What is a disability?

Disability emerges from the interaction between individuals and their environment, not from a person's condition alone. A person's capabilities become barriers only when environments, products, or services aren't designed to accommodate different ways of interacting with the world.

Disabilities can be permanent, temporary, or situational. A permanent disability might be blindness, while a temporary one could be a broken arm that heals. Situational disabilities occur when circumstances limit abilities — like trying to read a phone screen in bright sunlight or being unable to hear audio in a noisy environment. Understanding disability as a mismatch between person and environment helps create more inclusive solutions.

The global population of people with disabilities is over one billion, representing a significant portion of all users^.[1] This number grows when considering temporary and situational disabilities that affect everyone at different times. Recognizing disability as a common human experience leads to better product decisions.