Imagine setting off to the shops. You know where you’re going, you’ve planned your journey, and there’s nothing unusual about what you’re doing.
Until you reach a dropped kerb and discover that a car is blocking it.
You ask the driver to move. They refuse. Worse still, they sit in the car and laugh.
For a wheelchair user, this isn’t simply an inconsiderate driver or an annoying delay. It can mean being unable to continue a journey that other people take for granted.
Finding another route might be difficult or unsafe. Waiting might not be practical. Something as ordinary as going to the shops has suddenly become a problem because someone else has decided that their convenience matters more than another person’s ability to get through.
Now, imagine that was you.
How would you feel if you couldn’t continue your journey because someone refused to move their car? What if they laughed when you explained why you needed them to move?
You might feel frustrated, embarrassed, angry or powerless. You might wonder why something so simple had to become such a struggle.
And what if this wasn’t an isolated incident? What if you encountered similar barriers every week, sometimes every day?
You don’t have to intend to exclude someone to create a barrier. Sometimes, all it takes is failing to consider how someone else experience might differ from your own.
We often talk about accessibility in terms of ramps, lifts, accessible toilets and designated parking spaces. These things matter enormously, but accessibility doesn’t stop at the entrance to a building.
It also depends on where people park, whether pavements are clear, how websites are designed, how information is communicated and how we respond when someone tells us there’s a problem.
Some barriers are created by poor design. Others happen because people haven’t considered how their actions affect someone else. And sometimes, people know there’s a problem but choose to ignore it.
Whatever the cause, the consequences can be real.
So let’s look at some everyday situations, consider how they affect disabled people and explore the small changes that can make a genuine difference.
1. When the pavement isn’t really a pavement anymore
Imagine walking down your usual street.
Someone has left their wheelie bin in the middle of the pavement. A delivery driver has put parcels and a trolley outside a shop. Further along, a trades-person has left equipment where people need to walk.
You can step around the obstacles without giving them a second thought.
But not everyone has that option.
For a wheelchair user, the remaining space might be too narrow to pass. For a blind or partially sighted person, an unexpected obstacle could present a risk of injury. Someone with limited mobility might find it difficult to negotiate the obstruction and return to the pavement.
The person who left the bin outside might not even be there to see the problem. The delivery driver might be concentrating on completing a round. The trades-person might simply need somewhere to put their equipment while working.
None of these situations necessarily involves someone intending to exclude a disabled person.
But the effect can still be exclusion.
Think about it this way: if you can step around something, it’s easy to assume that everyone else can do the same. You might not even register the obstacle as a problem.
For someone else, it could be the difference between continuing their journey independently and having to stop, ask for help or find another route.
What can we do differently?
Keep pedestrian routes clear wherever possible. Think about the space other people need, and don’t assume everyone can simply walk around an obstacle.
If you’re carrying out work, making a delivery or putting something outside your property, consider where people will walk and whether you’re leaving enough room for them to pass safely.
It’s a small consideration that can make someone’s journey much easier.
2. When helping becomes taking over
Imagine seeing a blind person approaching a set of steps.
You want to help, so you reach out, take their arm and start guiding them.
Your intention is good. You don’t want them to trip or fall.
But there’s something you haven’t considered: you haven’t asked whether they want assistance.
They might already know where the steps are. They might have a technique that works for them. Or they might welcome your help but prefer you to explain where the steps begin rather than physically guide them.
The difficulty isn’t that you offered help. It’s that you made the decision for them.
This is something that can happen when people are unfamiliar with disability. They see someone who might need assistance and immediately step in, without considering that the person may already know exactly what they’re doing.
The same principle applies to other situations. Someone might automatically speak to a disabled person’s companion instead of addressing the disabled person directly. Another person might assume that a wheelchair user needs their chair pushed without asking permission.
These actions may come from kindness, but they can leave someone feeling that their independence and choices aren’t being respected.
Imagine how frustrating it would be if people regularly took control of situations without asking you first.
What can we do differently?
Ask before helping. Listen to the answer and respect the person’s choice.
If they accept your offer, ask what would be helpful rather than assuming you know.
Being helpful doesn’t mean taking control. Sometimes, the most helpful thing we can do is ask.
3. When a dropped kerb becomes a dead end
Let’s return to the wheelchair user trying to get to the shops.
Dropped kerbs are an important part of making streets accessible. They allow wheelchair users and some other people with mobility difficulties to move between the pavement and the road more easily.
But their usefulness depends on being able to reach them.
