Meryl K. Evans, CPACC
Speaker and consultant on accessibility, communication, and experience.
Every July, we talk about the ADA as if the biggest accessibility challenges are still about ramps and regulations. The truth is simpler. Most barriers people run into today aren’t legal issues. They’re the result of everyday design decisions inside digital tools, forms, workflows, and processes.
The ADA set a foundation. It gave us a shared expectation that access matters. But it didn’t anticipate the thousands of small choices organizations make each day that shape whether someone can complete a task, request a service, or participate fully.
The barriers I see most often aren’t dramatic. They’re things like customer support that requires phone calls with no alternative. Forms that require a specific format for names, dates, or phone numbers. Websites that hide essential actions behind icons most people don’t recognize. Processes that assume everyone can navigate the same steps in the same way.
These aren’t about intent. They’re about friction. And friction adds up.
The good news is that organizations can fix these with small changes. Most of the time, improving accessibility doesn’t require a major rebuild. It just requires looking at the experience the way a real person would. Where do they get stuck? What slows them down? What forces them to start over?
If you want to honor the ADA this month, start small. Pick one workflow or form your organization relies on and walk through it with someone who uses assistive technology or has a different access need. Ask what worked and what didn’t. Then fix one thing. That’s progress over perfection in practice.
Access improves when we treat it as part of everyday design, not a once‑a‑year anniversary topic.
About Meryl K. Evans, CPACC
Meryl K. Evans, CPACC, is a professional speaker, LinkedIn Top Voice, trainer, author, consultant in accessibility, disability inclusion, and inclusive marketing and communications. Born profoundly deaf, she is a highly regarded speaker on disability inclusion and accessibility. She has spoken to many companies and at many events including TEDx and SXSW. When she speaks, she focuses on the three E’s: educating, entertaining, and encouraging action.