An Intersectional Perspective on Web Accessibility

Abstract

Socially marginalised groups experience hostility in daily life, and hostility online adds to psychological pressure. For example, hate speech, typically defined as attacks on an individual or socially marginalised group, may impact access to web content for socially marginalised groups. In addition, rendered invisibility, for example being unable to choose your gender in a web form, may act as a psychological and practical barrier to accessing web content for groups, such as genderqueer, intersex and transgender persons. Research has yet to investigate the intersectionality of web accessibility. Preliminary results from semi-structured interviews with a select group of persons that experience multiple forms of discrimination suggest that marginalized individuals expect to experience oppressive content and consider oppressive content as a part of interacting with the web. In this paper, we examine a variety of oppressive mechanisms, including ableism, racism, and transphobia, and how in combination they relate to accessing and using web content. We argue that by ensuring the accessibility of web content substantively, future researchers and practitioners can promote a more universally accessible web. By taking into consideration experiences of hostility, web developers can better support access to information and communication on the web for everyone.