Imagine someone parking across a dropped kerb because they’re unloading equipment, visiting a nearby property or waiting for someone.
They might think they’ll only be there for a few minutes.
Perhaps they assume that because they’re sitting in the car, they can move if necessary. Perhaps they haven’t considered why the dropped kerb matters.
Now imagine a wheelchair user arrives and asks them to move.
In the incident described at the beginning of this article, the driver reportedly refused and laughed rather than making way.
That behaviour goes beyond an innocent oversight. Once someone explains the difficulty, refusing to consider their needs can turn an avoidable obstruction into a deliberate barrier.
For the wheelchair user, the consequences might include having to wait, finding another crossing point or abandoning the journey.
For the driver, moving the car might take very little effort.
The difference between those two experiences is precisely why considering other people’s needs matters.
We should also remember that dropped kerbs can help parents with pushchairs, people using mobility aids and others who find raised kerbs difficult to negotiate.
What can we do differently?
Avoid blocking dropped kerbs and accessible routes. If you’ve accidentally obstructed one, move when it’s safe to do so.
Most importantly, when someone explains that your actions are preventing them from getting through, listen rather than dismissing their concern.
What feels like a minor inconvenience to one person can be a significant obstacle to another.
4. When a conversation leaves someone out
Imagine a group of colleagues chatting during a meeting.
One colleague is deaf or hard of hearing.
People begin talking over one another. Someone speaks while facing the screen. Another colleague makes a comment from across the room, and the conversation moves on before everyone has had a chance to follow it.
Everyone else seems to be having a perfectly normal conversation.
But the colleague who is struggling to hear may miss important information, find it difficult to contribute or eventually stop trying to join in.
Nobody may have intended to exclude them. Everyone was simply caught up in the discussion.
Yet one person is being left out of something everyone else takes for granted.
Similar difficulties can occur in everyday social situations.
Imagine meeting friends in a restaurant where several people talk at once. If you’re deaf or hard of hearing, following the conversation might require considerable concentration. You may find yourself watching people’s faces, trying to work out what was said and asking others to repeat themselves.
After a while, you might become tired of trying to keep up.
From the outside, someone might mistakenly think you’re quiet, uninterested or not joining in.
In reality, you’re working harder than everyone else just to participate.
What can we do differently?
When speaking to someone who is deaf or hard of hearing, face them where possible, avoid talking over other people and make sure important information is communicated clearly.
If you’re in a meeting, consider whether people can follow the discussion and access the information being shared.
The aim isn’t to make every conversation formal or awkward. It’s to make participation easier.
Sometimes, inclusion simply means remembering that a conversation that works perfectly for you might not work equally well for everyone else.
5. When the website works perfectly — for the person who built it
Now let’s move from the pavement to the internet.
A business owner checks their website on a laptop. The colours look good, the images load, the menus work and the checkout process seems straightforward.
They conclude that the website is accessible.
But what happens when a blind customer tries to use it with a screen reader?
Perhaps some buttons aren’t labelled properly. Perhaps images don’t have meaningful alternative text. Perhaps the customer cannot work out which form fields need completing or where to find the information they need.
The website looks perfectly fine, but using it becomes a frustrating exercise in trial and error.
The customer might eventually give up and buy from a competitor.
The business may never discover why it lost the sale.
Other customers might encounter different barriers.
Someone with a motor impairment may struggle with controls that require precise movements. Someone with dyslexia may find dense paragraphs and confusing navigation difficult to work through. A person with low vision might struggle with small text or poor colour contrast.
These examples aren’t all the same, and not every disabled person will experience the same difficulties. The important point is that people interact with digital services in different ways.
A website that works for its designer doesn’t automatically work for everyone who needs to use it.
What can we do differently?
Don’t judge accessibility solely by looking at a screen and deciding that everything appears fine.
Consider how people navigate the site, whether information is understandable, whether controls are properly labelled and whether assistive technology can be used effectively.
Test the website using different methods of access and involve disabled people in identifying barriers.
Digital accessibility isn’t just about making a website look good. It’s about making it usable.
6. When the background noise isn’t just background noise
Imagine visiting a busy cafe.
Music is playing. The coffee machine is running. Several conversations are happening at once, and chairs are scraping across the floor.
For some customers, it’s simply a lively atmosphere.
For someone with sensory processing differences, it might become overwhelming. A person with certain hearing difficulties might struggle to distinguish speech from background noise. Someone who experiences fatigue or finds busy environments difficult to process might need a quieter space or a break.
