Performative Accessibility Is Good For Business, Not Disabled People

A discussion of accessibility, invisible disabilities, and ableism

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What is accessibility?

Accessibility is defined in multiple ways. The Oxford dictionary defines accessibility as:

• The quality of being able to be reached or entered (as in a physical structure, such as a public building).

• Easy to obtain or use (for anyone and everyone).

• Being easily understood or appreciated.

Accessibility Canada defines accessibility as “the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people who experience disabilities.”

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Disability and privilege

I have two “disabilities”, both of which are invisible. I am hard of hearing and neurodivergent. I use quotations on the word disabilities because I don’t define being Autistic as a disability, I describe it as a neurodivergence — a neurotype which is outside the majority.

Many in the Deaf community don’t consider deafness a disability either. Many prefer the social model of disability, which explains how our communities, culture, and environments are disabling, rather than our physical or neurological differences.

Many disabled people, including myself, view this as a fairly good model, but one that is oversimplified. Firstly, the social model assumes that given all necessary accommodations for one’s disability, we’d all be on equal ground.

That doesn’t account very well for the privileges enjoyed by white people, cis-men, heterosexuals, high income earners, among others.

One can be disabled, marginalized, oppressed, and yet still privileged all at the same time.

It’s complicated.