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Dismantling disabling barriers one article at a time

The image is an infographic illustrating the "Hierarchy of road users," with a focus on vulnerability levels. The design features a gradient background transitioning from light blue at the top to white at the bottom. At the top right corner, there is a blue and green "Safer Mobility" logo from Surewise, featuring an icon of a mobility scooter. The title "Hierarchy of road users" is written in bold green and blue text. A horizontal arrow spans the image, indicating a spectrum from "Most vulnerable" on the left to "Least vulnerable" on the right. The infographic depicts different types of road users along this scale: - On the most vulnerable end, there is a pedestrian, a mobility scooter user (highlighted with a magnifying glass effect and a red question mark), and horse riders. - In the middle, cyclists and smaller vehicles like cars are shown. - On the least vulnerable end, larger vehicles such as vans and trucks are depicted. The image emphasizes the importance of road safety and awareness, particularly for more vulnerable road users like pedestrians and mobility scooter users.
The image is a promotional banner for a podcast called "My Voice Podcast." The banner has a purple background with white text and includes the podcast's logo, which features a microphone icon and the tagline "Amplifying Unheard Voices." The text on the image reads: **"Giving disabled people from ethnic minorities a voice"** (inside a purple speech bubble). **"Listen on Spotify >>>"** (written in large white font). The image also includes the Spotify logo, which is a green circle with three white sound waves. The design suggests that the podcast focuses on amplifying the voices of disabled individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds.
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A digital vector image displays five rounded-square app icons arranged in a 2x3 grid on a black background. Each icon has a dark green background with a white symbol in the center. The icons represent the following services: a slice of pizza, a generic bank card without a flag, a person running, a shopping basket, and a TV screen with a play button. The design is clean and minimalistic, with consistent styling across all icons.
Mobile App Accessibility: Why Most Apps Are Failing Disabled And Ageing Users
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A group of seven individuals wearing high-visibility jackets stand on the tarmac in front of an easyJet aircraft at London Luton Airport. One individual is seated in a powered wheelchair at the centre of the group. The atmosphere is professional and welcoming, and the photo appears to be taken during an accessibility-focused airport event. Various airport vehicles and infrastructure are visible in the background.
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The image depicts a **Hollywood Walk of Fame star** in a close-up view. The star is: - **Made of brass**, with its iconic five-point shape. - Set into a **pinkish-red terrazzo background** that includes flecks of white and darker pink, typical of the Walk of Fame stars. - Surrounded by **dark terrazzo tiles** forming the sidewalk, with visible **light grey divider lines**. At the **center of the star**, bold white text reads: > **"DISABLED CELEBRITY INTERVIEWS"** This phrase replaces the usual name of a celebrity and draws immediate attention. The overall vibe evokes the iconic and glamorous aura of Hollywood while promoting representation and inclusion of disabled celebrities in media.
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Assistive Technology News
Emma Purcell

Mobile App Accessibility: Why Most Apps Are Failing Disabled And Ageing Users

A digital vector image displays five rounded-square app icons arranged in a 2x3 grid on a black background. Each icon has a dark green background with a white symbol in the center. The icons represent the following services: a slice of pizza, a generic bank card without a flag, a person running, a shopping basket, and a TV screen with a play button. The design is clean and minimalistic, with consistent styling across all icons.

The State of Mobile App Accessibility (SOMAA) report exposes the digital barriers in top apps across industries, revealing how accessibility gaps cost brands revenue, reputation, and users — and what leaders can do about it.

Understanding digital accessibility in 2025

More than 1.3 billion people globally live with disabilities, relying on digital services such as mobile apps to manage essential aspects of daily life — from communication and shopping to banking, fitness, and entertainment.

Add to this the growing population of ageing tech users who benefit from accessible features like font scaling and screen orientation, and it’s clear that accessible app design is not optional — it’s business-critical.

Yet, accessibility in app design remains an afterthought for many developers and companies. Inaccessible mobile apps not only exclude a huge segment of users, but also harm brand reputation, limit market reach, and ultimately reduce revenue.

That’s the backdrop to the State of Mobile App Accessibility (SOMAA) report, a groundbreaking new study that examines how well mobile apps cater to users with disabilities — and what’s going wrong.

The SOMAA report: who, what and why

The SOMAA report is the result of an in-depth collaboration between ArcTouch, a leader in accessible app development, and Fable, a research platform powered by people with disabilities. The initiative was advised by Joe Devon, co-founder of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD).

Speaking about the importance of accessible apps, Joe Devon said: “Despite the fact that over one billion people are living on this planet with disabilities, brands and developers often don’t design apps or websites with accessibility top of mind. There are a lot of design factors and features to consider, but when accessibility becomes an afterthought, it makes the app inoperable for a significant number of people and overall downgrades the consumer experience.

The researchers assessed 50 of the most popular apps across five core industries:

  • Food & delivery
  • Payments
  • Fitness
  • Shopping
  • Streaming services

Apps were tested using both quantitative scoring and qualitative user testing with people with disabilities. Performance was measured based on compatibility with key assistive technologies, including screen readers, alternative navigation methods, font scaling, and screen orientation.

Importantly, the report does not disclose the names of the apps included in the testing or case studies. This deliberate decision is grounded in the report’s purpose: to foster improvement, not criticism.