The person choosing the music or running the cafe might never have considered that the atmosphere they enjoy could make the experience difficult for someone else.
This doesn’t mean every cafe must be silent or that every environment can meet every person’s needs at all times.
It means recognising that people experience environments differently.
A similar situation can occur in shops, classrooms, offices and public buildings. Bright lighting, strong smells, crowded spaces or unpredictable noise can make an environment difficult for some people to manage.
Someone might leave early, avoid visiting altogether or need time to recover afterwards.
Other people may not notice anything unusual about the environment.
What can we do differently?
Where practical, businesses and organisations can consider quieter periods, quieter seating areas, clearer communication and ways for people to find out what to expect before visiting.
The important thing is not to assume that everyone experiences a busy environment in the same way.
Sometimes, a small adjustment can make the difference between someone avoiding a place and being able to enjoy it.
7. When information is available, but not accessible
Imagine arriving at a hospital, college or public building.
There are signs everywhere, but they’re difficult to read. The print is small, the lighting creates glare, or the directions rely on colour alone.
Someone asks you to complete a form, but the instructions are unclear. An important announcement is made verbally, with no written information available.
If you can see the signs clearly, hear the announcement and read the form comfortably, you might not notice a problem.
But someone with a visual impairment may struggle to find their destination. A deaf person might miss the announcement. Someone with a learning disability may need information presented in clearer language.
Someone else might struggle to process a large amount of information when they’re stressed or unfamiliar with the environment.
The information technically exists, but that doesn’t automatically mean everyone can access or understand it.
Think about how often we say things like, “The instructions are right there,” or, “We announced it earlier.”
Those statements assume that everyone could see the instructions or hear the announcement in the first place.
What can we do differently?
Consider how information is presented, whether people can perceive it and whether they can understand what they need to do.
That might involve clearer signs, accessible digital information, written announcements, alternative formats or simpler instructions.
The important question isn’t simply, “Have we provided the information?”
It’s, “Can the people who need this information actually use it?”
8. When plans change, but nobody considers the consequences
Imagine attending a training session at work.
You’ve arranged the support you need, checked the location and planned your journey.
Then the room changes at the last minute.
Everyone else receives a quick message or follows the crowd. But you don’t receive the update in an accessible format, or the new location presents difficulties that weren’t present in the original arrangement.
Perhaps the alternative room is upstairs without a suitable lift. Perhaps the new meeting platform isn’t compatible with the assistive technology you use. Perhaps the documents for the session are sent out in a format you cannot easily access.
What appears to be a minor administrative change can suddenly become a major obstacle.
This can happen in education, employment, healthcare and social settings.
The person making the change might be trying to solve a practical problem. They may simply not realise that changing one detail can affect someone’s ability to participate.
The difficulty isn’t necessarily the change itself. It’s making the change without considering who might be affected.
What can we do differently?
Communicate changes clearly and in accessible formats. Consider whether new arrangements affect anyone’s ability to participate, and give people an opportunity to explain what they need.
Not every problem can be anticipated, and sometimes changes are unavoidable.
But thinking ahead and being willing to make adjustments can prevent a manageable change from becoming an unnecessary barrier.
9. When someone has to explain the same thing again and again
Imagine telling a colleague that you need meeting documents in advance because you use assistive technology to read them.
They agree.
The next meeting arrives, and the documents are sent out at the last minute.
You explain again.
The following week, it happens again.
Nobody has openly refused to make an adjustment. Nobody has necessarily said anything unkind. But the same problem keeps happening, and the responsibility for resolving it repeatedly falls on you.
Over time, having to explain the same need can become exhausting.
It can also make you wonder whether anyone has really listened.
This situation isn’t limited to employment. A student might have to repeatedly explain an agreed support arrangement. A customer might have to explain their access requirements every time they contact a service. Someone might have to keep asking for information in a format they’ve already requested.
Each individual incident might seem relatively small to the person dealing with the request.
But for the person affected, the repeated effort adds up.
They have to spend time explaining, reminding people and finding solutions to problems that could often have been prevented.
What can we do differently?
Where appropriate, record agreed arrangements, plan ahead and build accessibility into everyday processes rather than relying on someone to ask for the same thing repeatedly.
Listen when people explain what works for them, and take reasonable steps to make sure those arrangements are followed.
Inclusion becomes much more meaningful when people don’t have to fight the same battle every time they need something.
10. When we assume that everyone experiences the world as we do
There’s another barrier that runs through all these examples: the assumptions we make.
