accessibility

accessibility, noun

1. the quality of being easy to approach, reach, enter, speak with, use, or understand.
   Transportation in boats, land vehicles, and eventually aircraft dramatically increased the accessibility of most locations on the planet.
   What is most immediately noticeable about the music is its accessibility.

2. the quality of being usable, reachable, obtainable, etc..
   The closeness and accessibility of the moon allow us to operate there in a way that is not possible with other space destinations.
   The Open Access policy establishes the company’s expectations relating to the public accessibility of data from research done by staff members or outside contractors.

3. the quality of being suitable or adapted for use by people with disabilities.
   Undoubtedly, tourism and travel revenues will come to depend more and more on adequate accessibility as the number of senior and disabled visitors grows in the coming decades.

from — Dictionary.com | Meanings & Definitions of English Words. (2025d). In Dictionary.com. 

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accessibility

from Wikipedia

Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments to be usable by disabled people.^[1] The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible developments ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers).^[2]

Accessibility can be viewed as the “ability to access” and benefit from some system or entity. The concept focuses on enabling access for people with disabilities, or enabling access through the use of assistive technology; however, research and development in accessibility brings benefits to everyone.^{[3][4][5][6][7]} Therefore, an accessible society should eliminate digital divide or knowledge divide.

Accessibility is not to be confused with usability, which is the extent to which a product (such as a device, service, or environment) can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in a specified context of use.^[8]

Accessibility is also strongly related to universal design, the process of creating products that are usable by the widest possible range of people, operating within the widest possible range of situations.^[9] Universal design typically provides a single general solution that can accommodate people with disabilities as well as the rest of the population. By contrast, accessible design is focused on ensuring that there are no barriers to accessibility for all people, including those with disabilities.

The disability rights movement advocates equal access to social, political, and economic life which includes not only physical access but access to the same tools, services, organizations and facilities as non-disabled people (e.g., museums^[10][11]). Article 9 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities commits signatories to provide for full accessibility in their countries.^[12]

While it is often used to describe facilities or amenities to assist people with impaired mobility, through the provision of facilities like wheelchair ramps, the term can include other types of disability. Accessible facilities therefore extend to areas such as Braille signage, elevators, audio signals at pedestrian crossings, walkway contours, website accessibility and accessible publishing.^[13]

In the United States, government mandates including Section 508, WCAG,^[14] DDA are all enforcing practices to standardize accessibility testing engineering in product development.

Accessibility modifications may be required to enable persons with disabilities to gain access to education, employment, transportation, housing, recreation, or even simply to exercise their right to vote.

Various countries have legislation requiring physical accessibility which are (in order of enactment):

• In the US, under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990,^[15] new public and private business construction generally must be accessible. Existing private businesses are required to increase the accessibility of their facilities when making any other renovations in proportion to the cost of the other renovations. The United States Access Board^[16] is “A Federal Agency Committed to Accessible Design for People with Disabilities“. The Job Accommodation Network discusses accommodations for people with disabilities in the workplace.^[17] Many states in the US have their own disability laws.
• In Australia, the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 has numerous provisions for accessibility.^[18]
• In South Africa the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 2000 has numerous provisions for accessibility.^[19]
• In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 has numerous provisions for accessibility.^[20]
• In Sri Lanka, the Supreme Court, on 27 April 2011 gave a landmark order to boost the inherent right of disabled persons to have unhindered access to public buildings and facilities.^[21]
• In Norway, the Discrimination and Accessibility Act (Norwegian: Diskriminerings- og tilgjengelighetsloven) defines lack of accessibility as discrimination and obliges public authorities to implement universal design in their areas. The Act refers to issue-specific legislation regarding accessibility in e.g. ICT, the built environment, transport and education.^[22]
• In Brazil, the law on the inclusion of people with disabilities has numerous provisions for accessibility.^[23]
• In Canada, relevant federal legislation includes the Canadian Human Rights Act, the Employment Equity Act, the Canadian Labour Code, and the Accessible Canada Act (Bill-C81) which made Royal Assent on June 21, 2019.^[24]

Legislation may also be enacted on a state, provincial or local level. In Ontario, Canada, the Ontarians with Disabilities Act of 2001 is meant to “improve the identification, removal and prevention of barriers faced by persons with disabilities”.^[25]

The European Union (EU), which has signed the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, also has adopted a European Disability Strategy for 2010–20. The Strategy includes the following goals, among others:^[26]

• Devising policies for inclusive, high-quality education;
• Ensuring the European Platform Against Poverty includes a special focus on people with disabilities (the forum brings together experts who share best practices and experience);
• Working towards the recognition of disability cards throughout the EU to ensure equal treatment when working, living or travelling in the bloc
• Establishing accessibility standards for voting locations and campaign materials.
• Taking the rights of people with disabilities into account in external development programmes and for EU candidate countries.

A European Accessibility Act was proposed in late 2012.^[27] This Act would establish standards within member countries for accessible products, services, and public buildings. The harmonization of accessibility standards within the EU “would facilitate the social integration of persons with disabilities and the elderly and their mobility across member states, thereby also fostering the free movement principle”.^[28]

Enforcement of the European Accessibility Act (EAA) begins in June 2025

Assistive technology and adaptive technology

Assistive technology is the creation of a new device that assists a person in completing a task that would otherwise be impossible. Some examples include new computer software programs like screen readers, and inventions such as assistive listening devices, including hearing aids, and traffic lights with a standard color code that enables colorblind individuals to understand the correct signal.

Adaptive technology is the modification, or adaptation, of existing devices, methods, or the creation of new uses for existing devices, to enable a person to complete a task.^[29] Examples include the use of remote controls, and the autocomplete (word completion)^[30] feature in computer word processing programs, which both help individuals with mobility impairments to complete tasks. Adaptations to wheelchair tires are another example; widening the tires enables wheelchair users to move over soft surfaces, such as deep snow on ski hills, and sandy beaches.

Assistive technology and adaptive technology have a key role in developing the means for people with disabilities to live more independently, and to more fully participate in mainstream society. Recent research has demonstrated that tablet-based assistive technologies can enable adults with intellectual and motor disabilities to engage in independent leisure activities and video communication, enhancing social participation and autonomy. These programs use commercially available tablets and applications with simplified interfaces to support users in accessing media and making video calls with minimal assistance.^[31] In order to have access to assistive or adaptive technology, however, educating the public and even legislating requirements to incorporate this technology have been necessary.

The UN CRPD, and courts in the United States, Japan, UK, and elsewhere, have decided that when it is needed to assure secret ballot, authorities should provide voters with assistive technology.

The European Court of Human Rights, on the contrary, in case Toplak v. Slovenia ruled that due to high costs, the abandonment of the assistive equipment in elections did not violate human rights.

continued at: Wikipedia contributors. (2025l, November 3). Accessibility. Wikipedia. 

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