The biggest barrier to accessibility is not usability

Accessibility is often treated as a technical problem. Does it meet standards? Is it ergonomic? Is it safe? Those questions matter, but they are incomplete. Many products fail not because they don’t function, but because they make the user feel singled out.

Shame is one of the most powerful barriers to product adoption, and it is rarely discussed in design reviews. People delay using canes, grab bars, hearing aids, or mobility supports even when they would meaningfully improve daily life. Why? Because many products still communicate something the user does not want to say out loud: Something is wrong with me.

If we want accessible design to succeed, and we want people to get the utility of these products, we have to design beyond function. We have to design for dignity, and we have to recognize that design has the power to remove stigma.

ADOPTION IS EMOTIONAL

A product can meet every ergonomic benchmark and still sit unused. Emotional adoption determines real adoption.

When design feels institutional, clinical, or stigmatizing, it does not matter how useful it is. The user experiences a cost that is not in the price tag. The cost is identity. Great design reduces that cost. It normalizes support. It invites pride. It says, “You belong here,” not “You are an exception.”

We have seen this shift before. Years ago, eyeglasses were considered medical devices. Kids were teased as “four eyes.” Glasses signaled something was wrong. Then design and culture evolved. Frames became expressive and stylish. Today, glasses are fashion accessories, and many people wear them without prescription lenses because they like how they look. A stigmatized object became a form of self-expression.

The same pattern played out with bicycle helmets. They used to be awkward Styrofoam “brain buckets,” worn only by the most concerned riders, who were often teased for their appearance. Over time, design improved and so did perception. Helmets became lighter, sleeker, and more personal. Colors got bolder. Styles emerged, including playful options for kids like watermelon themes, mohawks, and distinctive graphics. Today, many children and young adults would never consider biking without a helmet. What was once stigmatized became normal, even a point of pride.

This is what design can do. It can shift the cultural meaning of an object.

WHAT SHAME LOOKS LIKE IN DESIGN

Shame shows up in visual language and cues:

• Products that look medical, cold, or utilitarian
• Aesthetic choices that communicate “equipment” instead of “object”
• Forms that feel like warnings rather than invitations
• Branding that talks down to the user or overexplains

This is not about hiding disability. It is about refusing to equate disability with ugliness, awkwardness, or compromise. We have found that most people do not reject support, but many reject what the support implies about them.

DESIGN FOR PRIDE

Design that reduces shame does a few things consistently. It respects the home. Accessible products should feel like they belong in a thoughtfully designed environment, not like they were borrowed from a hospital. It respects identity. People want tools that fit their aesthetic, their personality, and their sense of self. Options matter. And since no single brand can ever create the perfect widget for every body, real options only become possible when accessible design becomes “cost of entry” across categories, not a special edition for a small audience. It respects emotion. The experience should feel affirming. A product should make someone feel capable, not corrected.

This is the heart of emotional accessibility. When people feel good using a product, they use it earlier, more often, and for longer. That improves independence, safety, and quality of life.

REDUCING SHAME IS A BUSINESS STRATEGY

There is a direct business consequence to stigma. If people delay adoption, they are not only losing out on joyful life experiences and often putting themselves in danger, but brands lose demand. If products are purchased reluctantly, loyalty erodes. If the category feels embarrassing, growth slows.

Design that reduces shame expands markets. It turns an avoided purchase into a desired one. It transforms “I need this” into “I want this.” That shift changes everything. It also creates a new kind of brand equity. Companies that design with dignity earn trust, and trust is the rarest currency in consumer experience today.

THE NEW GOAL FOR ACCESSIBLE DESIGN

The future of accessibility is not compliance. It is cultural. It is designing products that support human vulnerability without amplifying it.

Design is on the verge of destigmatizing aging and disability across our activities of daily living. When we get this right, we do more than make products usable. We make them desirable. We make them typical. We make them something people are proud to bring into their lives.

The real test is not whether a product can be used. It is whether people want to use it, openly, confidently, and without shame.

Ben Wintner is CEO of Michael Graves Design.