Clubhouse Accessibility Issues: The Root of Its Decline

In early February of 2021, Clubhouse—the invitation-only drop-in audio chat app—had reached peak popularity, having grown from 3.5 million to 8.1 million downloads in a matter of weeks. At TechnologyAdvice, we quickly saw the value in connecting with others through the app, but the frequency and duration of our use began to diminish due to accessibility issues. The Android version dropped on Google Play on May 9, 2021—more than a year after Clubhouse's debut in the Apple App Store.

Navigating the app is difficult, and users must rely on audio devices to listen in while also keeping their device handy for hand-raising and adjusting audio settings. Clubhouse's current exclusion of the audibly disabled, as well as those with speech and language impairments, highlights digital ableism. To serve a growing and diversified audience, Clubhouse must address these accessibility issues.

Forbes contributor Steven Aquino shared his perspective on this, noting that "accurate, real-time captioning would be a boon for people with speech impairments—myself included—as well, on both ends of a discussion." To date, Clubhouse is said to be proud of its small-team focus, but if it wants to succeed, it must accommodate potential users with disabilities.