Accessibility Is a Human Right: Why We Are Boycotting Subway Over Its Inaccessible App
At Accessible Technology Solutions (ATS), our mission is to advocate for true digital equality. Unfortunately, the current state of the Subway mobile application serves as a stark and unacceptable example of corporate indifference. This post addresses the profound inaccessibility of their app for blind and low-vision customers and the company’s deeply disappointing refusal to engage with our community to fix it.
The Problem: A Critical Barrier to Service
For millions of people who are blind or have low vision, mobile applications are navigated using screen readers like VoiceOver (iOS) and TalkBack (Android). An accessible app is one that is properly coded, allowing the screen reader to accurately read and interact with buttons, fields, and text. The Subway app, in its current form, fundamentally fails this test. Essential features—from viewing the menu and customizing a sandwich to the critical checkout and payment process—are riddled with unlabelled elements, confusing navigation, and unusable controls. This is not a minor inconvenience; it’s a total denial of service for a significant portion of their customer base.
The root of the problem lies in critical failures to meet basic WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) standards. Based on our community feedback, the app exhibits a host of common, yet fixable, errors:
- Missing or Vague Labels: Buttons and icons are often announced by VoiceOver or TalkBack as simply “unlabeled button,” “image,” or “button 4,” leaving users guessing its function (e.g., is it “Add to Cart” or “Delete Item?”).
- Poor Focus Management: The screen reader focus frequently jumps erratically across the screen, making the ordering process confusing and forcing the user to hear the same information multiple times before finding the next logical step.
- Inaccessible Form Fields: Key components in the checkout process, such as delivery address fields, coupon codes, and payment selection, lack proper labels or grouping, rendering the process of completing a transaction independently nearly impossible.
Digital services are now the primary way many businesses operate. When a company’s main transactional channel is digitally inaccessible, it effectively closes its doors to disabled customers.
Corporate Indifference and the Cold Shoulder
The tragedy of this situation is compounded by Subway’s response—or lack thereof—to legitimate concerns. I, personally, and many senior people and advocacy groups within the blind and low-vision community, have tried repeatedly to contact Subway regarding the app’s inaccessibility. We offered detailed feedback, technical guidance, and a pathway to a solution. However, the company has chosen to take a very dogmatic approach, refusing to engage in meaningful dialogue.
This dismissiveness is not just poor customer service; it is a profound failure of corporate responsibility. By ignoring accessibility and giving the cold shoulder to senior people and experts within our community when contacted, Subway is essentially saying that we do not matter.
Accessibility is a Human Right, Not a Perk
Here at ATS, we have a guiding principle that we articulate frequently, and it bears repeating now: Accessibility and useability are not extra nice perks you get like when you go to a hotel or fly first class. Accessibility is a human right, like access to a home or clean water.
When a corporation actively and knowingly erects a digital barrier that excludes customers from a basic commercial transaction, it is an act of discrimination. Our money is just as good as those who do not have a disability, and no one should be treated as a second-class consumer.
A Personal Stance and an Open Offer
Subway ought to be ashamed that it treats its blind and low-vision customers with such discontent. As a consumer and a professional committed to digital equality, I for one will never again purchase from another Subway until they demonstrate a genuine commitment to correcting this issue.
Our firm, Accessible Technology Solutions, as well as others in the industry, are here and ready to assist Subway to make their app fully accessible and useable if they are willing to come to the table. We possess the expertise in both WCAG guidelines and real-world screen reader use needed to achieve full compliance and, more importantly, a good user experience.
The ball is in Subway’s court. For now, however, I will not be supporting Subway as it stands. We urge them to recognize their moral and social obligation to all their customers.