“The problem with having a disability is not the disability. The problem is other people. Other people’s biases, prejudices and ugliness get in the way of seeing people. I wish people would understand that disability is just a variation of the human experience” - Johanna Hirons Radziwon

Definition

I have come across many definitions for accessibility, but I do feel that George H. Williams best defines it (or describes it) in his article “Access” in the Digital Pedagogy for the Humanities journal. Williams writes, “[a]ccessibility exists when a user . . . can easily make use of a particular digital resource . . . with their choice of technology . . . and can, as a result, cognitively process the information as it comes to them from that resource through that technology”.

The key terms in this definition that I feel best reflect the term ‘accessibility,’ in a digital context, are “easy”, “choice”, “cognitively process”, and “through technology”.

Information should always be easily available and accessible otherwise it defeats the purpose of making something accessible. Further, users should be able to choose what best suits their needs. Someone who suffers from colorblindness may require different requirements than someone who has dyslexia. Cognitive process is the ability to take the transformed information and make sense of it, which is accomplished through technology.

Problems

There are several issues making digital technology accessible. The first problem starts with trying to answer what exactly is a barrier. For the purpose of this write up, I will be using the word disability and disabled in a very wide context that encompasses all types of disabilities, unless otherwise identified. My term “disability” encompasses both physical and mental disabilities, visible and invisible disabilities, and long-term and short-term disabilities. It also includes neurodiversity, aspects of disability that are not easily categorized or seen. We (the collective we) also need to keep in mind that disabilities do not only affect those who are “disabled”, but also their families, friends, and those around them.

Making technology accessible is more than just providing text-to-speech. It is as complicated as incorporating special fonts, visual and auditory cues, specific colours, organizing the page content, etc. When making technology accessible one must consider the implications that making one change can have on another community. For example, someone who has dyslexia or dysgraphia could find it difficult to read black writing on a white screen. Applying colours would make the content more accessible for them. However, this could impede someone who is colorblind from accessing the same content. The problem can also affect people who have the same type of disabilities because there are varying degrees or types of every type of disability and it affects everyone differently. There are therefore many situations and audiences to consider when making content accessible.

There is also the problem of isolating and grouping people into “normal” and “not-normal”. For example, what differentiates someone with glasses as being able but someone with vision impairment as being disabled? Who and why are these lines being drawn? Why is ableism “the least talked about ‘ism’” (Bookworm Blues)? These are all great questions and, unfortunately, I do not have any answers to provide. However, it is important to ask these types of questions because it plays into the “how” and “what” can be done to make something accessible. Answers are not always the solution, sometimes conversations are.

Accessibility in the Digital Sphere

When designing you need to consider the following: planning, purpose, and intention. You also need to consider who your audience is and whether you want your material to be assistive technology or adapted technology. There is also consideration for whether your application will be used across platforms because this will influence the way you organize your content. Sometimes, less is more - the less busy your screen is, the less adapting is needed.

Starting the Conversation

How do we begin the conversation? Well, a good start is to involve the appropriate audience when developing accessible content. Try having someone on the team who has a disability who would be able to provide guidance. Consult standardize guidelines in your establishment (most major establishments for example the government have accessibility standards that need to be followed) – just make sure that your using guidelines from a reliable source. Get public feedback – have users fill out surveys, participate in interviews and focus groups, be part of the testing team. As Eleanor Ratliff says, “[w]ith every change we make, we need to continually check that it doesn’t impair someone else’s experience”. Avoid stereotyping and assumptions (what works for you may not work for someone else). Make sure to understand the difference between accessible and adaptive technology (and apply which best fits your goal). Finally, make sure that “digital resources continue to be not only useful but usable” (George H. Williams). These seem like simple facts, but they are not. There is a frustration of how to accommodate an ever-growing need for accessibility requirements.

Things to keep in mind:

• It is impossible to make content 100% accessible.
  • But, it is not impossible to make content tailored towards one specific audience 100% accessible.
• It is good to make content widely available.
  • But, putting in place too many filters to make content accessible may impede more than help.
• Everyone is abled.
  • But, some people have to do things a little differently than others.

Last Thoughts

There are many things I have not covered and I do not think I will ever be able to answer like why authors need the “hegemony of normalcy” for their characters (Lennard J. Davis)? Lennard J. Davis talks, in his work The Disability Studies Reader that in order to normalize characters, their moment of disability is “marked with ideological meaning” which transforms them or makes them part of that “hegemony of normalcy”. Why do authors feel the need to do that?

One last point I want to highlight, which may be the biggest problem about accessibility and which I myself am at fault for doing, is authorities speaking about accessibility without actually making their content accessible for a wider audience. While I am not yet familiar enough with the program I am using to start making these drastic changes, I think that being aware of the problem is a first step towards solving the problem.