WEIRD

An acronym standing for Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic — used to describe the demographic and cultural profile of populations that dominate research samples in psychology, HCI, and accessibility studies. The term highlights a significant bias: most published research findings, including those informing accessibility guidelines and design tools, are based on participants from WEIRD societies, which represent only a small fraction of global human diversity. This bias means accessibility standards may not adequately reflect the needs, preferences, and contexts of the majority of the world's population, particularly the 80% of people with disabilities who live in the Global South.