WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

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Re: Usability vs. Accessibility

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From: Tim Harshbarger
Date: Mar 23, 2016 4:42AM

I've reached the personal point where I think there really is only one difference between accessibility and usability. The difference being that, in accessibility, we focus on users that may have some type or degree of disability that impacts how they interact with user interfaces (be it web pages, apps, or devices.) Usability in general can also include people with disabilities. However, most people who practice general usability don't specialize on a particular group of users like we do.

I think sometimes the two can appear to be different things. I think that is because most things you read about usability tend to focus on trying to create an optimal user interface, while we still find ourselves struggling with questions about whether or not something can be used. My hope is that, as our own profession matures, we are able to adopt techniques from usability that will help us make better decisions and make progress on the level of accessibility.

Thanks,
Tim