Opportunities in Apps for Disabled

A legally blind woman is searching for social games compatible with her accessibility software, showcasing an industry-wide opportunity to make mobile apps useful to all.

Debbie Fisher, a 37-year-old mother of four from Reno, Nev., has been legally blind most of her life. She told CNN she enjoys playing downloadable social games on her iPad and iPhone using Apple's Voice Over accessibility program, which verbally describes what's on the screen so she can play unaided.

However, Fisher's choice of apps compatible with Voice Over is limited, and she is often unable to join the mobile games her friends are playing because they don't work with her device's voice technology. Fisher's frustration highlights a growing need in the mobile industry for increased awareness of disabled users among game and app developers.

The World Health Organization recently revealed there are more than one billion people around the globe who have some form of disability, ranging from mild to severe, in its first-ever World Report on Disability. This information joins statistics showing smartphone and tablet use is growing rapidly, pointing to an opportunity to create and market apps which take varying abilities and needs into account.

Mobile devices are proving their value for people who have disabilities, becoming tools for cerebral palsy and autism therapies, helping disabled people cast votes in elections, and serving as communication devices for people who are speech-impaired.

However, app and game-makers may be missing a vital segment of their audience by failing to realize people with disabilities want to play games, shop, chat and have fun on tablets and smartphones, just like any other consumer.

"The challenge is that, aside from existing accessibility converts, this isn't even on the radar of most developers, marketers, agencies, brands or entrepreneurs," says Helen Keegan, a mobile marketing specialist who runs workshops on mobile accessibility.

Keegan goes on to say, legal and moral issues aside, developers are missing a huge economic and marketing opportunity by excluding such a large portion of their audience when they fail to consider accessibility in the app creation process.

Debbie Fisher proves the point, as she enjoys the one social game available to her on her iPad, Zynga's "Hanging with Friends," and waits for developers to create more options with accessibility in mind.