History of Accessibility

Accessibility, in fact, isn’t only a technical term. It refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities.

The concept of accessibility and the accessibility movement have common roots with the civil rights movement and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. These roots eventually yielded fruit in the form of laws that legislate equality of access, but it was not an easy path.

The first recognition of accessible design was brought in 1961 by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI, then called American Standards Association (ASA)) A117.1 Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities specifications. This standard was the result of research conducted at the University of Illinois and funded by the Easter Seals Research Foundation, and served as a significant reference for many private and public institutions. From that point, the concept of accessible design received more federal input and more attention from the public.

In 1964 the Civil Rights Act was passed, prohibiting racial discrimination in public places and requiring employers to provide equal employment opportunities to all individuals regardless of race. However, this Act did not address people with disabilities, leaving advocates still battling for this critical inclusion.

One successful example of this battle was the “Deaf President Now” student protests in March 1988 at Gallaudet University, the only liberal arts college for the Deaf and hard of hearing. The students refused to accept the appointment of a hearing president and after a week of protests, Gallaudet finally had a Deaf president for the first time in its history. This event galvanized the disability community and drew the attention of society in general.

Two years after DPN, the disability community was granted their own civil rights act with the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability and establishes design requirements for the construction or alteration of facilities required to be accessible. For the first time, accessibility was viewed not merely as a “nice addition”, but as a fundamental requirement in every design decision. Our laws had finally embraced the concept that people with disabilities must be provided with tools that allow them the same opportunities as their peers without disabilities.

As the second decade of the 21st century draws to a close, what do we have now?

Beyond accessible design, we have the modern concept of “universal design (UD)” (also called inclusive design, design for all, or lifespan design). The focus of universal design was mainly usability issues. “In the past ten years, the emphasis was broadened to wider issues of social inclusion.” A new and more accurate definition is "a process that enables and empowers a diverse population by improving human performance, health and wellness, and social participation" (Steinfeld and Maisel, 2012).

The field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) focuses on building accessible systems that help everyone, not just disabled people. One belief is that we all are disabled in many contexts and circumstances. Another core concept indicates that we are all expressions of humanity. This subject also focuses on developing standards for accessibility, reinforcing them, and continuing to explore possibilities for more accessible designs in the following areas of user need: visual, motor/mobility, auditory, seizures, and learning.

Moving forward, we still have a long way to go. But as our civilization grows and develops, it will focus more and more on making sure that everyone is included. “While there is life, there is hope.”