Accessibility
Audits

What is Accessibility?

Accessibility is the concept of whether a product or service can be used by everyone—however they encounter it.

  • Attitudinal barriers: prejudice and stereotyping because of the disability.
  • Environmental barriers: including physical infrastructural and communication/information barriers such as absence of ramps, lifts; space for wheelchair maneuvering; inadequate light and signage and different information formats for persons with visual, hearing and intellectual disabilities.
  • Institutional Barriers: failure to address attitudinal and environmental barriers and to make provisions for persons with different disabilities in legislation, policies, strategies and national or organizational plans, data, etc.

Accessibility is one of the 8 standalone general principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).  The convention requires that State Parties “ensure to persons with disabilities access to on an equal basis with others, the physical environment, transportation, information and communications, including information and communications technologies and systems, and to other facilities and services open or provided to the public, both in urban and in rural areas”.

Why do an accessibility audit?

Purpose: Accessibility Audit is done to ascertain how good an environment is in terms of ease of use by a varied set of users (potential and actual), including people with disabilities, and also to suggest improvements, where needed.

What are the different types of accessibility audits?

There are two types of accessibility audits:

  • Accessibility audit of the Built environment (physical spaces)
  • Accessibility audit of Digital spaces (websites, digital content, etc.)

Review of digital content becomes very necessary today.

What are the three types of accessibility in the digital environment?

  • Types of Accessibility Issues in the Digital space
    Visual (e.g., blindness, low vision, color blindness) 
  • Motor/mobility (e.g., wheelchair-user concerns) 
  • Auditory (hearing difficulties)

What do you need to take care of when conducting an accessibility audit?

Prior to getting started with accessibility audits and changes, make sure you:

  • Know what accessibility legislation, regulations and standards apply to you
  • Seek legal advice to help you ensure compliance requirements in your workplace are met
  • Reach out to and engage with Accessibility professionals to help with doing accessibility audits
  • Are familiar with the building contracts and owner/lease agreements. These may affect how, when and at what cost accessibility changes can be made
  • Ensure you have resources for accessibility compliance throughout the process from initial specifications to tender and procurement
  • Ensure that accessibility changes do no harm to the environment or the surrounding community. Aim for the best standards of accessibility with locally available resources to support local economies and environmental sustainability
  • Contract certified construction or building professionals. Ensure that accessibility experts work with them to ensure quality.

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