with her skills. Yet, as her finger hovers over the “apply” button, she hesitates, recalling her last interview and the assumptions that accompanied it.
The interviewer had glanced at her walking poles—not for long, but long enough to remind Quinn of the assumptions people often make about her abilities. These assumptions, often based on nothing more than her visible disability (Fleischer & Zames, 1990).
Research continues to reveal implicit bias against people with disabilities in hiring processes. Studies show that employers often assess candidates based on an idealized image of a worker—typically someone without a disability—resulting in exclusionary decisions driven by social biases rather than the candidates’ skills (Yoder et al., 2010).
Barriers in Physical Spaces: Navigating a World Not Designed for All
Societal assumptions are just one of the many obstacles Quinn and others with disabilities encounter. Beyond these biases, the built environment—the physical spaces people navigate daily—adds another layer of difficulty.
While accessibility laws have led to improvements in many public areas, too often, some spaces still feel like afterthoughts. Narrow doorways, steep ramps, and uneven sidewalks can quickly turn routine outings into frustrating or even hazardous tasks.
Even with legal progress, physical barriers remain widespread for those who rely on mobility aids. For Quinn, this means constantly adjusting to her surroundings. Although her walking poles grant her mobility, they can’t overcome environments that weren’t designed with her needs—or the needs of others with disabilities—in mind.
Yet physical spaces are only part of the challenge. The digital world, often assumed to be more accessible, presents its own obstacles.
Digital Barriers: The Accessibility Gap in Technology
When Quinn clicks on the job listing, her excitement quickly turns to frustration. The site’s small text and cluttered layout do not work with her screen reader. What should have been a simple task—applying for a job—becomes another hurdle.
Digital accessibility remains a significant challenge for people with disabilities. In fact, a 2021 study found that 98% of the top one million websites failed to meet accessibility standards for screen readers and other assistive technologies (WebAIM, 2021). Websites that lack proper design for such technology create unnecessary barriers (U.S. Department of Justice, 2022; Williamson, 2019).
This issue reflects a broader trend across multiple sectors, where many organizations still fail to prioritize inclusive design in digital spaces. The consequences of overlooking accessibility extend beyond technology and touch every facet of life, including essential services like healthcare.
Systemic Barriers in Healthcare: Accessing Essential Services
Even in healthcare—where the primary focus should be care and support—Quinn faces significant obstacles. Routine medical appointments can quickly become frustrating when exam tables are too high or when equipment isn’t designed to accommodate her mobility needs.
Quinn’s experience is not unique. Many people with disabilities encounter similar challenges in healthcare settings. These systemic barriers make it difficult to access proper care, often resulting in worse health outcomes for individuals with disabilities (Iezzoni et al., 2021).
Universal Design: Creating Spaces for All Abilities
Quinn’s obstacles are not predetermined (fixed or set in advance). They stem from environments that fail to account for diverse needs. Universal design offers a proactive solution by creating spaces that work for everyone.
Features like ramps and wide doorways benefit more than just wheelchair users—they also help parents with strollers, delivery workers with carts, and individuals with temporary injuries. By making spaces accessible to all, these inclusive design elements improve both usability and convenience for a wide range of people (Steinfeld & Maisel, 2012; Williamson, 2019).
However, physical design alone isn’t enough. True inclusion requires a broader approach. The need for accessible environments extends beyond buildings and into workplaces. A 2021 review of employment structures emphasized that many companies still fail to provide the social and technical support systems necessary for employees with disabilities to succeed (Yoder et al., 2010). For lasting change, inclusive design must be woven into every aspect of life, from physical spaces to workplace culture.
To drive lasting change, inclusive design must be integrated into every facet of society, from physical infrastructure to workplace culture and beyond.
Conclusion: Rethinking Accessibility for Greater Equity
Quinn’s experiences are not isolated; they reflect the broader reality faced by millions of individuals with disabilities who navigate environments that often fail to meet their needs. These challenges—whether physical, social, or digital—stem from systems that overlook the diversity of people’s needs.
True accessibility goes beyond simply meeting legal requirements. It is about designing spaces, technologies, and fostering attitudes that prioritize inclusion from the outset. This requires addressing societal assumptions and biases that limit opportunities for people with disabilities.
Breaking down these barriers calls for innovation, policy reform, and increased awareness of the need for inclusion. Can meaningful progress be made if accessibility continues to be an afterthought? Achieving genuine inclusion requires making accessibility a core principle in the design of communities and environments. The responsibility for creating this shift is shared by all.
References
- Fleischer, D. Z., & Zames, F. (2005). Disability rights: The overlooked civil rights issue. Disability Studies Quarterly, 25(4). https://www.dsq-sds.org/index.php/dsq/article/view/629/806
- Shapiro, J. P. (1994). No pity: People with disabilities forging a new civil rights movement. Times Books.
- Steinfeld, E., & Maisel, J. (2012). Universal design: Creating inclusive environments. Wiley.
- U.S. Department of Justice. (2022). Guidance on web accessibility and the ADA. https://www.ada.gov/resources/web-guidance/
- WebAIM. (2021). The WebAIM Million: An annual accessibility analysis of the top 1,000,000 home pages. https://webaim.org/projects/million/
- Williamson, B. (2019). Accessible America: A history of disability and design. Bloomsbury Publishing.
- Yoder, D. N., Braddock, E. J., & Cavenagh, J. P. (2010). Disability in America. Polity Press.
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