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Tag: Accessibility

Why make my site accessible for blind people if I don’t have blind visitors?

Published October 4, 2026 by Tom

I hear some version of this in almost every first conversation from many organizations, and I have to say it is usually not an inconsiderate question. Most of the time it comes from people who have a budget to defend and want to spend it where it matters, and that is a fair place to start. The underlying question is, with a limited budget and limited staff time, shouldn’t I spend it on something with a higher return? I would go even a step further, there are times when the question is not asked, but it is still in the air. When in order to not offend people, we do not want to have an honest conversation. But this doesn’t make the question go away, and for all practical purposes, this doesn’t have to be an uncomfortable conversation.

So let us take the question seriously, because it deserves a serious answer.

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The Challenges of Learning Languages Without Eyesight

Published May 28, 2024 by Tom

Learning languages alone changed what I could get out of travel as a blind person. Being able to have conversations in another language, or knowing a few words in the local language truly changed my experience. Often, when sighted people can point at things, I am restricted to speaking. But it wasn’t without challenges. Even today when technology comes to the rescue, there still are challenges a blind person may have to face when learning a new language. But just like in so many cases, it doesn’t have to be that way. In a few instances the lack of vision can be a limitation, but in most it is the lack of accessibility.

But let me start with a personal story. When I studied at the Overbrook International Program in Philadelphia when I was sixteen, we had a chance to learn Japanese for a year.

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Designing an inclusive and accessible alarm clock

Published February 19, 2024 by Tom

Let’s play a design game. The task is to come up with the most accessible, most inclusive alarm clock.

I used to give this task to my classes when I was teaching at IBM, and we had the most thought provoking conversations.

There are no good or bad ideas here. But consider that the more inclusive you make it, the more features you add, the more expensive it will get, at some point it will be unreasonable. But the more you compromise on features, the less people will be able to use it.

Let me set one more rule here, it is a standalone clock. Anything it can do it is part of the clock you design. Otherwise, it would be easy to say that you will just connect to it using your phone and an app, which probably would be your most inclusive solution.

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Your Museum is Not Yet Accessible: What Can You Do?

Published January 12, 2024 by Tom

Introduction

As I described earlier, a museum’s accessibility is not a true or false, for that matter, it never will be, but it is a continuous progress towards inclusion and exceptional accessibility. But if you feel that your museum could be more accessible, there is quite a bit you can do. It will not be an overnight process, but there is a lot you can do right now, practically at no or minimal cost to get started.

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How to Design Museums That Cater to the Blind

Published January 5, 2024 by Tom

Introduction

When planning a visit to a museum, one crucial question is often in the minds of many people with disabilities: Is this museum accessible? The significance of this question cannot be overstated. If a museum isn’t accessible, visiting it could turn out to be a frustrating, if not entirely wasted, experience. Conversely, if it is accessible but this information isn’t readily available, potential visitors might miss out on a wonderful opportunity.

It’s essential to understand that the accessibility of a museum is not a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ matter. Most museums fall somewhere in between.

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