Building an Online Business When You Are Blind

Building a website is near and dear to my heart because so much of my origin story revolves around building an online business as a blind person. I have to be much more flexible and adaptable than my sighted counterparts because, quite often, people who are blind or have low vision have to deal with tools that just aren't fully accessible. Then, when we find tools we love, there's always the chance they could go away. Companies sell or go out of business, and there we are, starting all over again on limited budgets with very little outside help.

Why Online Business?

I started my first website in 2007 after my dad's death resulted in the closure of our small traveling carnival. After accepting that I was no longer in the carnival business, I decided I could help other people broker their used amusement park equipment—something I'd helped my family with for years.

The first thing I had to do was build a website. Back then, the internet was even less accessible than it is now. I found W3Schools and taught myself HTML, making lots of mistakes, including picking a color palette so bright that people used to yell—but I persisted. After someone said any successful site needed a blog, I thankfully had switched to Mac and found Red Sweater's excellent app for uploading posts with minimal time spent on the back end.

In 2012, I migrated to WordPress, which has a long-standing investment in accessibility. Over the years, their tools have changed, and I have friends running older theme versions to avoid the full site editor. I know people who've moved to Drupal or are trying site builders from GoDaddy or Wix. I'm personally considering Umbraco, as I know they have an investment in accessibility too.

Required Inaccessibility

As I've progressed from ride broker to life coach to podcast host, finally landing in my perfect place as an accessibility champion, I've been frustrated by other sites and businesses I've had to cope with.

For years, Calendly was the best booking option on the front end, but setting up your account was impossible for blind users. They finally improved the back end, though it's still more frustrating than necessary. However, many people I need to connect with now use HighLevel's calendar, which is barely accessible.

Some beloved software changes and becomes unrecognizable. Mad Mimi was a simplified email newsletter program with minimalistic design. When new owners bought the company, they immediately added bells and whistles that made it much less accessible. I've been trying new email programs ever since. So far, I'm using LinkedIn's newsletter option because creating posts there is easy—but unlike traditional email programs, I can't take my mailing list with me if I leave LinkedIn. In online business, there are few things everyone agrees on, but owning your list is one of them.

As a freelance author, I often encounter great projects only available if I use their preferred submission platform. Sometimes inaccessibility means passing on good opportunities. Other times, it means contacting directors about accommodations. Thankfully, my editors at AudioEye, PHP Architect, and Writers Weekly worked with me to discover the best ways of handling edits, but I know that won't always be the case.

People mistakenly believe Google Docs, MS Teams, and Slack are accessible collaboration tools. While they invest in accessibility and may be functional, I think they're too complicated. It's important to remember that not everyone who needs accessibility has a disability—many are dealing with age, some like me with both, and honestly, I've never been a real tech guy. I'm just a guy who figures out how to do what he needs to do.

Form inaccessibility is a huge daily challenge. Forms may require clicking a mouse button—I don't use a mouse. Designers fail to break forms into smaller pieces, use confusing elements, don't give detailed instructions, or don't indicate when items are completed correctly.

Building a social media following is generally okay, though most sites could make photo submission more reliable for blind users. I always have to post asking how my images turned out, sometimes getting friends to edit my profile image so it looks good.

Perseverance

I recently accepted the challenge of turning my podcast, "The Accessibility Advantage," from weekly pre-recorded to daily live. After researching five different platforms, I still don't have a truly accessible option—and my definition includes technically accessible, easy to use, and reasonably affordable. My frustration led me to write about how maddening it is that I don't have the same communication opportunities as my sighted counterparts.

We deal with options that don't quite fulfill our needs, making us less productive and requiring more time to accomplish the same tasks. We know our favorite software could go out of business, be bought out, or go in a less accessible direction. We're uncertain whether we can replace good options when they disappear. We don't like needing assistance for things everyone else does independently. Living with these obstacles requires significant patience, determination, and resilience.

Empathy and Opportunity

After learning about my frustration, I hope you'll help me advocate for more accessible tools and help software builders realize what they're missing. Millions of people like me are trying to build online businesses despite having disabilities. Some have entrepreneurial spirits; others are tired of not finding traditional employment. Still more would love to start businesses but don't because they're overwhelmed by inaccessible experiences.

Making web-based tools accessible improves user experience for everyone and gives you a market edge. Think of all those adoring, loyal customers who want to promote your product to their friends, family, and communities. They have trillions of dollars to spend.

Success depends on finding pain points and being first to solve them. Businesses can solve for disability, aging, and ease of use simultaneously. Consider the benefits of improving accessibility in your current and future products—because accessibility is in everyone's best interest.

Thanks for listening,
Max