Accessibility
From Free net encyclopedia
Accessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a system is usable by as many people as possible without modification. It is not to be confused with usability which is used to describe how easily a thing can be used by any type of user. One meaning of accessibility specifically focuses on people with disabilities and their use of assistive devices such as screen-reading web browsers or wheelchairs. Other meanings are discussed below.
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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, organisations and facilities which we all pay for.
Image:Handicap reverse.svg Accessibility is about giving equal access to everyone.
While it is often used to describe facilities or amenities to assist people with disabilities, as in "wheelchair accessible", the term can extend to Braille signage, wheelchair ramps, audio signals at pedestrian crossings, walkway contours, website design, and so on.
Various countries have legislation requiring physical accessibility:
- In the UK, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 has numerous provisions for accessibility.
- In the US, under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 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 U.S. Access Board is "A Federal Agency Committed to Accessible Design for People with Disabilities." Many states in the US have their own disability laws.
- 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..."
Transportation
In transportation, accessibility refers to the ease of reaching destinations. People who are in places that are highly accessible can reach many other activities or destinations quickly, people in inaccessible places can reach many fewer places in the same amount of time.
A measure that is often used is to measure accessibility in a traffic analysis zone i is:
<math> Accessibility_i = \sum_j {Opportunities_j } f\left( {C_{ij} } \right) </math> where:
- i = index of origin zones
- j = index of destination zones
- f(Cij) = function of generalized travel cost (so that nearer (or less expensive) places are weighted more than farther or more expensive places).
For a non-motorised mode of transport, such as walking or cycling, the generalised travel cost may include additional factors such as safety or gradient.
Art and entertainment
Pieces of music, novels, and other works of art are commonly judged on their accessibility, with some feeling that less-accessible works are superior and some considering them inferior. For instance, serial music is often valued by its creators and others for its high concentration of information while being criticized by Fred Lerdahl and others for being literally unintelligible.
See also
External links
- Accessibility - American Foundation for the Blind
- In the United Kingdom a national register of persons capable of auditing premises or designing modifications to them to raise their accessibility has been established.
- Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitalitybg:Достъпност
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