Celebrating Accessibility Awareness Day: The Importance of Accessible Packaging

More than 1 billion people globally live with a disability. As we celebrate the 14th annual Accessibility Awareness Day on May 15, it’s an important time to reflect on the progress made toward inclusivity and the ongoing challenges that still need to be addressed.

Source: Global Accessibility Awareness Day

Accessibility Awareness Day was first introduced as a way to raise public awareness about the challenges that individuals with disabilities face in their everyday lives. The observance of this day encourages a broader understanding of the importance of accessibility, not only in public spaces but also in products, services, and technologies. The initiative seeks to foster a greater sense of inclusion and create opportunities for people of all abilities to live with greater independence and ease.

Many times, accessibility is overlooked when products are designed, but this day serves as a reminder that inclusive design can help break down the physical, social, and technological barriers that people with disabilities often face. The goal of Accessibility Awareness Day is to focus on solutions, educate the public about accessibility barriers, and promote the integration of accessible design across different industries.

For individuals with disabilities, everyday tasks can sometimes be a struggle due to products and packaging that are not designed with accessibility in mind.

Accessible packaging is not just about convenience; it’s about empowering individuals to live more independently and with dignity. Millions of people around the world face daily challenges when it comes to opening packaged products. For these individuals, something as simple as opening a jar can become an insurmountable obstacle.

By prioritizing accessibility in packaging design, manufacturers can make life easier for these consumers and reduce reliance on others to perform basic tasks. Accessible packaging features such as easy-open mechanisms and tactile labeling ensure that products can be used by everyone, regardless of physical limitations. More importantly, it’s a reflection of our society’s collective responsibility to create products that cater to all members of the community.

As we recognize Accessibility Awareness Day, it’s a reminder that accessible design should be a priority, not an afterthought. CCT is proud to be at the forefront of making packaging more accessible. Our EEASY Lid features a simple push, twist, and open mechanism that reduces the effort needed to open a jar by up to 50%. This simple yet effective design allows seniors, individuals with arthritis, or anyone with limited grip strength to easily open jars of pasta sauce, pizza sauce, and more, promoting independence and reducing frustration.

According to Forbes contributor Steven Aquino, “The EEASY Lid may be more convenient to open, sure, but it may also be a lifeline for those who can’t open things easily, if at all.”

Our EEASY Lid is just one example of how innovation can meet the needs of consumers who might otherwise be excluded from using everyday products, but it doesn’t end there; there’s still much work to be done in the packaging and product design space.

As we celebrate Accessibility Awareness Day, we encourage other companies to join us in our mission to make the world more accessible – one package at a time.

Contact us today to discover how the EEASY Lid can help make your product packaging more accessible for all.