International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Today we celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Three quick notes:1.- As mentioned in this article (https://patriciagestoso.com/2019/06/10/disability-as-an-innovation-driver/), we assume that low visibility in the media correlates with a small business opportunity. The World Bank estimates that there are 1 billion people - 15% of the world’s population – that experience some form of disability. Their friends and family add about 2.4 billion of potential customers. In all, this constitutes a market the size of China ($8 trillion/year). Closer to home, the UK’s 12 million people with disabilities have a spending power of £120 billion as per AbilityNet, a British charity focused on the digital inclusion of people with disabilities. 2.- Our privileges (gender, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic) make us oblivious to the disadvantages of others. Additionally, we generalize other people’s experiences based on our preferences, environment, and upbringing. As most of this behaviour is unconscious, how can we free ourselves from those constraints and develop more inclusive products?You can use Empathy Prompts (https://patriciagestoso.com/2018/04/28/the-journey-begins/), a website that helps creators of digital products to build empathy and design more inclusively.3.- Still wondering why should you care about inclusive design? In this article (https://patriciagestoso.com/2020/07/05/unlocking-change-with-ethical-and-inclusive-design/), I share my own – and hard - awakening to ethical and inclusive design and also how you can start too with a free online assessment tool.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities - 3rd Decemberhttps://patriciagestoso.com/2020/07/05/unlocking-change-with-ethical-and-inclusive-design/

International Day of Persons with Disabilities - 3rd Decemberhttps://patriciagestoso.com/2020/07/05/unlocking-change-with-ethical-and-inclusive-design/