An Introduction to Digital Accessibility | Capability @ Lunch Recap

In today’s increasingly digital world, digital accessibility is still too often treated as a ‘nice to have’ — a bonus rather than a baseline. But when we design with accessibility in mind from the outset, we don’t just meet the needs of people with disabilities — we improve experiences for everyone.

This was the key theme of our second Capability @ Lunch session for 2025, led by design lecturers Catherine Caudwell and Gillian McCarthy. With a deep focus on user experience and ethics, they took us through an engaging and enlightening kōrero about why accessibility matters, how it’s defined, and how we can all play a role in creating a more inclusive digital world.

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Why Accessibility Matters

The session opened with a powerful definition from the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative:

“Web accessibility means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them. More specifically, people must be able to perceive, understand, navigate, interact with and contribute to the Web. Web accessibility addresses all disabilities that affect access to the Web, including auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical, speech and visual.”
— W3C Web Accessibility Initiative

Catherine and Gillian emphasised that people are at the centre of this definition. While accessibility is often seen as being only for disabled people, its benefits extend far wider. Think of closed captions, originally designed for Deaf users, now used by people in busy offices, on public transport, or while multitasking. Or curb cuts, initially intended for wheelchair users, now used by parents with prams, travellers with suitcases, and even delivery drivers.

Accessible design is universal design.

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Language Matters: Reframing Disability

The session also explored the language and frameworks we use to talk about disability. Catherine and Gillian made the important distinction between:

• Impairment – A difference or loss of function caused by genetic factors, illness, or injury
• Disability – An inability to participate equally in everyday life due to environmental and societal barriers

In this model, it’s the mismatch between a person and their environment that causes the disabling experience—not the person themselves.

We also looked at the different ways people describe their identities. For example, people-first language (“person with autism”) versus identity-first language (“autistic person”), and what these choices mean. We heard how the capitalised term Deaf refers not just to hearing loss, but to cultural identity and community within the NZ Deaf community.

A highlight was the introduction of the Māori term tāngata whaikaha, which offers a strengths-based, mana-enhancing way of framing disability:

“Tāngata Whaikaha means people who are determined to do well, or is certainly a goal that they reach for. It fits nicely with the goals and aims of people with disabilities who are determined in some way to do well and create opportunities for themselves as opposed to being labelled, as in the past.”
— Maaka Tibble, founding member of the Māori Disability Leadership Group

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Designing for Possibility

The session featured a video from Matt, a legally blind user of adaptive technologies, who generously shared his experiences navigating digital spaces. His story underscored the core message:

Designing for accessibility enables independence, dignity, and participation.

And often, it leads to unexpected innovations that benefit everyone.

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Making It Real: The POUR Principles

To make accessibility actionable, Catherine and Gillian introduced us to the WCAG 2.0 guidelines, which can be remembered with the acronym POUR:

1. Perceivable – Users must be able to access and understand the information
2. Operable – Navigation must be functional and flexible (e.g. not reliant on a mouse)
3. Understandable – Content and interface must be clear and consistent
4. Robust – Designed to work across devices, platforms, and assistive technologies

These principles are the foundation of accessible digital design — and they benefit everyone.

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Why We Must Design for Accessibility

The session wrapped up with four key reasons why designing for accessibility is a must—not a maybe:

1. Human Rights
New Zealand is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), which affirms digital access as a fundamental human right.

2. Regulation
The Plain Language Act is already in place, and a national Digital Accessibility Standard is currently being developed.

3. Financial Opportunity
1 in 6 New Zealanders (17%) lives with a disability. If your website or product isn’t accessible, you’re excluding a significant part of the population — and potential market.

4. Innovation
Many transformative technologies were born from accessible design. The typewriter? Invented to help someone who couldn’t write by hand. Accessibility fuels creativity.

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What’s Next?

If this session sparked your interest, you can go deeper by enrolling in our Digital Accessibility Micro-credential—a short, practical course designed to help you build confidence and capability in accessible design. Find out more and enrol here.

You can also join our Digital Accessibility Discussion Group – a community of practice for Wellingtonians who design, build, and publish web content. We meet in person at Rutherford House on the last Tuesday of each month, from February to November, to share ideas, explore challenges, and discuss ways to improve digital accessibility in our organisations. Whether you’re in the public or private sector, everyone’s welcome — and it’s completely free to attend.

Our next Capability @ Lunch session will explore the world of Leadership in the Age of AI — another critical topic shaping the future of work. Click here to register.

These sessions are proudly brought to you by Kāpuhipuhi Wellington Uni-Professional in partnership with Hāpai Public (formerly IPANZ).