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the coming decades, people with a disability will comprise a larger
percentage of the population in Canada than ever before. The math
is pretty straightforward. As the baby boom generation grows older,
the overall age of the population will increase. And because the
incidence of disabilities is strongly correlated to age, these numbers
will rise together. The degree of accessibility available to this
aging population will play a key role in determining their level
of health or of hardship, just as it plays a critical role in the
daily lives of the more than four million people currently living
with a disability in Canada.
Accessibility can mean many different things depending on the context.
A ramp is an essential part of an accessible entranceway if there
are stairs leading up to its door, but accessibility is about more
than just ramps. Physical barriers are only the most visible kind
of obstacle to full accessibility. Economic barriers, social discrimination,
or obstacles to communication can all prevent someone from having
equal access to a building, a service, or a job. As we shall see,
even a web site on the Internet can have problems with accessibility.
Barrier-free
design and universal design
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The easiest way to create equal accessibility for all is to begin
thinking about accessibility right from the start of a project.
Whether you are designing a building, planning an event, or setting
up an information service, it is easier to incorporate accessibility
planning into the design stage than to return and make modifications
later. Indeed, this allows one to approach a building as a complete
environment: not just a physical space, but also a space which performs
a particular set of functions. A barrier-free design is not only
free of physical barriers, but also free of obstacles to communication
or comprehension for persons with varying abilities.
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International Symbol
of Access
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 Most
people are familiar with the International Symbol of Access,
characterized by the white wheelchair icon on a blue background.
This symbol is sometimes used to represent all kinds of accessibility,
but it most commonly appears as a symbol indicating wheelchair
accessible entrances and bathrooms or to designate reserved
parking spaces. A variety of other symbols are sometimes used
to indicate other forms of accessibility, but there is no clear
consensus on which symbols are the best ones to use. |
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The concept of "universal design" incorporates accessibility
concerns within general usability concerns. Whether you are talking
about entire houses or individual handles, universal design emphasizes
that things should be designed to be usable by everyone. Of course
this includes people with disabilities, but they are not the only
ones who benefit from it. For example, a well-maintained entrance
ramp serves more than just a person using a wheelchair, it also
serves someone carrying heavy luggage or pushing a stroller.
To make a building truly accessible, then, takes more than just
adding a wheelchair ramp or a few designated parking spaces. A building
and all its functions should be available to everyone, regardless
of ability. That means thinking about all the different aspects
of a building and the way people use it. For a public or commercial
office, full accessibility also means providing everyone with equal
access to services, and that includes:
- blind and low vision users
- deaf, deafened and hearing-impaired users
- people with learning disabilities
- people with speech impairments
- people with mobility impairments
Modifications
to buildings
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Minor physical adjustments to already existing buildings can make
a big difference in terms of accessibility and these kinds of changes
don't need to cost a lot. Some relatively inexpensive ideas which
can have a significant impact:
- signs with large, high-contrast print
- Braille versions of directions and instructions
- door knobs with easy to grab handles
- support bars installed in appropriate locations
- furniture arranged to provide wider, unobstructed paths
If you need to make major modifications to your home or office,
you should consult with someone who can help you evaluate your needs
and advise you on the options available. Your local service organizations
for people with disabilities can provide you with the information
you need to get you started. They can also put you in touch with
local accessibility consultants or architects who specialize in
accessibility issues for building modifications.
"The power
of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless
of disability is an essential aspect."
Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director
and inventor of the World Wide Web |
The Internet opened up new possibilities for people with disabilities:
new methods of communication and information sharing became possible,
provided one could access the proper technology and tools. That
has always been a problem in terms of accessibility: the technology
exists but often only a small percentage of those who really need
it can afford it. The new digital medium of the Internet also brought
along its own unique set of accessibility issues.
A web page can be designed to be accessible just like a building.
In fact, accessibility issues have been an important component of
the work of the W3C, or World Wide Web Consortium, who set the standards
for the use of HTML (the code language used to create web pages).
The most recent HTML standards include many elements to make web
pages as accessible as possible to as wide a range of users as possible.
The problem is that many web designers still do not incorporate
these standards into their pages.
To illustrate the problem, consider blind and low vision users.
They can access web pages by using a screen reader program: a software
program which reads the text on the computer screen out loud. Instead
of seeing a web page, they hear the contents of the page read out
to them. In order to be able to understand a page which uses a graphic
image to represent an idea, that image needs to have a very short
alternative text description (or ALT text) attached to it. Without
the appropriate text, the image cannot communicate its meaning to
these users. Yet many web pages continue to lack these basic accessibility
elements.
As with many other accessible design issues, pages like this are
not only inaccessible to persons with specific disabilities. Pages
missing required alternative text descriptions are also inaccessible
to people who use a cell phone to download information or to people
who have a slow Internet connection and have turned off their graphics
in order to increase their web surfing speed.
Envisioning
a barrier-free society
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When all of these different versions of accessibility come together,
a vision of what a barrier-free society would be like is possible.
In many areas a clear set of standards and practices has already
been established. The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative has set out
clear standards for web accessibility. The National Building Code
of Canada contains explicit requirements for barrier-free design.
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees freedom from
discrimination based on physical or mental disability. In fact,
a vision of a barrier-free society unites all of these standards
already. Perhaps the greatest challenge now is to find the means
of translating that vision from paper into reality, to transform
it into a truly shared vision of society.
Access
technologies for the graphical user interface
Discusses access problems faced by people with disabilities who
use the World Wide Web. Presents solutions to some of these problems,
including the use of alternative access systems.
Common
Look and Feel - accessibility section
Describes a set of guidelines to follow in designing Internet Web
sites to ensure universal accessibility to web-based information
regardless of possible complications related to the use of assistive
devices.
How
can we make our homes and workplaces accessible and safe?
Lists tips for making the home and workplace accessible and safe.
Includes a directory of ministries of housing and a list of links
to provincial workers' compensation boards. Prepared by the Roeher
Institute.
What
are the rights of people with disabilities? What can they do if
they feel someone has discriminated against them?
Summarizes the equity rights guaranteed by the Canadian Charter
of Rights and Freedoms and outlines the process for reporting discrimination.
Includes a link to a directory of provincial human rights commissions.
Prepared by the Roeher Institute.
Where
can people with disabilities and their families go to get funding?
Identifies appropriate contacts for specific types of social assistance
and funding for people with disabilities. Provides links to federal
government sites, including a directory of provincial and territorial
ministries dealing with disability issues. Prepared by the Roeher
Institute.
References for this article
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Article prepared by the 