By keeping app identities anonymous — even those of the high-performing examples — the SOMAA report aims to spotlight industry-wide trends and learning opportunities, rather than draw attention to individual successes or failures.

The goal is to encourage progress across the board, without the pressure of public comparison or brand shaming.

The results: room for improvement, opportunity for impact

A 2D vector graphic divided into four quadrants, each featuring a black accessibility icon on a light gray background. The top-left quadrant shows a laptop with a profile of a person and sound waves, representing a screen reader. The top-right quadrant displays different-sized letters "Aa" and an upward arrow, symbolizing adjustable font sizes. The bottom-left quadrant contains a classic joystick, indicating accessible gaming controls. The bottom-right quadrant shows two mobile devices with curved arrows, illustrating adjustable device orientation.

The key takeaway? The vast majority of apps are failing when it comes to accessibility. Some sobering statistics from the report include:

  • Only 2 of 50 apps earned a “Great” accessibility score.
  • 9 apps received a “Failing” grade.
  • A staggering 72% of user journeys tested had accessibility barriers that resulted in a Poor or Failing experience.
  • Support for landscape orientation — vital for users with limited mobility or low vision — was almost non-existent across all industries.

Case studies: what successful mobile app accessibility looks like

Despite the concerning trends, two standout apps showed that inclusive design is achievable and impactful.

Fitness app (iOS)

  • Score: 90 (Great)
  • Near-perfect screen reader compatibility (92)
  • Full support for both portrait and landscape modes
  • Seamless voice and keyboard navigation
  • High user engagement (4.5 stars, 500,000+ reviews)

Food & delivery app (iOS)

  • Score: 86 (Great)
  • Outstanding screen reader support (94)
  • Perfect voice navigation (100)
  • Strong font scaling
  • No landscape support due to legacy code, but otherwise robust

These case studies prove that with proactive planning and thoughtful design, apps can be accessible and still deliver outstanding user experience (UX).

Industry breakdown: who’s leading, who’s lagging

To better understand how accessibility plays out across different types of apps, the SOMAA report divided its analysis by industry. Each category represents essential digital services that millions rely on every day.

From shopping to streaming, the results reveal uneven progress, with a few bright spots overshadowed by widespread shortcomings — especially in features like screen reader compatibility, font scaling, and orientation support. Here’s how each industry stacked up:

Shopping

  • Score: 41 (Poor)
  • Worst performing industry
  • Massive failures in screen reader support and orientation
  • Missed opportunity: accessible design directly improves e-commerce conversion

Fitness

  • Score: 50 (Fair)
  • One standout app lifted the average
  • Core functionality (workouts) is often inaccessible
  • Major font scaling and orientation issues

Food & delivery

  • Score: 57 (Fair)
  • Good screen reader and voice navigation support
  • Weak font scaling on iOS
  • Zero orientation flexibility across all tested apps

Payments

  • Score: 54 (Fair)
  • Some improvement in font scaling
  • Login and verification processes often block assistive tech users

Streaming services

  • Score: 60 (Fair)
  • Best industry performance overall
  • Strong screen reader and alternative navigation support
  • Orientation support lacking outside video playback

Reacting to the results of the report, Ben Ogilvie, Head of Accessibility at ArcTouch said: “We were disappointed, but not surprised, by the findings of our first State of Mobile App Accessibility report. Out of the 50 apps we evaluated, only two earned a “Great” rating. Even more concerning, 72% of the user journeys we tested revealed significant barriers for people using assistive technologies.

“Disabled users we spoke with through our partners at Fable confirmed our findings and helped us better understand the real-life impact of these issues. While the results aren’t where we’d want them to be, we now have a benchmark; we believe this report can motivate brands and developers to prioritize accessibility when building new apps, and to invest in improving existing apps so everyone can use them.”

Joe Devon added: “We’ve seen that accessible features in the digital and physical world are often enjoyed by people without disabilities too. ArcTouch’s report spotlights critical accessibility barriers that brands must address and developers should prioritize in future app development.”

Why accessibility is good for business

The business case for accessibility is compelling. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it also represents a strategic advantage:

  • Loyalty and reach: Apps that are easy to use for disabled and ageing users can increase engagement and retention.
  • Revenue growth: More accessible shopping apps = more conversions.
  • Legal compliance: Accessibility laws like the European
  • Accessibility Act (EAA) is tightening, with enforcement deadlines approaching fast.
  • Brand reputation: Being inclusive builds brand trust and credibility.

Moving forward: how brands can prioritise mobile app accessibility

The SOMAA report urges leaders to act now. Here’s how:

  • Design for all from the start — don’t bolt on accessibility later.
  • Use native accessibility tools on iOS and Android.
  • Test with real users who have disabilities.
  • Support both portrait and landscape orientations.
  • Make font scaling and clear screen reader labels non-negotiable.

The digital world should be accessible to everyone — not just the able-bodied and tech-savvy. The SOMAA report highlights that while most apps have a long way to go, the path to improvement is clear.

As we move into a future increasingly driven by mobile-first design, digital inclusion must become a core pillar of UX strategy. Forward-thinking brands that embrace accessibility now won’t just stay compliant — they’ll lead.

For more information, you can read the full State of Mobile App Accessibility (SOMAA) report.

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