One in four adults in the United States lives with a disability. Yet, many aspects of society do not accommodate disabilities, and market research is no exception. When it comes to online surveys, people with disabilities are often left out of the conversation. The surveys do not adapt to their needs, so they are inaccessible.
Survey completion is one of the most important metrics for researchers. In the end, however, the primary objective should be to gather quality representative data. By failing to adapt a survey for blind or deaf people, for example, you imply that their opinions do not matter. Although that wasn't the researchers' intent, that's how it presents, and perception is reality.
In this episode of The New Mainstream podcast, Timothy Cornelius, founder of P3 Technology, discusses the importance of accessibility in online research and ways researchers can promote disability inclusion in online panels.