I just read a pretty amazing post from Glenda Watson Hyatt, who blogs about living with cerebral palsy. Glenda, borrowing an idea from blogger Liz Strauss, has challenged readers to explain in 25 words or less what accessibility means to them.
Here is my contribution:
Making content available to as many people as possible as often as possible on as many devices as possible in as many situations as possible.
I have referenced “content” in my snippet because building Web sites is my bread and butter. I need to make sure people can get to the information on my Web sites no matter what their physical abilities are, what device they are using to access the Internet, or what their immediate situation is.
However, “content” can be replaced with pretty much anything. The point of accessibility is to anticipate and accommodate as much as possible whatever elements are affecting an individual’s ability to access what they need. It could be adding a ramp to a curb so a person who has trouble walking can get from the sidewalk to the street. Maybe the person is paralyzed or has weak leg muscles and can’t step up very high (ability). Maybe he is in a wheelchair, on crutches, or even on rollerskates (device). Maybe he is walking around just fine, but he’s carrying a stack of books so high he can’t see what’s in front of him, or he is pushing a baby in a stroller, or he’s texting while walking and doesn’t notice the curb (situational).
The ramp helps a lot of different people in a lot of different situations. It’s not just about the so-called “disabled” people, not just about wheelchairs, not just about making things convenient for a small group. Applying accessibility practices to the design of all types of things (we often call this “universal design”) can makes things better and easier for everyone.
Stay tuned for the haiku version, folks!
