Usability and Accesibility must be looked at in tandem

An inaccessible walk button in the snow. Boston, MA. Photograph by Rachel Kantrowitz.

After running in-person research sessions yesterday, I encountered this on my walk to the train: a crosswalk walk button with a pile of snow and ice in front of it. This is such a perfect illustration of how usability and accessibly overlap.

For anyone using mobility aids like a wheelchair, walker, or cane—or with limited reach or dexterity—this button is essentially inaccessible. Snow removal that prioritizes throughways but ignores the critical touchpoints people actually need to navigate our cities creates real barriers to independence and safety.

We clear the roads and sidewalks, but if we forget the crosswalk buttons, transit stops, and curb cuts, we’re deciding who gets to move freely through public space and who doesn’t.