Microsoft's Inclusive Design toolkit is a key reference for designing with, not just for, disabled people.
Microsoft’s Inclusive Design Toolkit is not just a guideline document, it is a set of methods and activities to change how you think about users. It defines inclusive design as a practice you can apply to any process, with accessibility as one of the outcomes.
Why it matters for you:
- It introduces the idea of permanent, temporary, and situational disabilities, for example someone who has one arm, someone with a broken arm, and someone carrying a baby all struggling with the same one‑handed interaction.
- It encourages you to involve people with different abilities early in research and prototyping, so your designs are shaped by real experiences, not just assumptions.
Use this toolkit when you want to shift a team from “checklist thinking” to a mindset where inclusion is part of every design discussion.