10 Life Lessons on Accessibility
About accessibility, flawed arguments and assumptions
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This newsletter is a week late for the simple reason that I was unwell and my body thought it was a great idea to spend some time in A&E. Twice. I’m much better now (thanks, NHS!) I had some time to reflect on my work and life while resting. So here are some lessons and thoughts I had last week that I wanted to share:
1. “Accessibility benefits everyone, not just disabled people”, is a flawed argument
Yes, “Accessibility benefits everyone” sounds great, but it is not the best argument if we really appreciate disabled people. And it isn’t always true either. An induction loop benefits people with hearing aids, a Changing Place benefits those who need a hoist and a bench for their toilet needs and a wheelchair space on a train benefits wheelchair users. These are all important features I wouldn’t want to miss, even though they only benefit a certain group of people - disabled people.
The designer Cathy Malcolm Edwards wrote on LinkedIn recently, “When we frame accessibility as something that only gains value if it serves everyone, we risk sidelining the core truth: accessibility is about equity, rights, and dignity. It’s about removing barriers so people can participate fully, whether or not others happen to find those features convenient.” I couldn’t agree more and won’t use this argument anymore.
2. Disability is part of human diversity
Disability isn't something to "overcome" or "fix" - it's a natural part of human variation. Embracing this perspective shifts focus from changing people to changing environments and systems. Social Model of Disability for the win! I strongly believe that if accessibility work and initiatives are not based on the social model, they cause more harm than good.
3. Nothing About Us, Without Us
The most important voices in accessibility conversations are those with lived experience of disability. I find it very confusing how some people separate the topics of accessibility and disability completely from each other. They have non-disabled teams, they don’t get disabled people involved and think they do something good. It doesn’t work like that. Talk to the people who are affected by the decisions and don’t just pick the convenient voices.
4. The people who shout the loudest about what they do for disabled people are very likely PLODS
People who make the loudest noise about their support of disabled people are often what I call PLODs - People Living Off Disabled people. This can be individuals or organisations. They are eager to highlight every action, grant, or project that looks like it supports accessibility or disabled people, but frequently, their actions aren’t aligned with genuine inclusion. Instead, PLODs thrive on attention, awards, and funding, rather than listening to disabled people, sharing power or considering long-lasting impact and meaningful change.
True progress is rarely found in headline-grabbing gestures, but in consistent advocacy that centres disabled voices and sustainable outcomes. They hardly ever base their work on the social model of disability, but on charity, because that doesn’t require listening to disabled people and self-reflection.
5. Small decisions can have a massive impact - positive and negative
I really wish more people knew that small decisions can affect people’s lives and are often a matter of better inclusion or no inclusion. Not fixing a toilet seat but leaving it till after the weekend means that wheelchair users visiting over the weekend will have serious issues using the toilet at all. Placing the emergency alarm cord at a high level will impact everyone who has a fall and can’t get up from the floor. This is strongly linked to the lack of knowledge about what certain features are for and why they are important. But doing something that looks very minor can often have a big positive impact.
6. Accessibility is a process, not a destination
There's no "perfectly accessible" endpoint. It's an ongoing duty to learn, improve, and adapt as we gain a deeper understanding of diverse needs. It’s also not a pick-and-choose. Just because a place has a ramp doesn’t mean the work is done. “What can we do next?” should always be the question at the end of a successful project.
7. Language shapes reality, and reality is mirrored in language
I don’t correct how people speak normally, but language is a clear indicator of inclusion and understanding for me, especially if people do accessibility for a living or are constantly in touch with the topic. Avoiding the term “disabled” is a big red flag. Telling me I have “special needs” is like telling me I’m asking for too much and I don’t belong. My needs are not special. I just want to participate and therefore need adjustments or inclusive design. There’s nothing special about this. Not everyone has the same needs, and that’s okay.
8. Accessibility looks different for everyone
True accessibility isn't about making everyone do things the same way; it's about providing multiple pathways to achieve the same goals and outcomes. Give people options. E.g. sending everyone to a help point - no matter if they can reach it or not, if they can use an intercom or not, if they can find it or not, is not an accessibility concept. It’s just box ticking.
9. Assumptions are the enemy of inclusion
The most embarrassing situations I've had in life were those when people assumed what I want, what I do, and what I can’t be and when I assumed things about others. When I worked as a journalist, I was told at the press desk that the PR material “is only for journalists” assuming I can’t be one; when I worked in railway I was told I must be in the wrong meeting room because the meeting was “only for senior managers” and on business trips the flight attendants asked me countless of times how my holiday was and if I had a nice time even when most of the trips where certainly not holiday destinations. And I’m not immune to assumptions myself. When I worked at the BBC, I assumed that my blind colleague must be working for radio, not TV. Assumptions are a huge barrier to accessibility because they often reflect limited imagination about what’s possible and what is needed to achieve inclusion.
10. Accessibility is a human right, not a favour
Access to information, the built environment and opportunities isn't something to be grateful for. It's a fundamental right. Framing accessibility as charity undermines these rights.
Some interesting links
They are not the first in the UK; that was LNER, but still good news: Passengers who prefer to pre-book assistance when travelling by train can now request assistance at the same time as booking rail tickets on the Greater Anglia website. Disabled people also have only 24 hours in a day and shouldn’t need to do so many repetitive tasks before being able to travel - search the train, book the ticket, then search the train again and book assistance is just a ridiculous customer experience. Now roll it out nationally and integrate it into the train operators’ app, and let me book the wheelchair space like any other seat without much singing and dancing.
Did you know that there is a global deaf restaurant map where you can find restaurants with deaf owners and/or staff?
Are blind people better at perceiving auditory motion? And if so, why? A study examined these questions to understand how people perceive motion (e.g., traffic) and how this perception changes when people are blind.
Something to watch
ABC in Australia explains the social model of disability in a short film called “Rethinking Disability”. I wish they had adjusted their language to the social model as well (people with disabilities vs disabled people), but that’s me being heavily influenced by British English, of course.
Some final words
A friend sent me this cartoon after we discussed the new inaccessible footbridges that Network Rail plans to install in Kent and other places.
The Accessible Link is a reader-supported publication.
Who is writing this newsletter?
I’m Christiane Link, and I improve the customer experience in aviation, transport, and travel. I worked as a journalist for over two decades and travelled extensively for business and leisure. I’m a wheelchair user.
Work with me
Whether you're a Customer Service Director, a Head of Customer Experience, a corporate Accessibility Manager, a DEI leader, a transport planner, or a member of a disabled employee resource group, I can help you make your organisation more inclusive. You can book me for speaking engagements or hire me as a consultant for your accessibility or DEI strategy, communications advice and other related matters. I have worked for airlines, airports, train operators, public transport providers, and companies in other sectors.
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