What We Do
WID centers the lived experiences of people with disabilities as part of the vital process of making products and services accessible.
Our services support companies and organizations of all sizes. We offer surveys, focus groups, and user experience (UX) testing with people with disabilities; training; and recommendations to drive design that is accessible, giving employees, clients, and customers a better experience.
Note: For accessibility, we have written this page in plain language. For industry-specific terms, jargon, and other complex terms that needed to be included, we have linked them to our glossary. To see a glossary definition, follow the link, then use the back button on your browser to return back to this page.
Surveys and Focus Groups
We offer qualitative research, which allows your organization to get input from people with specific disabilities on how accessible your services or products are.
Our extensive U.S.-based and global network allows us to engage multiple groups from the disability community to construct a holistic report that outlines pain points raised and recommendations based on the experiences, expectations, and concerns participants shared.
User Experience Testing
We provide a unique opportunity for your organization to better understand how people with disabilities access your products and services, learn what issues they encounter, and improve accessibility.
How does user testing work?
You share your accessibility goals, questions, and needs
We build a diverse group of testers with a range of disabilities to take part in the user experience studies.
Research study participants are put through a series of activities and asked to give feedback as they attempt to complete them
WID researchers observe and highlight areas in which users really struggle to complete assigned tasks
WID researchers then organize their notes and observations into a formal report to help improve accessibility
Questions your company may have:
- Is our product easy for people with disabilities to use?
- Are our digital assets accessible for screen-reader users?
- Can a person with mobility disabilities easily access our physical locations?
- Are our marketing assets inclusive of the disability community?
- Does my video content have American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and captions?
- Can users find answers to their questions?
Ultimately, user experience studies offer a way to answer “yes” to all these questions.
Apply to be a research participant
Are you a person with a disability interested in getting paid to help us test products and services for their accessibility? Please fill out our Research Participant Application!
Conference/Event Accessibility
WID has the experience to help you plan for a virtual or in-person conference or event that is digitally and physically accessible to all participants.
We evaluate your conference or event to see how accessible your services are. We then offer specific recommendations and resources to help make sure that your conference or event is accessible to and inclusive of everyone.
We also offer hands-on disability services and accommodations for your conference or event.
Interested in more resources about how to make your events accessible? Check out our Conference Accessibility Resource Library!
Evaluations, Training, and Recommendations
We guide you throughout the entire process and recommend practical steps that you can carry out. Because we have worked with small, medium, and large-sized clients nationally and globally, we can help you plan ahead and meet ever-changing accessibility rules and needs.
We start with an in-depth assessment to figure out how we can help you in the most effective and efficient manner.
We partner with you to understand your needs. Then we design a customized program to help you achieve your accessibility goals.
We also offer in-depth training to help grow your organizational knowledge. Some examples include accessible UX practices, disability bias, document accessibility, and introduction to working with people with disabilities.
From our clients and partners
“WID has been an integral partner in helping AFCPE® enhance our disability and inclusion efforts.
With their support, we have examined our strategies, policies, and practices and made improvements to our accessibility options, which have allowed more people with disabilities to participate in our events and educational programming.”
Rachael DeLeon, Interim Executive Director, Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education® (AFCPE®)
“We know that the more we design for inclusion, to be welcoming and to strengthen our communities, the better our business will be and the better the Starbucks experience will be for our partners and customers.
It inspires and motivates us to make our store and digital environments even more inclusive and accessible at every turn.”
Katie Young, Senior Vice President of Global Growth and Development, Starbucks
Why partner with WID?
We have worked with Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, community nonprofits, and small startups. Our wide-ranging experience makes us confident that our services will give your organization data-driven insights to achieve your accessibility and design goals.
Ready to learn more?
If you want to learn more and receive a free quote for any of our services, please use the scheduling tool below to schedule a Zoom meeting with our accessibility team.
You can also email us at accessibility@wid.org to schedule a meeting or request a quote.
Screen reader users: please note that the "go forward" and "go backward" buttons are used to select a week for your appointment. If you experience any accessibility issues with the form, please email wid@wid.org.