Imagine walking into a restaurant in a foreign country. It’s beautiful — warm lights, elegant décor, and the mouthwatering aroma of freshly cooked food wafting through the air. You feel a little out of place, but also excited to try something new. This place seems promising.
You find a table, sit down, and pick up the menu, eager to order. But the menu is entirely in a language you don’t understand. No translations. No pictures. No explanations. You flip it back and forth, hoping something will click. You try to ask the waiter for help, but they don’t speak your language either. They smile politely but point back to the menu, assuming that should be enough. You feel stuck. Embarrassed. A little helpless. You weren’t expecting this much effort just to order a meal.
Still hungry and a bit frustrated, you decide to at least use the washroom before leaving. But when you go searching for it, you find signs that are, again, written in a language you don’t understand. There are no symbols, no familiar markers — just words that mean nothing to you. You’re left guessing, hoping you’ll open the right door.
And in that moment, it hits you: This place wasn’t designed for someone like me. Not on purpose, of course. It’s just that no one thought to make it easier for someone who doesn’t speak the local language to find their way. It’s not hostile — just not inclusive.
That’s what inaccessibility feels like — not always cruel or deliberate, just quietly and consistently exclusive. People with disabilities face it every day, everywhere.
This month, at Help the Blind Foundation, we’re launching a campaign titled “For an Accessible Tomorrow.” Through blogs, stories, and conversations, we want to gently open up a dialogue on accessibility — especially for the visually impaired — and explore how each of us can contribute, in small or big ways, to making the world a little easier to navigate for everyone.
Our goal is simple: to build awareness, and generate dialogue around what accessibility really means, and to encourage people to reimagine everyday spaces and systems through a more inclusive lens.
The concept of Universal Design is one of the powerful tools we have to understand how we create products, environments and systems more accessible and inclusive to everyone. In this blog, let us quickly take you through this concept and hopefully inspire you to integrate more accessibility into everything you do in your daily life.
Universal Design in a Nutshell
At its core, Universal Design is the idea that environments, products, and services should be usable by all people – to the greatest extent possible — without the need for adaptation or specialized design. It’s not about creating separate solutions for people with disabilities. It’s about creating solutions that work better for everyone.
Think of audiobooks — originally created for those who prefer listening over reading. Today, they benefit not only the visually impaired but also the elderly and individuals learning a new language. Similarly, audio announcements on public transport systems like metros and buses aren’t just useful for visually impaired passengers; they assist newcomers to the city, people with reading difficulties, and those who may not speak the local language. Subtitles, curb cuts, and countless other examples remind us the beauty of Universal Design: when you design with the margins in mind, everyone benefits.
There are seven core principles of Universal Design, ranging from equitable use and flexibility to intuitive operation and low physical effort. But you don’t need to memorize them to start making a difference. The essence is simple: design that considers differences, not just averages.
A Reality Check
Despite the growing awareness around accessibility, the reality today is that most spaces and systems are still built for a ‘default’ user — someone able-bodied, sighted, hearing, and neurotypical. This leaves millions of people navigating a world that isn’t designed with them in mind.
For visually impaired individuals, that could mean ATMs without audio guidance, websites incompatible with screen readers, or elevators with no Braille. For others, it could be classrooms that don’t support diverse learning needs, or workplaces that confuse ‘equality’ with ‘sameness.’
In many ways, inaccessibility isn’t always obvious until it’s experienced. And because the people most affected by it are often excluded from the design process, the gaps go unnoticed, unchallenged, and unrepaired.
How Can We Change This?
We can start by asking a simple question: Who might be left out? Whether you’re a designer, developer, educator, manager, policymaker, or just someone planning an event — asking this question changes how you think. It invites empathy into the process. It nudges you to check if your website works with a screen reader, if your instructions are clear enough without visuals, if your space is navigable without sight.
- Here are a few small but meaningful steps:
- Add alt text to every image you post online.
- Use accessible fonts and high-contrast colors.
- Ensure videos have captions.
- Use clear, simple language in communication.
- Test your website or app with a screen reader.
- Invite people with disabilities to give feedback and co-create solutions.
Accessibility doesn’t have to be expensive or perfect. It just has to be intentional. The road to a truly accessible world isn’t a straight line. It’s a collective journey — one that involves policy, design, education, empathy, and above all, a willingness to listen and adapt.
Accessibility is not a checkbox — it’s a mindset. It’s about building a world where nobody has to feel like that traveler in the restaurant, lost in translation. It’s about choosing inclusion over convenience, empathy over assumption, and design that welcomes rather than excludes.
The third Thursday of every May is observed as Global Accessibility Awareness Day — a moment to spark conversations and foster meaningful dialogue around inclusion. In honor of this, our For an Accessible Tomorrow campaign will continue to bring you tutorials, stories, and conversations that inform, inspire, and empower you to think, act, and create with accessibility in mind — especially for those who are visually impaired. As we move forward, we invite you to walk alongside us — to learn, question, design, and make a lasting impact.
Because when the world is easier to navigate for the few, it becomes better for everyone