We assume that everyone can step around an obstacle, follow a conversation, read a sign, navigate a website or cope with a noisy environment.
We assume that if something works for us, it must work for other people.
We might even assume that if we haven’t seen a problem ourselves, it probably doesn’t exist.
But disability doesn’t look the same for everyone, and people don’t all interact with the world in the same way.
Two people with the same disability might have different needs. Someone might need assistance in one situation but not another. A person might manage something independently one day and need an adjustment on another.
That’s why there isn’t one universal approach that works for every disabled person.
The solution isn’t to memorise a list of rules and assume you’ve covered every possibility.
It’s to become more aware of the barriers that can arise, listen when someone explains a difficulty and remain open to doing things differently.
You don’t have to know everything about every disability.
But you can recognise that your experience isn’t universal.
And you can be willing to learn when someone Elise’s experience shows you something you hadn’t considered.
So, what can we all do differently?
We don’t need to turn every everyday interaction into a complicated exercise.
Often, the most useful changes are straightforward.
Before leaving something on a pavement, consider whether someone can get past it.
Before physically helping a disabled person, ask whether they’d like assistance.
During a conversation, consider whether everyone can follow what’s being said.
When providing information, think about whether people can access and understand it.
When designing a website, don’t assume that because it works for you, it works for everyone.
When making changes to a service, meeting or environment, consider who might be affected.
And when someone points out a barrier, listen.
You might not have realised there was a problem. You might not have encountered it yourself. You might even initially find it difficult to understand why something that seems so minor matters so much.
That’s an opportunity to learn, not a reason to dismiss the concern.
We should also recognise that responsibility doesn’t rest entirely with individual people. Businesses, employers, educational institutions and service providers need to consider accessibility when designing their environments, systems and services.
Disabled people shouldn’t have to encounter a barrier before anyone starts thinking about how to remove it.
And they shouldn’t have to do all the work of explaining why accessibility matters.
Accessibility starts when we consider someone Elise’s experience
Think back to the wheelchair user who couldn’t get past the blocked dropped kerb.
The driver might have seen a request to move a car.
The wheelchair user experienced a barrier to their journey.
Those are two very different perspectives on the same situation.
The same is true of the pavement obstacle, the inaccessible website, the conversation someone struggles to follow and the meeting where agreed arrangements are overlooked.
One person might see a small detail. Another person might experience a significant obstacle.
Understanding that difference is an important part of making inclusion real.
It doesn’t mean assuming that every disabled person needs the same things. It doesn’t mean feeling guilty every time we discover we’ve overlooked something.
It means being willing to consider how our actions affect other people, listen when they tell us something isn’t working and make changes where we can.
Sometimes, the solution is as simple as moving something out of the way.
Sometimes, it means changing how we communicate.
And sometimes, it means looking more carefully at a website, workplace, building or service to identify barriers we would never notice through our own experience alone.
The important thing is to recognise that accessibility isn’t just about the facilities we provide or the policies we write.
It’s about whether people can actually use those facilities, access those services and participate in everyday life.
What if you were the person who couldn’t get through?
The next time you park a car, leave something on a pavement, design a website, organise a meeting or make a decision that affects other people, take a moment to think.
Does this work only for me, or have I considered the people who might experience it differently?
You won’t always get everything right. None of us does.
But noticing a barrier, listening to the person affected and being willing to change something can make a real difference.
You don’t have to intend to exclude someone to create a barrier. But once you recognise that barrier, you have an opportunity to help remove it.
That’s where everyday awareness becomes meaningful action.
And that’s how we start to make inclusion real.
Want to make your organisation more accessible?
Sometimes, organisations overlook barriers simply because they experience their buildings, websites and services differently from the people who encounter them.
A website might appear straightforward to the person who designed it. A building might seem easy to navigate to someone who knows the layout. A service might appear simple to staff who use it every day.
But the experience can be very different for a disabled customer, visitor, student or employee.
At AbillityU, our Accessibility Reviews draw on lived experience to help organisations identify practical barriers and understand where improvements could make a difference.
We offer three options:
- Click & Access: A review of digital services, including websites, online shops and apps.
- Walk & Access: A review of physical premises and the experience of accessing and using them.
- Click, Walk & Access: A combined option covering both digital services and physical premises.
Our approach focuses on real-world experiences, practical recommendations and meaningful improvements.
If you’re ready to look at accessibility from the perspective of the people who use your services, explore our Accessibility Reviews page and discover how AbillityU can help you make inclusion real.
AbillityU — Make inclusion real.