2020 brought unexpected challenges to the world, forcing businesses everywhere to hastily adapt to a world that wasn’t leaving the house. A handful of these changes came with side effects that directly benefited many people with disabilities, such as the ability to work in the comfort of home and the expansion of food delivery services. Here’s a look at how a few 2021 business trends directly influence accessibility, for better or for worse — but mostly better.
1. Telecommuting and work/life balance
Four in ten workers in America report that their job can be done mostly or completely at home, and the number of people permanently working remotely is projected to double in 2021.
With the option to stay at home and skip commuting, workers with mobility or pain issues skip unnecessary exhaustion and discomfort, while those with anxiety can work in a familiar and safe environment.
However, as the living room becomes the new office, the line between work and home is only getting blurrier. The expectation to always be available can cause workers’ mental health to suffer, with up to 80% reporting considering quitting their job due to stress. Digital well-being advocates such as eWorkLife are calling for policymakers to identify the shifting balance between work and life as a mental health issue and enact regulation and rules to protect the mental health of remote workers.
2. Telehealth/virtual doctor appointments
Staying healthy is more important than ever, and with doctors’ offices and hospitals adding to the potential of exposure to infection, many healthcare providers are opting to meet with patients via virtual appointments rather than requiring face-to-face visits. Not only does telehealth offer some of the same benefits as telecommuting, but a recent study revealed that virtual doctor appointments were notably beneficial to nearly everyone, especially people with emotional or mental disorders, with methods such as mental health monitoring and surveillance proven to be as or more effective when done virtually.
3. The touch-free experience
Although touch-free bathroom features aren’t new, manual bathroom faucets and toilets are still common, posing potential hazards or difficulty to those with mobility issues and leaving others at higher risk of illness. In 2021, many property managers are making a touch-free bathroom experience a priority, experimenting with improvements such as touch-free toilets and faucets. While these may not yet be affordable for average consumers, businesses and public services such as hotels and airports are quickly adopting these advancements to help reduce the spread of germs in public areas.
4. Explosion of delivery services
Pandemic or not, everyone needs to eat, and in 2020, delivery food services became a game-changer. Millennials prefer eating in over eating out, opting to order take out over three times as often as their older counterparts. Grocery delivery is gaining popularity as well, expected to reach half of all American consumers by 2024. [Read: Record-Shattering Online Grocery Sales Highlight Need for Digital Accessibility.]
Food delivery offers less travel required, increased sanitation, and no need to enter an unfamiliar environment — but food delivery sites and apps still have a way to go before everyone can use them comfortably. Delivery apps have been criticized in the past for being difficult to use, with features as simple as the order button being too small and precise for a number of people with disabilities. In order to successfully dominate the markets, food delivery services need to make their websites and apps as accessible as possible, or risk alienating and further frustrating an already under-represented demographic.
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