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Accessibility is a basic right. Every situation should therefore be accessible to everyone in our society. Yet this is not always obvious to people with disabilities, and there are still many situations in which this is insufficiently achieved.
WHAT IS ACCESSIBILITY?
Accessibility is important for everyone and should integral should be, so not only for people with disabilities. Integral accessibility comprises three elements.
- The first element is usability, this refers to the extent to which a person can make full use of the situation as they should.
- the second element is accessibility, which is of course about how easily something can be reached.
- And the third element is understandability, this is the extent to which a person understands the situation and is understood by it.
The aim of integral accessibility is to ensure that there are should not tailor anything especially for anyone be, especially for someone with a disability. With integral accessibility, a situation leans in perfectly for everyone.
INITIATIVES FOR GREATER ACCESSIBILITY
It is sometimes thought that our society today is already sufficiently accessible, but this is certainly not quite the case yet. Inaccessibility is sometimes in small things. This is how Roger, user of crutches, that he can walk perfectly well at home without crutches using his leg prosthesis. Only this does not work outside because the footpaths and steps are so unpredictable.
Fortunately, however, more and more initiatives set up for greater accessibility, such as by Tolbo asbl. Transport company The Line now has 3 symbols indicating accessibility for each stop. The symbols indicate whether a stop is accessible for someone with a mobile disability, someone with a mobile disability if accompanied, or for someone with a visual impairment.
Another initiative is the Universal Design. This is a vision of designing spaces and buildings with an integrated approach. For instance, a space should not be adapted to an individual, but should be designed to be accessible to all. This design is fully in line with the concept of integrated accessibility.
ACCESSIBILITY IN CORONA TIMES
In times of corona it is certainly not easy to apply integral accessibility. Measures are announced, but these are not always clear to people with disabilities. For example, it is very difficult for deaf and hard-of-hearing people to understand people because of mouth masks or people in wheelchairs cannot compulsorily take a shopping trolley. So clear and personal communication is definitely an asset in these times!
Sources: Source 1
