Accessibility Meets Innovation: How The ADA Shaped The Tech Industry

This Disability Pride Month marks 35 years of the ADA. The law laid the foundation—and the tech industry ushered in innovation.

When the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law in 1990, the internet was still in its infancy. Can you believe that smartphones did not yet exist? But even without explicit language around digital access, the ADA set a precedent that would shape how the technology sector develops, designs and delivers the tools we use every day.

Over the last three and a half decades, accessibility has emerged as both a compliance mandate and an innovation engine, proving to be a catalyst that has reshaped product development, talent strategy and inclusive design in tech.

[Read Part One: How The Americans With Disability Act Transformed Corporate Culture]

Accessibility Drives Mainstream Innovation

Some of the most powerful technologies we use every day were initially created as accessibility tools. Voice assistants and speech-to-text software are rooted in support for users with motor impairments. Captions and live transcription, now common in videoconferencing and essential for millennial TV watching, began as accommodations for Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. Even keyboard navigation, screen readers and high-contrast display modes were created to enable blind and partially sighted users to access digital content.

These features now benefit millions globally, proving that designing for disability unlocks universal usability. Here, accessibility technologist Gregg Vanderheiden’s words continue to ring true: “Almost every time we develop something that helps people with disabilities, we make it better for everyone.”

In the past 15 years, the courts have increasingly interpreted ADA Title III, i.e., the prohibition of discrimination in public accommodations, to include digital spaces. Past lawsuits against Target, Domino’s and Netflix helped clarify that if a business serves the public, it must be accessible, regardless of whether that service is online or IRL (in real life).

In response, tech companies began aligning with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure that websites, apps and platforms could be navigated by users with a wide range of needs. Examples include:

In short, the ADA created the legal groundwork, but the tech industry had to decide whether it would simply follow or lead.

Inclusive Tech Hiring And Workplace Design

The ADA’s employment protections within Title I pushed the technology sector to rethink how it recruits, retains and supports disabled talent. From Microsoft’s Neurodiversity Hiring Initiatives and SAP’s Autism at Work to Google Cloud’s Autism Career Program of 2021, technology giants have demonstrated the value of cognitive diversity in tech innovation.

Flexible work arrangements, initially accommodations, became best practices, particularly following the COVID-19 normalization of hybrid work. Tools like screen magnifiers, text readers and ergonomic hardware are now standard in many home and office IT setups—all made possible in part by the Americans with Disabilities Act. These shifts help break the myth that disability is incompatible with high-performance, high-impact tech companies and roles.

The Future Of Accessible Tech

As we move into a future shaped by AI, wearables and immersive digital spaces, accessibility can’t be an afterthought. It must be part of the blueprint.

Tom Shakespeare, a sociologist, puts it this way: “Accessibility is not a technological problem—it's a justice problem.” Companies that embed inclusion at every level of their tech stack will lead not just in ethics, but usher in adoption, customer satisfaction and long-term brand trust.

Come back for part three, the conclusion of this series to learn how we can move beyond compliance despite the ADA and other federal protections being undermined within contemporary public policies.

Photo by Franck on Unsplash

The Inclusive Leadership Newsletter is a must-read for news, tips, and strategies focused on advancing successful diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in technology and across the IT channel. Subscribe today!