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E-ACCESSIBILITY
Open standards, universal design and accessibility
Society has benefited in many ways from the Information Technology (IT) revolution. People with disabilities are among the groups that could get the greatest benefits from this revolution, but there is also a high risk that with the evolution of new breakthrough technologies, there will be increased barriers to IT for people with disabilities and age related impairments. Progress in assistive technology has already made it possible for many people with disabilities to compete successfully for employment and jobs in which IT is utilized and to provide opportunity for independence. But in a world where technology is evolving so rapidly, open standards and Design for All are key to ensure that everyone fully participates and takes advantage of new services and opportunities offered by IT.
Accessibility is an attribute of Information Technology that allows it to be used by people with varying abilities.
Web accessibility means access to the World Wide Web for everyone, including people with disabilities and senior citizens. Ensuring Web accessibility improves the quality of the lives of such people by removing barriers that prevent them from taking part in many important life activities.
A website is accessible when any potential user, using any browsing technology, disregarding ability and expertise, is able to get a full comprehension of all the information and fully interact with the site.
Assistive technology is specialized technology that someone with a disability will use in order to access information technology.
It is hardware or software that is used to increase, maintain, or assist the functional capabilities of people with disabilities. In short, it can be any device or technique that assists people in removing or reducing barriers and enhancing their everyday life activities. Assistive technology includes:
- Screen readers that use text to speech to read software to people who are blind
- Screen magnifiers that enlarge information on the screen for people with low vision
- Closed captioning displays for people who are deaf or hard of hearing
- Special keyboards and input devices for people with limited hand use or mobility impairments
There is a very important relationship between the two. Assistive technology can only work if the end permission technology they are interacting with has been designed to be accessible.
Web standards are the keys to a succesfull relationship between the two. Web standards are carefully designed to deliver the greatest benefits to the greatest number of web users while ensuring the long-term viability of any document published on the web.
The European Union is promoting adoption of the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines for all public Web sites in European institutions and member states. Companies should follow this example.
Designing and building with these standards simplifies and lowers the cost of production, while delivering sites that are accessible to more people and more types of internet devices. Sites developed along these lines will continue to function correctly as traditional desktop browsers will evolve and as new Internet devices come to market.
Joining companies must pioneer the cause to open the world of information technology (IT) to more people, regardless of ability or disability. They must see accessibility as a way to improve usability for all-employees and customers alike.
Members of Business & Disability foster product accessibility and work toward the harmonization of worldwide standards. They strive to apply research technologies to solve problems experienced by people with disabilities and to create industry-focused solutions. Members also generate accessibility awareness.
Only then we will achieve our overall goal: breaking down the barriers people with disabilities face in the areas of employment, access to buildings and transport as well as access to information technology.
Because let there be no mistake: there will be a day when people just expect to see people with disabilities performing at a competitive level with each of their peers.
